LeAnna and Bob Hall met at a rodeo 22 years ago. Bob team roped professionally. LeAnna primarily competed in barrel racing and later in team roping. They still attend rodeos today, now with their younger son Brenten. Dylan, their oldest son, just graduated from high school and is attending NEO in Miami, Okla., with a full scholarship earned by judging horses. Brenten is just in the fourth grade, but has already completed his third year of junior rodeos, winning a number of trophies, buckles, cash prizes and two saddles. "We never even thought about it. Nothing else was an option. We just always had land and cattle," she added. "We are really blessed."
Bob has raised cattle since purchasing his first ranch at the age of 16. Bob and LeAnna now have 785 acres with an additional 200 leased from a neighbor. "We mostly have black cattle. I have gotten some Gelbvieh bulls hoping to add weight to my calf crop," he said. "I bought red because I couldn't afford black," he smiled. He doesn't anticipate the red characteristic to negatively affect his herd.
Horses are still a part of the Hall's lives. "We have calf roping horses and team roping horses," Bob said. Bob and Brenten practice roping in their covered arena four times a week. Bob and the boys also use their horses to work cattle, training the horses themselves. Dylan raises mules and donkeys.
Years back, Bob and LeAnna couldn't find the feed they wanted to feed their horses. Bob was selling seed and came across some feed he wanted for his horses at one of his stops. He started thinking Jay, Okla., needed a feed store. "I mentioned it to LeAnna one night," Bob said. "Before I knew it, she went to Talala one day and came back with a ton of feed. She told me to start selling it." Starting in a house trailer in 1990, B&L Feed eventually moved into an adjacent building and has been there ever since. LeAnna, having earned a degree from NSU in Tahlequah, Okla., in accounting, eventually took over running the business. "I remember saying once that I would never want to trade what Bob does with the cattle for running the feed store," LeAnna said. "Then Brenten reminded me, his dad wouldn't trade either."
Keeping the family's interests diversified is Dylan. He is the family musician.
"I started taking guitar lessons and playing with a group when I was around 8 years old," Dylan said. "Kenny Morgan and I took a bluegrass class at the Vo-tech by Clayton Moore." Dylan and Kenny started playing and singing together at local churches. Eventually; Mr. Moore, T.J. Kingfisher and Dylan's Aunt Lynda joined their band, 2ND Shift. They have recorded their first album and plan to record a second one. Not one to let dust get on his feet, Dylan drove to Iowa between his junior and senior year of high school to attend the World Wide College of Auctioneering. Today Dylan attends college, studying farm and ranch management with an equine option, and auctioneers during the week. He plays with his band on weekends.
Dylan was given the opportunity to purchase 125 acres from his parents and is in the process of building a home. Running cattle with his father, Dylan has 82 head of Brahman mix-breed cattle of his own. Dylan hauls sweet corn and watermelon to sell at his parents' store. Dylan also raises Spanish goats to help with brush on the ranch and raises miniature Australian Shepard dogs and a variety of chickens as a hobby, selling a few to local folks to offset the cost of feed.
Bob and LeAnna like being their own bosses, and they're instilling this in their sons. Bob said, "Doing things the way you want to do them, using your own judgment on things and enjoying life," appeals to him. "Keeping a way of life going, with so many farms going out of business and big conglomerates taking over," is important, said LeAnna. "It's really important that we don't forget where things come from," LeAnna said. "We work hard thanks to the Lord giving us the desire to do that," she added. "We are blessed because our kids seem to act like they want to follow in our footsteps," Bob added.
