Jeff Lageman
Fishing, Farming, Forestry, and Football

AgSouth member Jeff Lageman grew up in the suburbs of Virginia, not far from his grandparents’ farm, where he spent a lot of time exploring the fields and helping out with the chores. The suburbs were an ideal place for Jeff. They offered him an opportunity to appreciate life in the nearby city of Fairfax and explore the outdoors. It’s where he first discovered the four “Fs” that would dictate his lifestyle: fishing, farming, forestry and football.

Jeff played college football at the University of Virginia and was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the New York Jets, which lead to a 10-year NFL career as a defensive end. After a stellar six-year run with the Jets, in 1994 he left to play for a new franchise, the Jacksonville Jaguars. During his decade with the NFL, he suffered numerous injuries to his knees, tore tendons on both shoulders and suffered a hernia, but it was the last torn ligament in his arm that made him decide to end his career in 1999, after a decade of playing in the NFL. “It was time to explore my other interests,” he says.

Although Lageman quit playing professional ball, he never lost his love of the game. These days Jeff spends his time working as a year-round color analyst for Jaguars radio and television broadcasting (he does 40-44 live T.V. shows a year). He is also following another long-time passion—the outdoors. Since 1996, he has co-hosted a radio talk show on hunting and fishing with friend Kevin Faver, a charter captain in St. Augustine. The pair came up with the idea for a radio show based on their love of the outdoors and approached the local AM radio station in Jacksonville with their idea, and the show grew from there.

The Hunt Life Outdoors Show is now a three-hour radio show syndicated in six major cities: Jacksonville, Macon, Brunswick, Gainesville, Birmingham and Montgomery. During the show Jeff and Kevin interview experts in hunting, fishing, wildlife management and anything else that sparks their interest as outdoorsmen. Some of their guests have included the president of the Wild Turkey Federation, Brenda Valentine, the “First Lady of Hunting,” as well as local sportsmen and celebrities who are avid outdoorsmen. In addition to their hosting responsibilities, Jeff and Kevin are also actively involved in the show. They buy the three hours of time, so it’s their job to do everything to keep it going. Not only do they select the guests, but they call them to arrange interviews, do the research and interview them. They also make calls to solicit advertising to keep the show afloat. Jeff is a strong believer in promoting the outdoor life and wants to reach as large an audience as possible. If you’re not in an area that receives The Hunt Life Outdoors Show, you can listen to it at www.huntlife.com.

Although the work keeps Jeff busy, what keeps him sane is spending time with his family: wife, Misti, and son, Dylan. Jeff named Dylan for the Celtic word meaning “from the sea.” It’s no wonder that nine-year old Dylan’s favorite sport is fishing. Lately, though, Jeff has been teaching Dylan to hunt. Dylan recently killed his first deer, a six-point buck, on the 941-acre plantation Jeff owns in Wheeler County, Ga., Dylan was so excited about that hunt with his father that he wrote a story about the experience for his third grade class, complete with a colorful drawing. Jeff proudly framed it and put it in the barn on the plantation.

Jeff bought the Wheeler County pine plantation in 2006 after looking for hunting land on line. “Thank God for the Internet,” he said. “I was able to search for exactly what I wanted without wasting a lot of time traveling.” From growing up near the farmlands of Virginia, he knew exactly what he wanted in a property: rolling hills, pine trees, hard woods and water. He wanted a place to hunt and fish and get away from the hustle and bustle of his Jacksonville life. He also wanted some place he could watch the leaves change colors. And it was important that the property be somewhere he could travel to without spending a lot of time on the road. He also knew that he wanted to be able not only to enjoy the land, but use it so that it could help pay for itself. The Wheeler County property met all of his requirements. Having no prior experience taking care of such a big piece of property didn’t intimidate him. Friend Bill Oettmeier, from Fargo, Ga., taught him about forest products and management and suggested he hire a management team to help him carry out his plans.

Before he could manage the property, though, Jeff had to purchase it. A CPA in Waycross told him about AgSouth, and he approached Regional Vice President Dan Good in the Blackshear office about financing the property. Jeff admits that he looked at other financing options, but says he was turned off by the automation of the “system” banks. He wanted a “real” person to talk to who knew about land and financing, and he found that person in Dan. Finding out that AgSouth paid patronage sealed the deal. “I liked the fact that the company would manage my loan as well as I would manage my property. Getting money back at the end of the year for just doing business with them was icing on the cake,” he says with a smile.

Jeff is very hands-on when it comes to taking care of the property. “I enjoy this property in every way possible,” he says. “Not only do I enjoy what the property offers me—relaxation and a place to hunt and fish—I enjoy the upkeep. I ride the tractors; I plow the fields; I plant the trees; and I fix things when they break. I’ve even driven the bulldozer a time or two. If it has a motor, I can drive it. I’ve been able to do that since I was a boy.” He also stocks his ponds with bass, catfish and bream, establishes and maintains food plots and manages the timber growth through controlled burning.

Jeff began managing the property the first year he bought it, when he clear cut a small plot and planted pines. This year he plans to thin some 212 acres. “It’s important to manage the land,” says Jeff. “I want this property to be around for my family to enjoy for many generations to come.”

Before he got married 11 years ago, Jeff’s life was all about football. Once he retired, he went into a different mindset and arranged his life so that he could devote it to family. Buying the plantation was part of that thinking process. Now he brings family and friends to hunt and fellowship together. When asked whether son Dylan was impressed with his father’s football celebrity, Jeff said that he was more impressed by the fact that he had a father who showed him how to hunt and fish.

When he’s not doing radio or T.V., managing the property or relaxing on it, Jeff is active in outdoor memberships. He is a member of the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Quality Deer Management Association, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the National Rifle Association and a former member of Quail Unlimited. He is also involved with the Mossy Oak Pro Staff as one of their main advocates.

“My main objectives are to enjoy my family and spread my love of the outdoors with a new generation,” says Lageman. “From bringing my family here to enjoy the outdoors to hosting a syndicated radio show about it and being an advocate for it in other ways, I’m living my dream life. I’d like to give that opportunity to others who follow me.”