Tommy Brown Retirement

Auburn, Dec. 10, 2003 --- Cattle have been a part of Tommy Brown’s entire life. Brown, a regional animal scientist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, grew up around his grandfather’s cattle and then showed steers as a 4-H club member.

Brown, who for the last six years has worked at the Blackbelt Regional Research and Extension Center in Marion Junction, will retire in December after 32 years of service. He began his Extension career as an assistant county agent in Dale County in 1971 after earning a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Auburn University. He transferred to Chilton County the next year.

Brown remained in Chilton County until 1998, serving 15 years as a county agent and another 11 years as the county Extension coordinator. During that time, he earned a master’s degree in agriculture from Auburn.

In 1998, the opportunity arose to focus his energy on beef cattle by becoming a regional Extension animal scientist. Brown worked with agents in 12 counties to teach producers how to raise better cattle through educational programs, marketing and performance data.

“I liked the opportunity to specialize in beef cattle,” he said. “I had to handle a lot of everything for 20 years.”

Gay West, Chilton County Extension coordinator, worked under Brown’s guidance in Chilton County.

“He has high standards, and he’s a hard worker,” West said. “I think he really cared about the people of the county—and he still does.”

West said Brown has the gift of juggling several tasks at once and making it look easy. She remembers watching him work with youth, keeping records and taking pictures at 4-H events.

“It’s just like breathing to him,” she said, “but it’s much harder than it looks.”

Tim Minor, owner of Sunshine Farms, visited Brown a number of years ago with an idea about raising beef cattle.

“I told him I wanted to set up a program with cattle to produce the kind everybody would like to have on their farm,” Minor said. “Looking back now, I can only imagine how many times he had heard that same thing, only to see it vanish after having spent his time and thoughts to help put it together. But without hesitation, he began to throw ideas at me.”

“If there ever was a master cattleman, I thought it had to be him,” Minor said. “We worked cattle on Saturdays on the farm, and it amazed me that this man would always just happen by. I know now that Tommy was so concerned for our survivability, he was taking his day off from work to try and help us succeed.”

One challenge Brown tackled in his early career was helping beef cattle producers overcome their hesitations about joining the Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association.

When Brown began work in Chilton County, he often visited Ralph Lovelady’s farm. Lovelady had heard of BCIA, but like many producers, he thought if he joined he’d have to do too much extra work. At the end of one of Brown’s visits, Lovelady turned to Brown and said, “Tommy, you’ve been here several times, but you haven’t told me one thing.” Brown replied, “Well, you never asked.”

The friendship sparked that day was a key in the growth of BCIA in Alabama.

Lovelady’s son, Butch, continues the tradition his late father helped create.

“I credit Tommy Brown with being the grassroots catalyst for getting BCIA started and helping folks to get out there and work with cattle producers,” Butch Lovelady said.

Under Brown’s guidance, more than 125 Black Belt producers have become state leaders in performance and marketing. Brown has increased revenue for producers by utilizing programs such as the Feeder Calf Marketing program, a purebred cattle breeder development and marketing alliance, the Alabama Pasture to Rail Program and the Regional Beef Cattle Shortcourse.

Brown has been an Alabama BCIA board member since 2001, and in 2002, he was elected to a three-year term on the Beef Improvement Federation board.

“I wish him the best and hate to see him leave,” Lovelady said. “(Extension) is losing a mighty good, knowledgeable person.”

Brown will keep busy after retirement. He said he might expand his own herd of 20 black Simmentals, which he owns in a partnership with Meadow Lane Farms.

He said he plans to spoil his first grandchild and to travel.

“I want to visit some cow countries I haven’t been able to see since I’ve been working all the time,” he said.

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