Hard times came. Challenges mounted. But, the Hedges family found a way forward.
Wendall Hedges and his brother, Duane, grew up on a farm in Seiling, Oklahoma. From a young age, Wendall Hedges dreamed of becoming a teacher, he said. After getting married, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and later pursued his master’s degree in Phoenix, Arizona.
When Wendall Hedges and his wife, Patty Hedges, moved back to Seiling, the Hedges brothers started Hedges Ag Service, which they opened in Seiling, Oklahoma, in 1951. The operation became a multi-generational business built on service, innovation and strong Christian values, Jim Hedges said.
“During the drought, times got hard for our family, ” said Jim Hedges, Wendall’s son, owner of Hedges Ag Service. “My mom was pregnant. Farmers, ranchers and everyone else struggled, and a solution was needed quickly. There was not a lot here to help.”
The Hedges opened two branches—one in Woodward, Oklahoma, and the other in Perryton, Texas. No matter what the service, the Hedges family’s priority was to serve the local community, especially farmers and ranchers, Jim Hedges said.
“[Wendall and Duane] were really good at coming up with new ideas for the business,” Jim Hedges said. “It was a continual change sometimes within what was done.”
Between 1951 and the 1980s, the family operated a wholesale business within Hedges Ag Service. This business offered a variety of supplies, including livestock equipment and chemical sprays.
Jim Hedges graduated from Seiling High School in 1978, and over time, he took charge of Hedges Ag Service.
After the 1980s, the family redirected the focus back to Hedges Ag Service, and the other stores closed. The family decided to improve the Seiling location and added a seed cleaning system, started offering custom spraying and built a feedlot.
Through time, the Hedges family worked to blend their beliefs, traditions and values with modern practices, Jim Hedges said. The family uses more modern techniques, such as QuickBooks and newer technology with equipment, he added.
“You know I can’t fight technology,” Jim Hedges said, “so I may as well join it. It may not be for me, but I understand it’s an important thing, and it makes the work a little faster and easier.”
Although technology may make things faster and easier at Hedges Ag Service, some things technology cannot replace. The Hedges family members involved with Hedges Ag Service, hopes technology will never substitute the tangible communication they get with their customers, Jim Hedges said.
“We can always be present in a caring way,” said Wesley Hedges, Jim’s oldest son who is business and sales manager at Hedges Ag Service. “By having a relationship with customers, we can figure out what they are looking for and why they’re looking for it.”
Frank Myer, a customer for more than 20 years and a cow-calf operator, said he recognizes the Hedges family works hard to stay on top of any appropriate technology.
“They will make time to stop and visit,” Myer said. “They try to take an interest in all their customers.”
Farms and ranches change as time passes—some farms fade, some farms grow, and some people start providing services themselves. The Hedges family has farmed for many years and one thing has never changed: They remain committed to serving others and helping them succeed.
Myer admires the depth of knowledge and capability to work with different crops.
Similar to their competitors, the Hedges family seeks to make a profit for their business, but the family does not put profitability above their values or integrity, Myer said. The family tries to operate Hedges Ag Service with strong Christian values, he added.
More than 70 years since the opening of Hedges Ag Service, the family members who now serve northeast Oklahoma through Hedges Ag Service are Jim and, his wife, Kim Hedges, Wesley and Kristen Hedges, and Joshua Hedges, Jim’s youngest son.
“I use them for my feed supplier,” Myer said. “I buy vet supplies from them, fertilizer, chemicals, and they do custom spraying. They service almost all my needs as a cow-calf operator. It’s definitely worth the time to hire Hedges Ag in my opinion.”
What’s the next chapter for this third-generation family business?
“We hope to get several grandkids more involved to keep growing for the fourth generation,” Jim Hedges said.
Jim and Kim Hedges have 11 grandchildren, who they hope will continue to get involved with Hedges Ag Service as they get older, Jim Hedges said. If anyone stops by the business, they will see the next generation learning the values and morals of the business, Myer said.
“[Some of the grandchildren] are already loading feed, talking to customers, working on small projects, and so on,” Myer said.
Wesley and Kristen Hedges said they hope their kids learn certain core values. They hope the next generation can continue to carry those values into life as they get older, whether they decide to work in the family business or not, Wesley Hedges said.
“We want our kids to learn how to be reliable, work hard, have respect, pay attention, and care for others’ timelines,” he said. “In the store, I want them to learn to have a sense of urgency. The customer is the top priority when they’re here.”
Jim and Kim Hedges want all their grandkids to learn those core values, as well, but they also hope all their grandkids remember, “God gives guidance,” Jim Hedges said.
The Hedges actively integrate their beliefs into Hedges Ag Service through the way they serve customers and organize the store, Jim said.
“One thing my wife started doing several years ago was to write a Bible verse on a chalkboard,” he said. “I trust in God to help us out. It’s probably the most important thing we have in our lives.”
Seventy-four years after its founding, Hedges Ag Service continues to evolve while staying rooted in the same principles that shaped it—faith, family, hard work and service to others.
The clock was ticking, but they never quit.
