Smith and Jasper counties, as well as the Mississippi agriculture industry, are still recovering from losing Charles Waldrup in January 2021.
“He was the type of guy that had the same attitude all the time,” Smith County Farm Bureau board member Frankie Chisolm said. “He was a great, great person.”
“He was one of those people that always pushed you to improve,” Smith County Farm Bureau President Matt Hammonds said. “He wanted you to be involved in Farm Bureau because he knew what the organization could do for farmers.”
“One of Charles’ greatest strengths was the ability to bring people together,” Jasper County Farm Bureau board member Paul Myrick said. “He was never interested in taking credit or gaining recognition from anything he did. It was all about getting the job done for farmers in this area.”
As a Smith County Extension agent for 26 years, Charles was without a doubt a friend of the farmer. Even after a long day at work, he always answered his phone for farmers in the evening. Pam, his wife of four decades, and Chad, his son, remember fondly how he always made time for everyone.
“He used to say, ‘I’m going to help them. If they call, I’m going to be there to help them.’ That sums him up. No matter what time a farmer called, if he was available, he was going to assist them, and if he couldn’t answer their question, he would find someone that could.”
“He made time to be available for them,” Pam added. “He would say, ‘They need help, and they haven’t got any. If I can do it, I’m going to.’”
Even after he retired in 2006, Charles stayed active with his fellow local farmers.
“His goal in life was to help farmers,” Jasper County Farm Bureau board member Ricky Ruffin said. “He was probably the foremost authority in our area for vegetable production, even way after he retired from the Extension Service. We’d call him all the time for advice.”
Charles established himself as a leader in his community and to local farmers, but he was not worried about taking credit.
“The Magnolia Beef Expo that happens every year. The Smith and Jasper counties Farm Safety Day for all six grade students. The 4‑H livestock program and all the awards and recognition that those kids brought back to Smith County over the years. The beef tours happening all over the Unites States. All of these things would not have happened without Charles’ leadership,” Myrick said.
“It was important to him to promote the commercial tomato business in our area. He was one of the first people to help set up tours for growers to travel to other areas and see how people did things,” Ruffin said. “He helped us get a tomato shed. He did everything he could to help production agriculture.”
Charles seemed to be everywhere, helping everyone, including watermelon and tomato farmers and the youth participating in 4-H and FFA. Agriculture was where he made his impact.
Chad now works for the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service using the knowledge he learned from his father. He said Charles loved Farm Bureau because it is the one organization that brings all agriculture organizations together to work toward improving the state’s most important industry.
Charles’ friendship and love for agriculture will be missed, but his leadership can only be replaced by following the example he left and taking it one-step further.
“He tried to be a friend to everybody,” Pam said. “He was an all-around person. He couldn’t stand to think he did something to somebody, and it upset them.”
“I think dad’s impact on people will carry on for years to come,” Chad said. “What I would ask of upcoming leaders is this – continue to build on the work and impact he made. Don’t just do what he did, but advance it to the next level for future producers and farmers.”