Tennessee Hereford Assocation Legacy Award Winner by Kathryn Ingram
Julie Chapin was recognized as the THA Legacy Award winner in 2021. She has left a remarkable legacy for the Tennessee Hereford Association from its formation in 2014 to the present day. She has made history as the first female president of our association, but the legacy she will leave is much more. To be an effective leader, you must have a genuine desire for the organization to succeed. Another essential leadership quality is the ability to coordinate members to work together as a cohesive unit to achieve the organization’s goals. Julie stepped up and took the challenge to unite our membership to improve the programs and outreach of our association. Julie’s determination to grow our newly combined organization and promote Hereford cattle has always been evident. Her character and willingness to work are what helped make it happen. THA board members that have served with Julie describe her as straightforward, honest, humble, dedicated, and a calming influence. She has a great gift for logistics, with the ability to look at a situation from all sides and see the possible future ramifications of actions taken. In addition to serving as President from 2015 to 2017, Julie has served on the Agribition and THA Show Committees since the organization was formed in 2014. She currently serves as chair of the THA Show Committee. She was also a board member and served as secretary in the former Tennessee Hereford Association. Julie grew up in a Hereford family in Northern Ohio. Her grandparents started the herd in the 1950s.
Her parents, Keith and Becky Chapin, grew the herd to approximately 100 head. Her parents traveled the show road. They participated in shows as far away as Nashville, Memphis, Harrisburg, and the Ohio State Fair for many years. Julie explained that she has been involved in the Hereford industry and the showring her entire life. She said “As a matter of fact, my first trip to Nashville was in my mother’s womb. She tells the story that she was 8 months pregnant and out on the show road and miserable. She finally told my dad that it was time to go home! So, I guess you could say I didn’t have much choice but to love Hereford cattle. Growing up my brothers, sister and several cousins showed heifers and Hereford steers at our local county fair and sometimes the Ohio state fair.” Julie and Martha Dixon operate River Circle Farm in Hartsville, Tennessee. River Circle Farm is a diverse enterprise, consisting of a cow-calf operation and row crop production (corn, beans, and wheat are produced on shares with a local grain farmer). The cattle herd consists of 20 purebred Hereford cows and 100 commercial cows. They use AI and Embryo Transfer to produce about 25 to 30 Hereford calves each year. The farm markets approximately 5 bulls and 10 heifers each year through private treaty, the Tennessee Beef Agribition, and the Burns Farms and Friends Sale. Julie says “The farm, like many others, is dwindling in size. It is the retirement plan. Hopefully, a small piece of it will always be here and have Hereford cattle walking on it!”
Julie addresses the members at the 2017 THA Annual Meeting. Tennessee Hereford Newsletter • Winter 2022 • 12
I asked Julie a few questions about her accomplishments and experiences in the Tennessee Hereford
