Sam & Stephanie Halcomb
continued from our Team page
who was also working for Caterpillar. Stephanie graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering and completed Caterpillar’s Manufacturing Professionals Development Program.
Sam and Stephanie married in 2007, and were eventually sent by Caterpillar to work in Monterrey, Mexico. Sam was a Heavy Construction Service Representative, supporting large contractors throughout Mexico, and Stephanie worked in Supply Chain Management at Caterpillar’s fabrication plant in Monterrey.
By 2010, Sam’s love of the family farm began calling him home, and he and Stephanie moved back to Kentucky, where he took the role of Production Manager for Walnut Grove Farms. Stephanie continued working for Caterpillar remotely until 2012, when she began working full-time at Walnut Grove Farms.
The couple welcomed their son, Everett, into the family in 2010, and twins Lizzie and Sydney in 2013.
Sam and Stephanie have both used skills gained during their time with Caterpillar to help Walnut Grove Farms continue to grow. Sam was fortunate to work with Valarie Zeithaml in 2006, learning about the Gaps Model of Service Quality. Since returning home, Sam and his family have used this model to move their business from strictly commodity production toward customers who value high quality grains and services.
Although she didn’t have a background in agriculture, Stephanie’s analytical nature, her love of learning, and her ability to create organized systems has proven an asset. Through her work in supply chain management at Caterpillar, Stephanie gained experience using an Enterprise Resource Planning system, something she has implemented at Walnut Grove Farms through Granular.
Sam’s time at Walnut Grove Farms has helped him cultivate his passion for building relationships with customers who appreciate a premium product paired with highest quality service. He, along with the rest of his family, focus on growing agricultural value chains through their products and services. Sam also credits the influence of his parents, Don and Meredith Halcomb, for helping shape the way he, Stephanie, John and Sarah approach leading the business that is Walnut Grove Farms. Their focus on building long-term value and in cultivating community – in every sense of the word – informs the entire leadership team’s decisions.
Currently Sam is the Managing Partner of Walnut Grove Farms, and Stephanie manages Granular, as well as financial and precision farming data, crop and input inventory, and grain marketing.
Everett, Sydney and Lizzie enjoy being on the farm, and are very much a part of the day-to-day activities, whether that means helping scout crops or hanging out in the office.
Sam is a member of Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture Farmer Council, a board member for the Logan County Cooperative Extension Service, and a graduate of the Kentucky Agricultural Leadership Program (Class X) and Kentucky Corn Grower CORE program.
Stephanie is the Advisor for the Logan County FSA County Operating Committee, a graduate of the Kentucky Corn Grower CORE program, and a member of the Kentucky Agricultural Leadership Program Class XII. She also serves as Secretary of the Finance Committee at Franklin Presbyterian Church.