Linda Hickam-Fountain: Charolais For Days
“I am passionate about cattle and youth in agriculture. I always have been,” shares Linda Hickam-Fountain, a Charolais producer from Agri-Ready Designated Audrain County. Linda’s passions guided her as she attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, taught agriculture education, completed her veterinary degree, and developed a purebred Charolais herd in partnership with her husband, David. Today, Linda applies the knowledge and wisdom she has gained throughout her successful career to promote the future of the beef industry and the next generation needed to lead it.
Linda’s Encouragement to the Next Generation
“There is opportunity for young people in agriculture if you are passionate and willing to work hard,” Linda believes.
“But you have to be passionate about it. It is hard work. Passion gets you through the days when things don’t go right. The people of agriculture with experience are willing to share. You should never feel like you’re going down the path alone. Don’t be discouraged. Seek out new technology and new methods. Things are always evolving.”
Fountain Charolais
“One of the reasons I went to vet school was that I wanted to be able to care for my own cattle,” says Linda. She has practiced veterinary medicine for 35 years, which includes service to the State of Missouri as a State Veterinarian from 2011 to 2019.
Linda credits her late husband, David, for her love and appreciation of the Charolais breed. Throughout fifty years in the cattle industry, the Fountains developed seedstock Charolais to sell to other cattlemen, advocated for the breed through their membership in Charolais associations, and raised their daughter showing cattle. David was even inducted into the Missouri Charolais Association Hall of Fame in 2022. Today, Linda sells her Fountain Charolais calf crop as feeder cattle.
“My goal is to raise a quality product to provide a source of protein to consumers. Charolais are able to produce heavier carcasses with better yield grades, producing more pounds of beef very efficiently,” Linda shares. “I still hear back from people who have purchased our purebred Charolais bulls about how that genetic influence is adding pounds to their weaning calves. I appreciate that they are good mama cows.”
An Unwavering Supporter
“It is so important to get our youth involved and keep them in the beef industry. They will keep our industry viable,” Linda says.
Linda supports youth in agriculture at the local, state, and national levels! She is a board member of the Audrain County Fair, which guides activities for local 4-H and FFA members and she is active with the Centralia FFA alumni group that raises funds to provide SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) grants to local FFA students. As a member of the Missouri Charolais Association, Linda enjoys judging youth leadership contests (such as public speaking, quiz bowls, and sales talks) during the association’s Junior National event.
Linda once served as an advisor for the Missouri Junior Charolais Association and was awarded the Advisor of the Year from the American-International Charolais Association in 2011. Today, Linda serves on the Junior Council of the American International Charolais Association, a committee of adult advisors responsible for providing guidance and support to the organization’s youth members. Volunteer leaders like Linda ensure that youth members enjoy a robust program that promotes leadership development and interaction among youth members.
An Active Advocate
Linda represents her local Audrain County Cattlemen’s affiliate as a member of the MCA Animal Health and Wellbeing Committee. She volunteers at the Beef House each year during the Missouri State Fair.
“The beef house is a tremendous opportunity for cattlemen,” Linda says. “Guests at the Beef House get to see what we (producers) are really like. They get to put a face with our industry.”
Linda stays busy serving beef at various meetings when her Cattlemen’s affiliate is invited to cook. She is a vital contributor to two major affiliate fundraisers: Audrain County’s Young Farmer Tractor Pull in the fall and the affiliate’s Live Auction each February. Funds from both events provide many scholarships to students from Audrain County who go on to seek further education in many different career fields.
More About Linda
Linda is proud of her daughter, Tara, and son-in-law who have invested in the family tradition of Charolais cattle. The couple operate a seedstock operation in Kansas. Linda enjoys being active with her church family at Pleasant Grove Methodist Church. She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. Linda is also a member of Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, partners of Missouri Farmers Care.
Agri-Ready Audrain CountyAgriculture, including food, feed and forestry, contributes $354.3 million in value added products, $1.3 billion in economic output, nearly 3,500 jobs, and adds $343.4 million to household incomes in Audrain County according to the 2021 Missouri Economic Contribution of Agriculture and Forestry Study.