Walker cattle farmers make hall of fame

Walker County farmer Bob Andrews didn't raise cattle for the fame and fortune.

"Some parts of it aren't very glamorous," said Mr. Andrew's long-time assistant, Wesley Butler.

But seven years after his death at age 72, Mr. Andrews and his wife, Iris, this spring joined a prestigious group in cattle circles when they joined 19 other cattlemen and women in the Georgia Cattlemen's Hall of Fame.

"That was his life," said Mr. Butler, who was 13 years old when he began working with Mr. Andrews in 1973. "He loved it."

The Hall of Fame is intended to honor Georgia farmers, extension agents and researchers who have made significant contributions to the state's cattle industry, according to Dana Ham, communications coordinator for the Cattlemen's Association.

A plaque at the Cattlemen's headquarters in Macon, Ga., honors Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, second-generation cattle farmers.

"He really worked for the good of the cattle industry, not just here in Walker County but in the whole state," said former Walker County extension agent Mike Bunn.

Mr. Andrews was one of the first in the region to bypass stockyards and sell truckloads of cattle directly to customers, Mr. Bunn explained.

The couple also was politically active. They served on the board of directors for the county Farm Bureau and always supported youth agricultural programs throughout the state, Mr. Bunn said.

Mr. Bunn now helps steer the Andrews Family Foundation which has continued to support the groups since Mr. Andrews died in 2002.

On their farm in Kensington, eight miles south of Chickamauga, Mr. Andrews handled most of the cattle while Mrs. Andrews wrangled the business side of the operation, Mr. Bunn said.

But Mrs. Andrews was no stranger to the pastures, either, he said.

"We'd have a sick calf and Bob and I would fool with it for a week and she'd say 'Let me help it,'" he said. "It seemed like she had a special touch."

Mr. Butler, who said the couple would be "tickled to death" by the honor, inherited the farm because the couple had no children. He said he tries to do things just the way Mr. Andrews would have.

"He always tried to do good with his cattle," he explained. "And I try to do the same thing."