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Charlie Jones of Kentucky: A Dairy Herdsman Who Became a Beefmaster Leader

A Kentucky herdsman and grain farmer proved that Beefmaster leadership was not limited to Texas.

Who was Charlie Jones?

Charles R. Jones was born June 20, 1949, in Glasgow, Kentucky, and raised in Burkesville. He lived at Rockfield, Kentucky, and raised purebred Beefmaster cattle there, a long way from the South Texas brush where the breed began. His obituary on the breed association's site is the main published record of his life.

Beefmaster Breeders United listed him in its Hall of Fame class of 2015, alongside Jennie Lee Zipperer, according to the association's Hall of Fame roster. He died on March 23, 2015, at age 65.

From dairy herdsman to Beefmaster breeder

Jones studied animal science and secondary education at Western Kentucky University. He then spent 18 years as the university's dairy herdsman, a job that taught him daily animal care, record keeping and the economics of a working herd, before he started his own farming operation.

That operation combined purebred Beefmaster cattle with grain growing. The obituary does not name the farm, so this profile does not either. His dairy background is only a stretch of his career; his lasting reputation rests on beef breeding.

Leadership in Beefmaster Breeders United

Jones was active in the national association and in the Southeastern Beefmaster Breeders Association, a regional satellite group. He was a past president of the regional group and chaired several committees, among them BBU's Breed Improvement Committee, the body that works on how the breed measures and selects its cattle.

He also supported the Junior Beefmaster Breeders Association, the youth program that gives young exhibitors a path into the breed.

The Key to His Success

Jones's record shows a breeder who combined formal training with years of hands-on herd work and then gave time back to the association. The sequence is plain in the documented facts: school, 18 years managing a university herd, his own purebred operation, then committee and officer roles.

His Kentucky base also carries a lesson about the breed. Wikipedia's Beefmaster summary describes the cattle as adaptable to many climates, and Jones built a recognized program well outside Texas.

  • He trained in animal science before taking charge of a herd.
  • He spent 18 years as a university dairy herdsman, which built management discipline.
  • He raised purebred Beefmasters and grain together, spreading risk across two enterprises.
  • He chaired BBU's Breed Improvement Committee and served as a regional association president.
  • He backed the junior program, investing in the next generation of breeders.

Honors and memorial

BBU named Jones its Breeder of the Year in 1998, which the obituary calls the organization's highest honor. In 2013 he entered the Southeastern Beefmaster Breeders Association Hall of Fame, and the national Hall of Fame followed in 2015.

Friends and colleagues set up the Charlie Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund for members of the Junior Beefmaster Breeders Association, so his name continues to help young breeders.

What his career shows about the breed

Jones's path ran from a university dairy barn to a purebred beef herd, and the Beefmaster association made room for both parts of that life. Dairy skills such as record keeping, udder soundness and calving management carry directly into a herd where milking ability is one of the six selection traits.

His roles also show how a national association works: regional presidents feed into national committees, and committee chairs shape the standards every member follows. The BBU notice names him in all three layers, the region, the committee and the youth program.

The breed behind the man

The Beefmaster was developed in the early 1930s by Tom Lasater, who crossed Hereford and Shorthorn cows with Brahman bulls. The USDA first recognized it as a breed in 1954, and breeders select for the Six Essentials: weight, conformation, milking ability, fertility, hardiness and disposition, as the Beefmaster overview explains.

Regional satellite groups such as the Southeastern association give breeders outside Texas a local network. For related reading, farm.FM carries ranching features and a farm.FM story from a Kentucky cattle farm.

Timeline

  1. 1949Born June 20 in Glasgow, Kentucky
  2. Mid-careerServes 18 years as Western Kentucky University's dairy herdsman
  3. 1998Named BBU Breeder of the Year
  4. 2013Inducted into the Southeastern Beefmaster Breeders Association Hall of Fame
  5. 2015Inducted into the BBU Hall of Fame
  6. 2015Dies March 23 at age 65

Frequently asked questions

Who was Charlie Jones in the Beefmaster breed?

Charlie Jones of Rockfield, Kentucky, raised purebred Beefmaster cattle, chaired BBU's Breed Improvement Committee, was named Breeder of the Year in 1998 and entered the BBU Hall of Fame in 2015.

When did Charlie Jones die?

He died March 23, 2015, at age 65, at home with friends and family, according to the Beefmaster Breeders United obituary.

What is the Charlie Jones Memorial Scholarship?

It is a scholarship fund established in his memory for members of the Junior Beefmaster Breeders Association, supporting young people in the breed.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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