By Jeff Helms

When Chuck Madaris crosses the Sunbelt Ag Expo stage as Alabama Farmer of the Year this month, he will represent a tight-knit family that’s turned CK Cattle into one of the nation’s premier seedstock producers. 

“Through hard work and with the Lord’s guidance, we have grown our farm. Today, we raise cattle on more than 3,000 contiguous acres. Our greatest accomplishment, however, is that we work alongside our son, Charlie; our daughter, Kathleen; and our son-in-law, Bradfield,” said Chuck, who is competing for the title of Southeastern Farmer of the Year with wife Katie. 

The Madarises began their farming journey 50 years ago when Chuck, armed with an Auburn University animal and dairy science degree, took a job managing Katie’s father’s herd at H.R. Ellis & Sons in Lowndes County.

With teamwork that foreshadowed their lifelong partnership, the couple met one night when Katie held a flashlight while he pulled a calf. They married two years later. The following year, Chuck purchased four Angus cows and rented a nearby 35-acre pasture. In 1989, they purchased 307 acres in Hope Hull, and CK Cattle was born.

Today, the Madarises raise 900 head of Angus, ChiAngus and SimAngus cattle and market 250 bulls a year through a headquarters sale, as well as private-treaty and consignment sales. They sell bred heifers and market about 60 head a year as freezer beef.

Bradfield, who handles marketing along with Kathleen, said respect for individual talents makes the family farm distinct.

“You measure the strength of a rope by how many fibers it has in it,” he said. “We’re a diverse family. Everybody has a skill set; we’re each really good at certain things. And fortunately for us, those things don’t overlap.”

For Charlie, skills include welding, mechanics, selling cattle-working equipment and managing the forage program, which includes corn silage, rotational grazing, bermudagrass horse hay and ryegrass.

“Instead of doing baleage or an early hay cutting, we graze our cows on the ryegrass,” Charlie explained. “What would typically be our second cutting of hay in previous years becomes our first cutting, and it still has the ryegrass seed. Then, instead of getting a third or fourth cutting, we let the hayfield come back and turn weaned calves or heifers in on it to get real prime grazing.”

That out-of-the-box thinking and commitment to learning sets CK Cattle apart. Innovations include harnessing the Chianina breed’s heat tolerance and productivity by culling for disposition. Meanwhile, cattle drink solely from well water thanks to wise use of EQIP cost-shares, and a well-maintained road system connects each acre of contiguous pastureland, allowing Chuck’s five grandchildren to contribute at an early age.

“I don’t think we have anything on this operation that one of us adults couldn’t take two kids and do as far as handling and moving cattle (on horseback),” Chuck said.

Earlier this year, CK was named Alabama Farm-City’s Farm of Distinction. Prizes included a John Deere Gator from SunSouth and TriGreen; $1,000 each from Alabama Farmers Cooperative and First South Farm Credit; a Grasshopper zero-turn mower from Alfa Farmers Member Perks; and an engraved farm sign from Alabama Farmers Federation and Alfa Insurance.

As Alabama’s winner at Sunbelt, the Madarises receive $2,500 and other prizes. They compete alongside farmers from six states for $15,000, plus use of a Massey Ferguson tractor and more.

Federation Area 7 Organization Director Guy Hall nominated Chuck for the award.

“Chuck Madaris built one of Alabama’s largest seedstock operations from scratch by following the guidance of seasoned cattlemen and embracing innovation,” Hall said. “Now, he’s paying those blessings forward by mentoring not only his family but countless young farmers who’ve visited CK Cattle for sales, judging clinics and field days.As the leader of the family, you can tell Chuck is a man who doesn’t just read the Good Book but lives it out.”

Katie, who keeps CK’s books and oversees cattle handling, said no one is more deserving of recognition than Chuck.  

“He always has a notepad and a pencil — trying to figure out the best way to do something,” she said. “He is a person who tries to excel and do everything the best way possible with a lot of character.”

For Chuck, that means working hard, staying humble and remembering the source of all blessings.

“I want to emphasize me and Katie and Charlie, Kathleen and Bradfield — we all worked hard,” he said. “But it’s really God’s hand that allowed us to do it. I mean, what happened here in this operation, you could not plan it.”