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The Shoffner Family Legacy
The Shoffner name has been rooted in Arkansas soil for over six generations and has been synonymous with agriculture, entrepreneurship, and community leadership for 150 years. Scroll through the gallery below to learn more.
150 Years Ago
Anias Edwin (A.E.) Shoffner (pictured left behind three young boys on a goat cart) immigrated from North Carolina and settled in Jackson County, Arkansas. The patriarch was a farmer and businessman until his death in 1903.
Shoffner Mercantile Co.
The town of Shoffner, Arkansas, began with the opening of the Shoffner Mercantile Co. in 1903. The family's second patriarch, William Henry (W.H.) Shoffner, operated the store in the community for fifty years.
The Shoffner Cotton Gin
The Shoffner family operated a cotton gin from the late 1800s to the 1980s. The original gin, made of wood, sat on a switch of the Rock Island Railroad (now Hwy 17). The gin burned in the 1930s and the second metal structure stands today.
The Mule Trader
The family's third patriarch was W.H. Shoffner's son, Mann A. Shoffner, Sr (pictured middle with crop raised). Mann built a successful mule and horse trading business alongside continuing the cotton farm and gin. Mann sold mules to the U.S. Army for use during World War I.
The Fifth Generation
Mann's second eldest son, John L. Shoffner, Sr. farmed alongside his father until serving in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It was his son, John L. Shoffner Jr, pictured here, who would become the next family patriarch.
Farms of Texas
John L. Shoffner, Jr. farmed with his grandfather until the Farm Crisis of 1980. While the family rebuilt their operation, John moved his growing family to Texas to become a farm manager at Farms of Texas.
Shoffner Farm Research
In Texas, John met and married, Wendy, a plant physiologist and agricultural field researcher. In 1986, John and Wendy returned to the family farm to start a new business, Shoffner Farm Research.
Hallie Shoffner
John and Wendy's daughter, Hallie, was born in 1987 and grew up working alongside her parents learning the business of farming.
The Sixth Generation
Hallie returned to the farm in 2016 and operated 2,000 acres of research soybean and rice increases until the farm crisis of 2025. She pivoted Shoffner Farm Research into Delta Harvest, a specialty rice seed production, brokerage, and marketing company.
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