Eagle Seed Company to honor late Becky McPeake’s passion for Arkansas 4-H Food Plot Project

LITTLE ROCK — Eagle Seed Company, sponsor of the Arkansas 4-H Food Plot Project, has found a unique way to honor the memory of Becky McPeake, the longtime extension wildlife specialist who coordinated the program.
“We’re proud of her work, and we want to continue her legacy,” said Joyce Doyle, operations manager for Eagle Seed.
For this year’s 4-H Food Plot Project, Eagle Seed has created a special fall seed mix, the “McPeake Blend.” The blend will contain eight different plant species, including sugar beets, chicory and triticale.
“The McPeake Blend will introduce the kids to new plant species that they don’t normally get to see,” Doyle said. “Kids are more separated from agriculture than they’ve ever been, and this is an opportunity for them to expand their knowledge base and get involved. Dr. McPeake taught them about wildlife management, plant biology and making an effort. We want to honor Dr. McPeake this way because she put so much of her time into this program, and we felt like we needed to do something to thank her for all those years of hard work.”
Doyle said she and her husband Brad, who is the sales manager of Eagle Seed, met McPeake at a trade show in 2015, where she was representing the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Soon, the three were in talks to establish the 4-H Food Plot Project, for which Eagle Seed is the sponsor, providing participants’ seed and prizes.
“When we meet people from the University of Arkansas, we always say, ‘let us know what we can do to help your program,’” Brad said. “Becky was so receptive to that. When she came to us about this program, there was no hesitation. We knew she had a good idea, and we were happy to work with her on it.”
Nurturing a passion for wildlife, agriculture
4-H members who compete in the Food Plot Project prepare, establish and maintain a plot that covers one-eighth of an acre to provide food and cover for wildlife. Using concepts from wildlife and plant science, technology, math and more, participants keep detailed records throughout the planting and growing season.
Jaret Rushing, extension forestry instructor for the Division of Agriculture, said the program is designed in part to teach youth how to be stewards of valuable information.
“They have to keep records on soil test dates, applications for fertilizer and lime, special weather concerns — such as a drought or a major cold snap — as well as several other values of interest, such as rainfall and expenditures,” Rushing said. “They also have to keep good photo records. They are required to have game cameras set up on their projects to monitor the wildlife that comes through and utilizes the food plot itself.”
“Their interest in wildlife and what goes into habitat improvement increases tremendously from participating in this program,” Rushing said.
Participants also work with their local county extension agents to collect and interpret soil tests, conduct site visits, and for assistance with the project.

Rushing, who has taken over coordination of the 4-H Food Plot Project since McPeake’s passing in May, said Eagle Seed’s decision to name the food plot seed blend in her honor is a very fitting tribute.
“She was a steward of wildlife management and had a great relationship with Eagle Seed Company, and the fact that they would take time out of their schedules and create something that honors Becky’s memory shows that they are lifelong partners of not only Becky’s work, but extension as a whole,” Rushing said. “I couldn’t be more proud to be partnered with them.”
Carrying on McPeake’s legacy
Brad and Joyce Doyle said they have received more than a hundred thank-you notes from 4-H Food Plot Project participants, which Joyce said is also telling of McPeake’s character.
“She definitely encouraged them to do that, and that tells you about her generosity of spirit, her kindness,” she said. “She was not just training them for a plant and wildlife management activity; she was also teaching them that gratitude is an important gesture — one that will help them be better in business and life in general.”
“It’s evident that Becky left a long-lasting impression on the 4-H’ers,” Rushing said. “It just goes to show that her impact was unmatched, far and wide. I think she brought youth wildlife education into a new light and was able to show that this doesn’t necessarily have to be an adult-oriented field. It can be fun for the youth, and they can be involved as well, without having a degree or background in it.”
Joyce Doyle said the 4-H Food Plot Project would never have happened without McPeake.
“I’m sure there are a million other projects involving Becky where the simple force of her nature made things come to fruition,” Doyle said. “I’m so proud of Jaret for picking this back up and going with it. We’re proud of the kids too and look forward to working with them for years to come.”
As Rushing leads the program forward, he said his most important goal is to make McPeake proud.
“I want to continue the legacy and help these kids continue what they’ve been learning,” he said. “I want them to be able to pick the same techniques and knowledge up, and maybe one day be able to say, ‘We learned this from Jaret, and he did a great job.’”
The deadline to enroll in the 2025 4-H Food Plot Project is July 31. To learn more about the project and its requirements, visit the 4-H Food Plot Project webpage on the Cooperative Extension Service website, or contact Jaret Rushing at jrushing@uada.edu.