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Edwards Land & Cattle Company Named Limousin Promoter of the Year

Published January 27, 2023

Edwards Land & Cattle Company Named Limousin Promoter of the Year

The Edwards Family members include Dexter & Pam Edwards, Brittainy Edwards Kildow and husband Kurt, children Arden and Gage, Nicholas Edwards & daughter, Allie.

Dexter started a humble beginning as a son of a small family farmer, who raised tobacco, row crops, pigs and cattle.  He was gifted a sow at seven years old as a present from his dad.  He raised the pigs from the sow and sold his first hogs at the local stock market and was hooked on livestock from that point forward.  Pam was the daughter of a civil servant employee at Camp Lejeune Marine Base for 35 years and a mother who had grown up on a small family farm.

After college Dexter become employed with Carroll’s Foods a leader in swine and turkey production.  He started his career as manager of a swine operation.  While at Carroll’s Foods Dexter became a service manager and later developed the first swine contract facility program for the business.  Later Carrolls’ merged with Murphy Farms and Brown of the Carolinas to form Murphy-Brown, which later became Smithfield Foods.  Dexter has held many leadership positions in this company.  For the past twelve years Dexter has been General Manager of the Southeast Region and now the Central Region.  He is the general manager of the largest swine production consortium in the country. Dexter loves the growers and employees of the industry and has worked hard and will continue to work hard for the industry.

After graduation Pam taught and coached at Wallace Elementary School, Charity Middle School and Chinquapin Elementary School.  She coached basketball, volleyball, and softball at these schools and in her tenure, she never had a losing season in any sport.  She led her teams to many County championships.  She later became the Physical Education and Health Coordinator for Duplin County Schools which later lead to her becoming the Director of Student Support Services.  She was responsible for over forty programs in the school district which included athletics, school nursing, guidance counselors, alternative school, social workers, school resource officers just to name a few. Pam retired after 35 years in education to pursue a candidacy for the Duplin County Board of Education.

Brittainy and her husband Kurt are the owners of Edwards and Associates Physical Therapy in Beulaville.  She was aware of the limitations of a small community having access to medical services and wanted to provide quality care to her patients. Her business has been in Beulaville for the past eighteen years.

Nicholas is the manager of Edwards Land and Cattle Company and Next Generation Family Ventures which consist of farming, as well as swine and cattle.

As mentioned earlier having a quality community is extremely important to the Edwards Family.  They are all involved in community work.  Dexter served as president for the Duplin County Farm Bureau for seven years and is still on the Duplin Farm Bureau Board of Directors.  He also served as president of the Duplin County Agri Business Council for six years and is now on the board as past president.  Dexter also served on the Board of Directors for NALF from 2010-2016.  He is presently on the Duplin County Board of County Commissioners just beginning his third term, where he is serving as Chairman.

As mentioned earlier Faith is the main stable of this family.  They are members of the Beulaville Free Will Baptist Church.  They have realized the miracle of God’s hand many times in their journey.  God continues to provide miracle in their lives. Dexter chaired the Stop Hunger Now program in the church for several years where the church provided meals to hungry countries.  One of Dexter highest achievements has been his recent endeavor to the IN GOD WE TRUST campaign to adding the motto to both the Duplin County Airport and Duplin Commissioners Board room.  Pam serves as the church treasure. She has held the position of youth director and Sunday school teacher.  Brittainy serves as a Sunday School teacher and a member of the Property and Space Committee.  She has been the youth sermon director.  Nicholas serves on the Property and Space Committee and the Backpack Committee. Kurt and the kids maintain the church grounds.

Dexter has received honors from the North Carolina Pork Council both in 1998 as NC Pork producer of the year, and in 2016 as the WW Shay award in 2019 for outstanding leadership and contribution to the Pork Industry.  Dexter received the Melvin Cording Service to Agriculture award in 2010 presented from the Agri-business council. Pam was honored at her retirement with a scholarship being named in her honor for an outstanding senior scholar athlete at the annual Duplin Education Foundation.

Edwards Land & Cattle Co. currently run roughly 800 head of cattle spread out over three counties.

Edwards Land and Cattle Co.is home to Limousin, Lim-Flex, Angus and Red Angus cattle as well as more than 12,000 hogs and turkeys.

The Edwards’ operation has a long and rich history that stems across several generations, Dexter said.

Dexter said his greatest joy has been having his son come back home to help manage Edwards Land and Cattle Co. Nicholas’ involvement has allowed him to find balance between the work he loves and time for his family, Dexter added.

Nicholas has never doubted that being involved with the family business was what he wanted to do in life, but said it was his father’s dedication that gave him the ability to come home to the operation. When Dexter first started Edwards Land and Cattle Co. after he graduated from college, he only had an acre-and-a-half of land in his name.

“My dad started everything we have from the ground up. He built this farm from nothing,” Nicholas said. “I love working with him, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.”

Nicholas has always looked up to Dexter and said his father is the sole reason he has been able to pursue his passion and find a career in the industry he loves. From the moment Dexter gifted a Limousin bull to him on his third birthday, Nicholas said he has worked to possess and exhibit the same drive as his father.

“He’s taught me everything. He’s been my teacher in everything I’ve done,” Nicholas added.

Nicholas said he has countless memories of working cattle for his father and treasures every one of them. It was Dexter, Nicholas said, who was responsible for giving him the courage and desire to start exhibiting their cattle. Nicholas’ youth was spent traveling the country, showing the Limousin cattle he had raised on their family’s operation.

While the seedstock industry was not originally the operation’s main focus, Nicholas said he and his father are proud of the various successes their livestock have found in show rings and sales across the country.

Edwards Land and Cattle Co. has produced seven All-American Futurity Grand Champions and claimed four titles at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. With these achievements, it is no surprise Dexter and Nicholas have also been recognized as Premier Breeder six years in a row at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville and again in year 2022.

In addition to exhibiting successful strings of cattle at literally every, major cattle show in the United States, the cattle carrying their ELCX prefix have been just as widely accepted at sale venues across the country. From hosting their own annual production sale at the farm, to consigning cattle to premier sale events across the country, cattle bred in their program have met much buyer demand.

“Watching him develop has been one of my greatest pleasures,” Dexter said. “The cattle taught him that if you work hard enough at something, you can accomplish your goals and become a leader. That confidence is the reason we have won Premier Breeder six years in a row. That’s his work—not mine.”

Nicholas’ love for the Limousin breed kept Dexter involved in the Association. Dexter said seeing the impact the show industry had on his son inspired him to find ways to get more youth involved in agriculture. This inspiration led to Dexter serving for six years on the North American Limousin Foundation Board including a stint as Vice President.

“My favorite part was having the opportunity to meet so many different farmers and ranchers across the country,” Dexter said of his time on the Board.

He has worked to seize every opportunity to promote the Limousin cattle he raises with his son. Dexter’s greatest sense of pride while serving, however, came from watching other youth members in the industry grow as cattlemen like Nicholas did. From the moment he saw his three-year-old son fall in love with his first Limousin bull to the cattleman running the family operation today, Dexter said the cattle industry has shaped his son into the hard-working man he is today.

In 2012 the Edwards Family moved their annual sale to their new sale facility located on the 100-year farm originally owned by the Edwards ancestors.  The facility was a dream come true for the family.  The facility has become not only a sale facility but a facility to celebrate many community activities including weddings and gatherings.

While Nicholas said he loves the competitiveness of the show industry, it’s the heart and soul of the people raising the cattle that keeps him coming back to the industry time and time again.

“I would say we’re a dying breed as far as the kind of people we are. It’s real competitive what we do, but at the end of the day, we’re all on the same page,” Nicholas said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a show cattle producer or a commercial producer—we are a family. We have each other’s backs when it comes down to it.”

ABOUT

Limousin cattle deliver to your bottom line. With superior genetics, a simple crossbreeding plan and state-of-the-art selection tools, the Limousin breed will serve profit-minded cow/calf producers. In today’s competitive markets, taking advantage of all available opportunities is key. The Limousin breed offers a variety of options from Fullblood to Purebred to the Lim-Flex® hybrid (Limousin x Angus cross) to match your program’s needs and market goals. Crossbreeding for the right blend of muscle, maternal ability and profit is easy with Limousin seedstock.