G. W. Jones & Sons: A History of Progress By Lori Maude, Gelbvieh ...

G. W. Jones & Sons: A History of Progress
By Lori Maude, Gelbvieh World Editor
G. W. Jones & Sons has a long history of supporting and growing the city of Huntsville
in North Alabama. Between a cattle operation, a real estate development company and a civil
engineering firm, the Jones family is active in the community and believes in progress.
The fourth generation, Raymond B. Jones, Jr. currently oversees the agricultural interests
of G. W. Jones & Sons Farms, as well as managing the firm’s real estate development ventures.
Today, Gelbvieh genetics play a key role in the progress of this historical cattle herd.
In the Beginning
G. W. Jones Family traces its history back to some of the first white settlers in Madison
County, Alabama arriving in 1804. The G. W. Jones & Sons civil engineering firm has been in
continuous operation since 1886 in Huntsville, Ala. In addition to his engineering firm, G. W.
Jones inherited a farm in the Hurricane Creek community from his uncle. G. W. Jones’ new
wife, Elvalena, managed this 1,000-acre farm beginning in 1890. G. W. Jones became G. W.
Jones & Sons in 1911 when the growing family moved into Huntsville.
G. W. and Elvalena had five sons and one daughter: Edwin, Howard, Raymond, Walter,
Carl and Pauline. G. W. Jones’ sons and grandsons served extensively in the armed forces. The
family struggled to hold the engineering firm and the farm together during lengthy absences by
the sons and grandsons called away to war.
A family history book, celebrating 100 years of G. W. Jones & Sons written in 1986, is
quick to credit Carl T. Jones’ city-born wife, Betty, for her hard work and determination to keep
the current farm running during World War II. After only five months on the farm, Betty was
left in charge of planting and harvesting crops, managing workers and raising hogs and cattle
when her husband was called up by the National Guard to serve in World War II. Upon the
return of Carl and his brother, Edwin, in 1945 the farm expanded quickly and new enterprises
were added.
Hereford Cattle and KY-31 Fescue
The original herd of cattle began in 1939 with a Hereford operation. Top Hereford
genetics were brought in from around the country to expand and improve the cowherd. In 1946,
Edwin was instrumental in bringing KY-31 Fescue grass seed to Alabama and introducing it to
area landowners. This helped increase the available pasture in the area and soon replaced fields
of corn and cotton.
In 1950, G. W. Jones & Sons added a seed cleaning and drying plant to process the
Certified KY-31 Fescue seed. By 1955 the company was processing nearly 500,000 pounds of
seed annually. In 1953, Carl’s son, Raymond Bryant Jones, entered Auburn University to study
Agriculture. With the growing farm enterprise, Carl and Edwin felt it was important for a family
member to study agriculture to ensure the farm’s future success.
Upon Ray’s graduation from Auburn in 1957, the farm operation quickly expanded. In
addition to the home place in Jones Valley, G. W. Jones & Sons purchased a farm in Jackson
County, as well as another large farm near Guntersville Dam in Marshall County. The additional
land meant purchasing large groups of cattle to fill these pastures. Ray made several trips to
Texas to buy cows and bulls from several Hereford breeders.

The Next Phase
Fast forward to the early 1980s and Ray begins to think the cowherd has a heat tolerance
problem. To combat this, Ray purchased Santa Gertrudis bulls to breed to the predominantly
Hereford cowherd. They would keep some of the best Hereford x Santa Gertrudis bulls to use on
the Hereford cows to get a ¾ Hereford x ¼ Santa Gertrudis offspring. Soon after this researchers
discovered endophyte-infected fescue and its effect on cattle performance. Early research on
infected versus non-infected fescue began in the mid to late 1970s and offered an answer to the
“over heating” of cattle grazing fescue.
Ray made the decision to continue with the crossbreeding program even though it was
likely not a heat tolerance issue. G. W. Jones & Sons started retaining ownership on its cattle to
gain more information about their feedlot performance and carcass data.
The Hereford x Santa Gertrudis cattle were only grading 30 percent Choice/Prime and
simply weren’t performing well on the rail. Raymond Bryant Jones, Jr. joined the farm in 1993
and began looking at other breeds to improve the quality grade.
“It was obvious from the carcass data through the 1980s we weren’t making much, if any,
improvement on quality grade,” says Raymond Jr. “We needed to do something different but we
wanted to retain the red hide color in our cattle.”
In the early 1990s Red Angus was incorporated into the herd through the bull battery.
The quality grades improved to 65 to 70 percent Choice/Prime. “We made progress but I still
thought we could do better and add more weight and performance to the calves,” shares
Raymond Jr.
Reading a Leachman Cattle Company catalog in 1994, Raymond Jr. got the idea to use
Red Angus hybrid bulls. “Leachman really promoted the use of hybrid bulls and they were one
of the few breeders I found that had a Red Angus x Gelbvieh hybrid,” explains Raymond Jr. “We
bought our first Gelbvieh hybrid bulls from Leachman sight unseen.”
The family hasn’t looked back since making the switch to Balancer bulls. Raymond Jr.
continued to find more seedstock sources for red Balancer bulls, including Flying H Genetics
from Nebraska. The carcass data proves the move was the right one. The last set of steers fed in
2005 posted stats of 95 percent Choice/Prime with majority Yield Grade 2s and 3s.
Managing for Today’s Market
Raymond Jr. finds that a 50 percent Gelbvieh x 50 percent Red Angus Balancer bull
works best on the cowherd. He is gradually moving the cowherd to a half Gelbvieh x half Red
Angus breed makeup.
Today the herd consists of about 700 head of brood cows, down from an all-time high of
1,200 head. The calving season runs in October and November with 85 percent of the calves
born in the first 30 days. Birth date and birth weight are recorded for each calf born, as well as
each calf is individually tagged for identification. “We haven’t moved to electronic
identification (EID) yet but are keeping tabs on the National Identification guidelines,” admits
Raymond Jr. “We would hate to put in a system and then find out that we don’t meet the final
rules.”
At weaning time, a weaning weight is taken on each calf before it leaves the farm.
Raymond Jr. says steer calves are handled one of two ways, depending on the market. Some
years they will wean the calves, retain ownership and place the steers on feed. They have fed
cattle in Texas, Iowa, Colorado and Kansas.

More recently they have sold the steer calves directly off the cow to the same order buyer
the last six years. “We work hard with the buyer to follow the calves through the system to get
the carcass data,” says Raymond Jr. “The carcass data can really show if our genetics are where
they need to be.”
The heifer calves are weaned the week after the steer calves. They sort the heifer calves
into three groups. The top group is retained as replacements for the Jones’ cowherd. The bottom
group is sold through the sale barn or if large enough to an order buyer via private treaty.
The middle cut of heifer calves has developed a strong reputation as replacement females
for commercial producers. The middle cut of heifers is weaned and developed on a lightgrowing
ration. They are then sold via private treaty in small groups. “We have several repeat
buyers for our heifers,” says Raymond Jr. “The cattle have developed a reputation for quality
and productivity.”
Since 1993, the computer has played a key role in managing the cowherd. All of the
birth and weaning data is entered into each cow’s record. Prior to that records were kept by hand
since the 1960s. “The computer gives each cow a MPPA score based on the birth and weaning
information,” explains Raymond Jr. “It’s easy to see which cows are productive and which are
not, so culling is not a guessing game.”
With tight management and progressive genetics, the G. W. Jones & Sons cowherd is
ready for the next generation. Raymond Jones III has already started his way up the ladder at
eight years old. During the summer and other school breaks, Raymond III can be found doing
chores at the farm to earn money for his college fund.
“He knows he needs to start saving now if he wants to go to college one day,” says
Raymond Jr. “My family has always believed in hard work and the farm teaches great lessons on
responsibility and hard work. Raymond III is learning first hand and maybe one day he will have
an interest in managing the farm.”
Photo captions (located on the CD with the cover shot for November Jones & Sons):
Raymond Jones, Jr., kneeling, is the fourth generation to manage G.W. Jones & Sons farm.
Raymond III spends his summer breaks doing chores at the farm.
Balancer bulls, with a few Red Angus bulls, make up the bull battery at G.W. Jones & Sons.