Joe Powell has a rich agricultural heritage, ranching in the river bottoms in Franklin County. “I have ranched all my life really,” said Joe. “As a kid, I loved cattle. My grandfather Willis Powell started here with a parcel of land that was given to them by the U.S. Government to homestead.” The deed to that land is framed in Joe’s home today. “My dad, Grant Powell, farmed, and he had a few cattle and land down in the bottoms near the river,” explained Joe. “When they put the locke and dam in, they had to sell their land to the Corp. of Engineers. Of course that was back in the horse and buggy days,” joked Joe.
Joe left for college, but the farm kept calling for him. “I went to the university for a year, and told my dad I didn’t want to go anymore, that I missed farming,” he said. “I wanted to put chicken houses in – I had broilers for 13 years, and then I went with Cargill and the turkey laying hens for about 25 years.”
In 1968, Joe began raising cattle and has never looked back. “I raise my own Black Angus bulls, I bought two Charolais bulls and I really like how quickly they grow – they outgrow the Angus,” Joe said. “Their hides are looser and flies don’t bother them as bad as they do the black cattle.” Joe currently runs 150 commercial cattle.
Typically, Joe rotates his herd from the bottom land pastures to the hilltops, but this season has presented some challenges. “Its been dry this year,” he said. “The army worms came through and wiped out the grass, so it depends on how much grass is left in the pasture as to where I move them to,” said Joe.
To maximize longevity of pastures Joe said he fertilizes regularly with poultry litter and conducts soil tests. The poultry fertilizer is an additional business Joe operates alongside his farm. “It’s more for the farmers in Franklin County than anything,” he said. “They usually just call me when they need the litter.”
Joe wears quite a variety of hats besides running the family farm and a fertilizer business, he also serves as the Judge of Franklin County, which he was recently re-elected for. “We have a great family, five children who all help support my wife Janet and I on the farm.” In 1998, the Powell family was the farm family of the year, which made Joe very proud of his family and his farming roots. “I was totally surprised to receive the award,” he said.
The Powell family’s ranching history is a tale that continues in Franklin County and Joe couldn’t imagine it any other way. “I would ranch all over again,” he stated. “I can have a rough day at work and go out and find a new calf and it makes my day, I love it!”
