Pendergrass Cattle Company in Arkansas: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and Contact Notes
Profile updated November 2026
Pendergrass Cattle Company is a family cattle operation started in 1870 and described by the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame as one of Arkansas's leading stocker and feeder cattle outfits. John Paul Pendergrass, a sixth-generation rancher who has been co-owner since 1979, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Class XXXVIII.
| Location | Charleston, Franklin County, western Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1870, as published by the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame |
| Sectors | Stocker and feeder cattle; grazing; on-site feedyard |
| Scale | Close to 3,500 acres for grazing plus an on-site feedyard or grow yard, per the Hall of Fame |
| Why it is elite | Described as one of Arkansas's leading stocker and feeder outfits; owner inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame |
| Ownership | Family owned; sixth generation |
| Official website | Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame profile of John Paul Pendergrass (no official company website found) |
History of Pendergrass Cattle Company
The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame says the Pendergrass operation started in 1870. John Paul Pendergrass was born and raised in Franklin County and has been a co-owner since 1979. Another Pendergrass, John Frank Pendergrass, appears in the Hall of Fame in Class XXIX.
Talk Business & Politics reported in 2026 that John Paul Pendergrass of Charleston was part of the induction class that included other farm and agribusiness leaders. In 2017 he gave a commencement speech at the University of Arkansas's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
What Pendergrass Cattle Company Grows and Raises
The company buys young cattle, grazes them and feeds them for later sale into the beef system, which is the stocker and feeder model. The Hall of Fame profile reports close to 3,500 acres used for grazing and an on-site feedyard or grow yard.
The company provides a steady market for many small producers in western Arkansas, according to the profile, and contributes millions to the local economy. That buying role is important in a state where many cow-calf herds are small and need local outlets.
Pendergrass also serves on the board of Innovative Livestock Services, a separate cattle feeding and farming enterprise with more than 40,000 farmed acres and up to 200,000 head in Kansas and Nebraska. That is a different company, but it shows the industry connections of the family.
How Pendergrass Cattle Company Makes Money
Stocker and feeder cattle
Revenue comes from buying calves, adding weight on pasture and in the grow yard and selling them as feeders. Gain and efficient purchasing are the main drivers.
Buying from local producers
By buying from many small cow-calf producers in western Arkansas, the operation aggregates cattle into uniform lots that feeders and packers want.
Land and forage
Close to 3,500 acres of grazing lets the company turn forage into pounds of gain.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Pendergrass Cattle Company
Aggregating cattle creates value. Buying from many small producers and selling uniform groups is a service that rewards buyers with scale and good records.
Succession over six generations rests on strong local relationships. Stocker operators should manage price risk with Livestock Risk Protection or futures, and consult the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and FSA about operating loans.
A ranch that has been buying calves in Franklin County since 1870 knows more about cattle personalities than any psychologist. Readers of farm.FM who enjoy farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes will appreciate that a stocker operation is basically a boarding school for calves, with the same attitude to bedtime. We tip our hat to six generations of Pendergrass cattlemen.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Pendergrass Cattle Company
Website: https://arkansasaghalloffame.org/members/member/pendergrass-john-paul/
No official company website, address, phone or email was found; the Hall of Fame profile was the best verified public page, November 2026.
Pendergrass Cattle Company Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame - Profile of John Paul Pendergrass
- Talk Business & Politics - Independent coverage of the 2026 induction class
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official national and state farm statistics
- University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture - Land-grant research and extension
- Arkansas Department of Agriculture - State agency partners and programs
Pendergrass Cattle Company FAQ
When did Pendergrass Cattle Company start?
The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame says the family operation started in 1870.
What does it do?
It is a stocker and feeder cattle operation with close to 3,500 acres for grazing and an on-site feedyard.
Who runs it?
John Paul Pendergrass, a sixth-generation rancher and co-owner since 1979.
Where is it?
Charleston, in Franklin County, western Arkansas.
Pendergrass Cattle Company shows how a six-generation Arkansas stocker operation stays relevant. Read the Arkansas farms guide for more of the state's leading producers.