History, Economics, and Wisdom
—A conversation with AHA Hall of Fame Inductee Billy Ashe By Kathryn Ingram
The Ashe family: pictured (l to r) Will David and Patti (Ashe) Ashe, and Stratton Coleman, Billy and Joyce Ashe, April and Wes Ashe
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illy Ashe, of Selmer, Tennessee, was inducted into the Hereford Hall of Fame at the American Hereford Association annual meeting in Kansas City, Missouri last October. This honor is bestowed on breeders who have made significant contributions to the promotion and advancement of the Hereford industry. Billy currently owns and operates Ashewood Farms in West Tennessee. His parents W.C. and Addillia Ashe started the farm with Polled Herefords in the 1950s. Billy returned to the farm after graduating from Oklahoma State University and serving in the Korean War. Billy is married to Joyce Ashe and has two children, Wes Ashe and Patti Ashe Coleman. Wes has joined his father in operating Ashewood Farms, where their focus is producing functional and genetically superior Hereford and Angus cattle. Billy contributes his desire to raise Herefords to many experiences and people from his youth. He thinks he chose Herefords because they were the breed he was familiar with and had an affinity for the purebred industry. Billy grew up around several prominent Hereford herds in West Tennessee. He mentioned that Troy Hair (Uncle of current THA Secretary Glenda Rickman) was a strong influence. He worked at Circle M Ranch after graduating high school and at Hull Dobbs Ranch in Walls, Mississippi, and Ft. Worth, Texas. Billy also gained a lot of exposure to many large-scale cattle operations in the southwest during his time at OSU. Tennessee Hereford Newsletter • Winter 2021 • 12
Billy knew they had to have a competitive product with top genetics to attract customers when starting the herd. He purchased the best females he could afford and took advantage of new technology. Artificial insemination was in its infancy at the time Ashewood Farms was developing its new herd. His connections with the Hull Dobbs Ranch allowed him to get semen from top-end Hereford bulls. He believes this played a large part in “getting off to a relatively good start”. In the 1970s and 1980s, the show ring dominated the industry. Billy exhibited cattle at shows throughout West Tennessee and the southeast region. He used these shows to make contacts and develop a clientele. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he transferred emphasis to data-based information instead of just the top winning show bulls. Billy says his priorities changed from “the bull of the month club” to researching potential sires based on meaningful data. He puts a great deal of emphasis on bulls with high accuracies. He believes data provided by the National Reference Sire Program is one of the most useful tools a breeder can rely on. This population test helps him select bulls to improve carcass traits and calving ease in his herd. Billy feels his greatest challenge was carving out market demand for the farm. There were 2,700 breeders in the region, according to then AHA field man Gary Nichols, when Billy started his herd. It was a challenge for a family of modest means to compete in a crowded field. Eventually, the local sale barns recognized the quality of their feeder calves. The sale barn’s
