West Carroll Parish Farmer Builds Legacy Through Faith, Hard Work and Determination
By Kristen Oaks-White
Louisiana Farm Bureau News
OAK GROVE, La. — Wyatt Bolding has spent the last six years building a farming operation from the ground up, turning a lifelong dream into reality one acre at a time.
His dedication to agriculture has earned him recognition as one of three finalists for the 2026 Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award. The winner will be announced during the 104th Annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans.
In West Carroll Parish, where sunshine finally returned after days of rain, Bolding was back in the field doing what he loves. Five generations after his great-great-grandfather worked the land as a sharecropper, Bolding is carrying on a family legacy, while building one of his own.
Starting with just 100 acres of neglected farmland, he has steadily expanded his operation through hard work, persistence and a commitment to caring for the land.
“I've been blessed to be able to, to work alongside my dad every day and, and, and I start really started from, from nothing as far as acreage wise, when I started it was back in 2020,” Bolding said. “So this is my sixth year doing this. And, I've just been blessed to live this dream every day.”
Today, Bolding grows corn and soybeans while also operating a rapidly expanding custom spraying business. His farm has grown to approximately 500 acres beyond the land his father already farmed.
“And have had a lot of answered prayers and a lot of hard work paid off because to start from nothing to to be at 500 acres now picking up outside of what my dad farmed, it's, it's been an adventure and it's been a dream come true,” he said.
In a competitive rental market where available farmland is often scarce, growth requires more than ambition. Bolding credits much of his success to the relationships he has built with landowners who trust him to care for their property.
“I always had a dream to farm,” he said. “That was what, you know, as a little kid and growing up. And even now, I mean, it's just one of those things that when you get a fire for something and it's built in, you don't go away. And that's, that's my fire.”
While his roots run deep in traditional agriculture, Bolding is focused on the future. Precision planting technology, advanced monitoring systems and custom application services help improve efficiency and productivity across the operation.
Like many farmers, however, he knows success is never guaranteed.
This year began with an early start to planting season, only for an unexpected frost to wipe out his entire first corn crop.
“We started March around March 5th, March 6th … and the frost come through,” Bolding said. “It wound up being about, I mean, 8 to 10 degrees cooler than what they were calling for.”
The damage was extensive.
“We had to replant all of it. It killed it killed every bit of it,” he said.
For many producers, that kind of setback could be devastating. Instead, Bolding replanted every acre and moved forward.
“So there's a reason for everything. You might not see it at the same time, but the corn is absolutely growing its tail off and it's looking great. I'm very, very happy with the corn right now,” he said.
As the corn recovered, another challenge emerged. Dry weather complicated soybean planting decisions and made it difficult to find adequate soil moisture.
“It’s been one extreme to the other,” Bolding said. “We battled very dry weather here in this area … it's hard to make a decision when it's dry enough to plant.”
Through every challenge, Bolding says his faith remains his foundation.
“My number one. I had a friend asked me, what's your secret?” he said. “I said, I'll tell you, there is no secret. It's not it's not a secret. When I put my faith in the Lord and allow him to do what he needs to do, and I do my part, he always takes care of it.”
Away from the fields, Bolding credits his family for giving purpose to the long days and difficult seasons. His wife, Arrin, helps keep the operation running, while their two young daughters are already developing a love for farm life.
“I absolutely I cannot wait,” he said. “I have two little girls, and both of them are my whole world. If my little girl was out here right now, she'd be trying to climb on every piece of equipment out here. She absolutely loves it.”
For Bolding, farming is about more than growing crops. It is about creating opportunities for future generations while living a life he loves.
“I love it,” he said. “The lifestyle is a great. It's a hard life, but it's a good life.”
As he looks toward the future, Bolding remains committed to the calling he first felt as a child — trusting that faith, perseverance and hard work will continue to guide the path ahead.
“And if I wasn't called to do this,” he said, “I wouldn't be doing it right now.”
The winner of the 2026 Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award will receive a $35,000 cash prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to the American Farm Bureau Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they will compete for the National Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award in January 2027.