John Maddux
In Town: John Maddux got his real estate license at the age of 18 and worked with his parents, who started Maddux Realty in Buffalo, Mo., in 1957.
John went on to become a police officer for several years and worked in other fields as well, but returned full-time to Century 21 Maddux Realty after the death of his brother, Ed, in 2006. He is now the owner/broker of the business.
The business has continued to be a family endeavor with mom Wanda still a fixture at the office. John’s wife Brigitte and his son Nathan also have their real estate license.
In the Country: John and Bridgett, along with daughters Elly, Molly, Allie and twins Anthea and Ava, live on a Dallas County farm that has been part of John’s family for nearly a century.
John runs a cow-calf operation with 55 full-blooded Angus pairs on 350 acres. He typically keeps about eight to 10 replacement heifers each year and has one to two Angus bulls.
“I have raised cattle forever,” he said. “I just enjoy it. Once it’s in your blood, it’s just always there. It’s just really relaxing. With some people, they go home and watch TV, but I go home and watch cows. I just really enjoy them.”
The Maddux girls help out on the farm, and older brother Nathan is very active in the operation.
John admits that Brigitte got a “crash course” in farming.
“When we first got married, we had some goats and it was a really, really cold winter and I think we raised eight babies in the basement of our house,” John recalled. “She was out helping the mommas have babies and pulling kids and everything. She went from a city girl to a country girl instantly.” John added that he likes to keep goats on his farm from time to time to help with brush control.
Having experience on the farm has helped him steer many first-time farmers in the right direction when it comes to purchasing property.
“It really ties in,” he said. “I talked to a man who wanted to run 40 cows and we talked about the quality of the soil and how many acres he wanted to have. It really ties in when helping people find the right ground. In Dallas County, you can have 100 acres that will run 20 cow, or you can have 100 that will run five.”
After wearing several “hats” in his life, John said the one with the feed store logo on it is one of his favorites.
“It’s just so relaxing to be out on the farm,” he said.
