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Farming and Baseball By Terry Ropp
After being drafted by the Cardinals, Logan Gragg used his signing bonus to start his own farm Submitted Photo
on a plane headed for home as the corona“As long as I am outside, I’m virus invaded the lives of every American.” great,” said Logan Gragg, a The downside of the pandemic is hold21-year-old minor-league baseing off Logan’s rookie year though that is ball player and new farmer. well-balanced by the fact he is able to be Farming and baseball have been interon his farm during the critical first year. twined for Logan’s entire life. At age 3, he His mother is deeply involved. Not only watched his middle sister Loren play T-ball. did she find Logan’s newly acquired land Although she was three years older, he rewith 38 usable acres out of 40, but she fused to be left out and got in the middle of also plays catch with him so he can keep it all. The result was baseball hooked him. his arm in shape. Another of his early memories is needing One of the first things Logan did when to doctor a calf with his grandfather Lonnie he purchased the land was to bale 20 unGray. Lonnie was driving and Logan was in touched, tall and lush acres. He harvested the back of the Ranger so he could jump 119 round bales because it was so thick and out as it passed the calf. Logan jumped out subsequently fertilized with chicken litter and held onto its leg when Lonnie drove from a local business. His plan for the fuback and gave the calf a shot. ture is to bale 50 to 100 bales per year. “Farming and baseball have always been “One of the most important things I part of my life,” Logan recalled. “Because my learned from my schooling is the value of dad owns Gragg Construction and works evmaintaining good pasture during winter ery day, I had a lot of chores as a kid, but the in order to minimize hay consumption,” only things I hated were household chores Logan Gragg offers some grain to his Logan said. like taking out the trash and sweeping.” herd daily so the cattle are easy to One of the necessary compromises of his Logan played baseball throughout his youth move and roundup. dual life is that his bull will run with the and developed into an excellent pitcher for herd year round, which will eventually the Prairie Grove Tigers in Arkansas before playing baseball at Connors State Junior College and then transferring disrupt the current synchronization but also spread out the work to Oklahoma State. At the end of his junior year, he was drafted by throughout the year. He feeds a little grain every day so he can the St. Louis Cardinals and used part of the signing bonus for a 40-acre easily round up the cattle when needed. He purchases Ration 3 farm near his parents, Scott and Shauna, who lived at the family farm from Cattlemen’s Feed in Colcord, Okla., and adds loose mineral for herd health. in Prairie Grove. Because of his upbringing and his education, Logan is comfortHis main criteria for land was to be close to family so he could continue helping his grandmother, Mary, as well as his folks and others, espe- able with following his family’s vaccination protocol and using a cially during haying season. He also wanted to be close to his parents’ pour-on wormer. He plans on using a rub for flies, but only if necesplace because his mom is the main caretaker of Logan’s farm during sary. He has divided his land into two pastures which are comprised baseball season. Logan purchased land in Lincoln last November. Soon of fescue, ryegrass, Bermuda and a little natural clover. He plans on after he also purchased a small herd of commercial cattle. Logan bought fertilizing with chicken litter, as he did last December. Logan admits he’s very laid back, until he steps on the line to 21 commercial females and a commercial Angus bull. The rainbow pitch. Baseball fires his competitive passion but also herd includes 16 black Angus, two Red Angus, two Charoserves as the flame and kindling for building the farm lais and one Longhorn/Charolais cross. of his dreams. “Everything just sort of fell together,” explained Logan. “I Lincoln, Ark. “I love baseball and will play as long as I am able,” Logan wanted early-spring calving so I could be around for most of said. “When the time comes for me to retire from baseball, the calving season and for breeding season because baseball I plan on coming back home and beginning to take over the season is from March 1 to Sept. 1. My calves started coming construction business for my dad while building my farm at the in February and most were born before I left for training same time. If I’m outside, I’m happy and it’s as simple as that.” camp. The irony is I barely got started before I found myself SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
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