SPOTLIGHT: Tight-knit school, steady ranch routine give Tallie Wooten room to grow

Geyser seventh grader Tallie Wooten calls her home “the funny farm.” On their ranch west of Raynesford, the Wootens have horses, cows, a pig, a goat and “a bunch of dogs and a bunch of cats.”The funny farm started with a milk cow, then the family decided to raise and sell hogs for bacon. They started out with 75 pigs. “We got in a little over our heads, so we kept one and sold the rest of the herd,” said the upbeat 12-year-old.The pig they kept is Miss Piggy. The family goat is Blackjack—both named by Tallie’s younger brother, Oliver. “He names a lot of our animals,” she added. Blackjack is a black-and-white Nigerian dwarf goat. “He’s very attached. He follows you everywhere. He’s the clown of the family.”Daily chores vary, but all the Wooten children help out. Tallie has three younger siblings—Jayce, who is in third grade; Clara, who is in third; and Oliver, who is in second. Her parents are Beau and Erica (Hansen) Wooten. Her mom grew up south of Raynesford and her dad in Belt.

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