Papa Bear’s Plantation: Many Hats and licenses

Ocala, Florida

Ask Mark Wagner about the best insurance to survive Florida hurricane season: wear more than one hat. Pecan, sheep and small animal farmer. Small animal auctioneer. Licensed nuisance trapper. These are some of the hats Mark wears on his farm, Papa Bear’s Plantation outside Ocala, Florida. When four hurricanes in a row hit the farm during the summer of 2004 and their county was declared a disaster area, this diverse approach kept the income coming in. “We may have lost twenty thousand dollars in pecan crop revenue, but the income scale tipped back to the positive side through our weekly small animal auctions we hosted at Papa Bear’s Plantation,” Mark adds.

Mark and his wife, Cheryl, purchased an existing 24 acre pecan farm, located in the flat horse farm country of northern Florida, in 2001, with about 148 mature pecan trees on about fifteen acres; the trees were planted thirty years ago. “The former owners sprayed heavily but we immediately took a more organic approach toward managing the trees,” explains Mark. Pecans grow in the husk on the tree. When they fall to the ground it’s time for harvesting, which takes place from early October to December. Papa Bear Plantation produces about fifteen to twenty thousand pounds of pecans, selling both U-pick and retail sales off the farm and business website.

“Our organic approach may produce fewer pecans, but we can sell them for more money because an increasing number of people today value the importance of natural products. By keeping all our sales direct to the consumer at a retail price, our profit margin goes up too,” Mark adds.

Pecans can be a temperamental crop, susceptible to scab (fungus) and bug infestations, particularly in the area’s tropical Florida climate. With strong personal interest in livestock, Mark started free-ranging a variety of animals under the pecan trees to help with pest management. Outside of pecan harvest season from October through December, Mark runs about ten pheasants, thirty geese, one-hundred ducks, ten emus and flock of Barbados Black Belly Sheep, a tropical sheep breed that is parasite resistant. “At Papa Bear Plantation, our animals are participating, income generating employees,” Mark says with a laugh. “The sheep are cheap, natural lawnmowers. Emu eggs are a beautiful dark blue-green color with a white shell underneath that we sell to folks who use them for various craft projects.”

Mark also sells some of his livestock at the weekly small animal auction he and Cheryl host every Saturday on the farm. What started with little fanfair in the spring of 2004 has grown into an increasing piece of their farm livelihood. “We saw a niche as there wasn’t any small auction in this part of Florida. We distinguished ourselves by holding our auction during the day. Most auctions are typically Friday or Saturday night, which makes for a long night for folks. Our daytime auction is quite appealing,” Mark explains. Mark obtained his auctioneer license, which is regulated differently by individual states but typically requires a school course, background check and qualifying exam and gives him the official auctioneer title of “Colonel.” Hosting an auction was something unusual for local zoning boards, so Mark needed to remain persistent and vocal in getting the approval to host auctions which now take place in the 3,000-square-foot-barn which Mark outfitted with a platform, chairs and loud speaker system.

“Guess I was born with a personality destined to to be an auctioneer,” admits Mark, earning his “Papa Bear” nickname with his warm, outgoing, gregarious personality. Auction gates open at 9:00 am for parties to bring in their animals and items for sale, with the auction starting at 12:00 PM. “We provide a needed place for smaller hobby farmers to sell their animals, say a dozen or so chickens, as well as more exotic animals like iguana and tropical birds,” adds Mark. Papa Bear’s Plantation receives a sliding commission for auctioned items ranging from 15 percent to 35 percent. Cheryl handles the books as well as overseeing the concession snack stand during the auctions. “Our auctions are getting a reputation for being fun, social events, particularly given the diverse and often unusual and animals for sale. We keep up good relations with our local agriculture extension offices as well as 4-H and FFA groups. If anyone is looking to buy or sell a weird creature, they’re given our phone number.”

With this reputation in animals, Mark also runs a small side business as a “nuisance trapper,” licensed by the State of Florida. “If a private individual has something on their property they want to get rid of, like a weasel in the garage, they are referred to me and I’m hired to trap and remove the animal,” explains Mark. All animals are relocated onto a large tract of family-owned land.

A native of the area with grown children, Mark garnered business experience in a range of sales-related careers in real estate, high tech and retail before starting Papa Bear’s Plantation. “With entrepreneurial roots, you can learn the farming and growing side as you go. Just always be open to new ideas and finding out what there is a market for in your area,” advises Mark. He and Cheryl experimented with running a corn maze on ten of their back acres for a couple of years but found the time involved didn’t make that aspect of the business work financially. They’re thinking about potentially growing vegetables on that acreage, perhaps specializing in something that could compliment the pecans, like peanuts.

Renting the farm for special events is another business area Mark is developing, catering to corporate and collegiate sorority and fraternity groups looking to rent a facility for a private event. And, just in case someone wants to have their wedding at admist the pecan trees at Papa Bear’s Plantation, Mark took on another “title” in his business operation: he’s a minister ordained to perform marriage ceremonies on-site.