Robert Woolsey
In Town: Robert Woolsey grew up in the pharmacy that his dad, Bob, started in Ozark, Ark., during the late 70s. “I always wanted to be just like him. I always wanted to come back and work at Medi-Quik.” After pharmacy school, Robert and his wife, Elizabeth, who is also a pharmacist, returned home to Ozark and built the Medi-Quik in Paris, Ark. “When Dad died, I came back to the Ozark store and Elizabeth stayed at the one in Paris.”
In the Country: Even though Robert’s family lived a rural lifestyle, he didn’t grow up on a farm. He said that his interest was sparked by his father’s customers while he was still a young man hanging around the store. “I’ve always loved the people. I love talking to them and learning from them,” he said. He enjoys the surprised reaction that he gets when others first learn that he is a farmer. “I don’t look like a farmer,” he said. “I look like a pharmacist!” A friend helped Robert get his feet wet with farming about seven years ago. He now has 38 Limousin momma cows and two registered Red Angus bulls.
Family: Wife, Elizabeth, children, Lauren, 11; Daniel, 8 and Anna, 4.
Why a Limousin and Red Angus cross?
“I wanted hybrid vigor. I get good muscling from the Limousin and the Red Angus are more heat tolerant. I usually get quite a few black calves. I have very little calving issues. That’s important because I can’t stay with them. I’m at the store 12 hours a day.”
What are some of your challenges?
“I would like to grow my cattle operation, but the challenge is finding available land to purchase or lease,” Robert said. But finding the time to farm is Robert’s biggest challenge. “Sometimes I’m out at the farm at 4 a.m. feeding. I’ve got more than enough to do, but I love raising cattle. I’m really blessed.”
What are your goals?
Robert said it’s very important to him that his children grow up to understand and appreciate the farming lifestyle. “I want them to know that their food doesn’t just come from a grocery store, that there is a lot of hard work that goes into it.”
By Amber Parham
