DR. Joe Paschal

Dr. Joe

Paschal

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED AND WRITTEN BY: KYLIE SELLMAN INTERVIEWEE: JOE PASCHAL

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am from Corpus Christi, Texas. I went to Texas A&M University (‘77 BS and ‘82 MS in Animal Science and ‘86 PhD in Animal Breeding), and spent three years as the Director of Breed Improvement and Foreign Marketing for the American International Charolais Association from 1979 until 1982. My wife, Vickey, and I have two children; Dr. Helen A. Phillips (DVM) of Brenham and Robert R. Paschal, USDA, in Bryan.

• Do you have any agricultural background?

Yes. I was from an agricultural background of cattle and horses (and a few goats) in South Texas.

• What made you want to become an Agri-Life agent?

to reach out and visit with people, and with the respect the ranchers had for his knowledge and expertise. I can’t say it was my only objective for employment after I finished my PhD since I was thinking of a teaching and research position, but my interaction with Randall made Extension a desirable employment option when it became available.

• What was your main focus as a livestock specialist?

I know that new specialists often have a hard time deciding what to focus on, and I did as well. I learned a lot from County Extension Agents in regards to what they needed from me (based on what their producers needed from Extension). Although I was trained and educated as an animal breeder (geneticist), I doubt that I have used that education or expertise more than 10% of my time. Nutrition is the number one topic requested, followed by information on animal health and reproduction, general management, and finally marketing and economics. Over the years, I have worked with other specialists in other disciplines (Range Management, Agriculture Economics, Forages, Wildlife, etc.) to address county-based educational issues for County Extension Agents. I have worked primarily in beef cattle but also horses, meat goats (before they were popular), and prickly pear cactus (as an emergency feed) to name a few areas. I also conducted the Ranch to Rail – South Steer Feeding Program for over 12 years where steers were fed to collect feeding, carcass, and financial data on their performance. Finally, as a result of my education and work in the Ranch to Rail Program, I began working with Brahman and other Bos indicus influenced breed associations such as the Beefmaster, Braford, Brangus, Santa Gertrudis, Simbrah, and Red Brangus, to help them promote genetic attributes of their breeds to Texas and the US. I assisted in collecting carcass data (including tenderness data) on a number of these breeds and in developing the Expected Progeny Differences (EPD) for Brahman cattle in the late 1990s. Brahman is still only one of two breeds that have an EPD for tenderness. Working with these breeds and others have allowed me to travel to 26 different countries to conduct demonstrations, present educational programs, and judge national/international events.

• What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

I am not sure I ever met any real challenges. County Extension Agents and their producers are the greatest folks to work for and with in all the world! Once you become known as someone with a little experience and common sense (and I had a little of both), time and travel funds to go and present in educational programs often became a little tight but we always were able to work it out.

• What changes have you seen throughout the years?

That’s a great question! When I was first employed there were no fax machines, no personal computers and much less cell phones or copiers in Extension. The first fax machine was in the Pecos County Extension Office, Zan Matthies was the County Extension Agent and Dr. Zerle Carpenter was the Director of the then Texas Agricultural Extension Service. When faxes were sent to our district office, they were sent to the county office and then carried to our district office a few blocks away. Zan also had the first personal computer and color monitor that I had seen in a county or our district office! Copiers and fax machines soon arrived and then cell phones in the early 1990s followed by email. Now there is social media too! Beside the electronic changes, Extension (and A&M), has employed a significant number of very qualified women to be County Extension Agents and Specialists. Having been married for 49 years to a woman in business I can relate to the difficulties women can have in balancing work and family and I can tell you they have been terrific! I don’t mean to be condescending, I am very pleased to be able to work with women, they are as knowledgeable and hardworking as anyone I know. Lastly, another major change has been the large number of folks who, for whatever reason, want to own cattle or more generally livestock. These operations may be retirees or folks that live in town and want livestock on a small piece of land. Many are without experience or Being appreciated and respected by my peers and producers that I have worked for and with over the years.

• What advice would you give to a younger agent?

Whether they are a younger specialist or a County Extension Agent, pick mentors you can go to for advice and guidance. You should have specialists and County Extension Agents as mentors. Pick some that vary in experience and interests. I had an excellent County Extension Agent mentor who once told me that “I worked for him” (specialist to agent) and I’ve never forgotten that after over 35 years. Subject matter specialists should work closely with County Extension Agents to make them successful in the eyes of their producers as well as the agency. I also worked closely with and emulated three specialists in my own Animal Science Program Unit. One was very people oriented, a second was more research oriented and the third was in the middle. Patterning myself after them was a huge part of my success.

• What is your favorite memory as an Agri-Life agent?

I don’t know that there is a favorite, being around my Animal Science specialist colleagues always generates special moments. After one meeting in Salado I was asked to give the late Dr. John McNeill, who at the time was our Beef Cattle Specialist in Amarillo, a ride to the airport in Austin on my way back to Corpus Christi. I was a young specialist and Dr. McNeill, an old hand (he would later become our Animal Science Department Head), and I was wondering what we were going to say to each other for two hours. As it turns out, he asked me questions about what I was doing which made me feel quite at ease, and I considered him one of my best mentors! Never judge a book by its cover.

• If you had the chance, would you do it all again?

Of course, in a heartbeat! In our office here in Corpus Christi, we have three new specialists in Range, Wildlife and Economics in addition to relatively new ones in Agronomy and Entomology, and Texas A&M AgriLife Research has a new Animal Scientist at the Beeville Research Station. If I were even 5 years younger, I wouldn’t even consider leaving. I expect great things from this area of the state in the future!

• Why did you feel it was time to retire?

I had been thinking about it when COVID hit and then postponed it since the County Extension Agents were still in their offices and needed help. I did clean up my office considerably during that time. After covid, I was sort of revived but last March coming back from Ft. Worth, I called up my wife and told her I was done. Shortly after that I called up my Associate Department Head and good friend, Dr. Ron Gill, and told him the same thing. There’s a lot of reasons, being on the road was one but that was my choice.

• How are you planning to spend your retirement?

I plan to retire to the ranch. I have a place in Washington Co. where I run a few head of cattle, I feed a few steers and heifers at Graham Feedyard in Gonzales, and I have been approached by some purebred breeders to do some consulting work for them. I am mostly going to read and might write a book about beef cattle production and my experiences in Extension.

• Do you have anything else you would like to add?

I have enjoyed working for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. I didn’t plan to retire from it, I figured I would go on and do something else in the past 35 years or so, but I enjoyed my work and who I was working for – the County Extension Agents and their producers, they are truly the greatest!