Tim Dean This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Georgia Farm Bureau NEWS-Feb/Mar, 2003

   www.gfb.org/gfbnews/nov_dec03/ - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/7/2004   Last Visited: 6/1/2005

   GCA President Tim Dean and his wife, Donna are pictured with sons John (left) and Zach on their Walker County farm.
   
   Walker County Cattleman Tim Dean is such a strong supporter of the Georgia Cattlemen's Association that he is a member of not one but two local GCA chapters, the Northwest Georgia Chapter in Dalton and the Tri-State Cattlemen's Chapter in LaFayette. His enthusiasm for the organization and the industry is why members of the GCA elected him to serve as their state president for 2003.
   
   Dean has been a member of GCA since he was a teenager, and says he has benefitted from his membership by learning about the industry through the various educational programs GCA offers and information about current markets the organization provides.
   
   "I've learned a lot just by going to meetings and through the fellowship with other producers," Dean says.
   ...
   "We wanted them to have an indepth understanding of the day to day operation of the Georgia Cattlemen's Association, the Georgia Beef Board, the Junior Cattlemen's Association and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association," Dean says.
   
   Dean is employed as an appraiser with Farm Credit. With a herd of about 35 registered Angus, Dean describes himself as a small, part-time producer. As such, he represents a large segment of Georgia's cattle owners.
   
   "A lot of producers say 'I just have ten cows' but the same issues that affect the large cattle producers affect the small cattle producers," Dean says.
   
   Dean got his start in the cattle business at the tender age of 12 when his Dad bought him three heifers.
   
   "The economics of the industry require an off farm job. It's impossible to get enough cows to make a living," Dean says.
   
   Living in an area of Northwest Georgia that is experiencing urban sprawl from Chattanooga, Dean understands the importance of having an organization that will look after the interests of cattle producers.
   
   "We're constantly looking for land to rent because land has gotten too expensive to buy," Dean explains.
   
   A new subdivision is currently being built less than a mile away from Dean's farm. "That's land that we'll never get hay off of again."
   
   With less land available to rent, Dean has implemented rotational grazing on a 40 acre farm he rents.
   ...
   An added benefit of using rotational grazing, Dean says, is that his cattle have become easier to work. "After about a week they'll come when I honk the horn."
   
   Dean breeds his cattle to calve between October and November. Having a fall calving season allows him to market his bulls as yearlings in the spring. He estimates he sells about 15 bulls a year by word of mouth or private treaty. He also sells some of his 14 month old cattle to people in his community for private consumption. He markets the beef as grain-fed Angus that is aged for seven to ten days. Dean delivers the cattle to a nearby processing plant along with cutting orders specified by his customer so they get the cuts they prefer.