1984 Milton "Buzz" Wendland Autauga Farming Company, Autaugaville The Wendlands purchased their farm in 1960, and as of 1984 produced row crops, seed crops, pecans, hay and swine, in addition to cattle. AFC was a charter member of BCIA. AFC did not use AI but purchased groups of like-genetic bulls from central or farm tests to produce a more uniform calf crop. Milton Wendland, a Kansas native, served on the BCIA Board of Directors. In 1984, he had the largest commercial cow herd in BCIA. His herd’s average weaning weight increased by 100 pounds from 1964 to 1984. Wendland also served as president of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association and was inducted into the Alabama Livestock Hall of Fame.
1985 and 1988 Ralph Lovelady Lovelady Farms, Randolph Lovelady Farms opened in 1949, with Ralph and his wife providing all labor for the 200-head herd. Cross-bred cows were bred to Simmental bulls. Lovelady preferred that these bulls be on-the-farm tested bulls. He joined BCIA in 1981 and helped establish the Chilton County BCIA Replacement Heifer Sale that year. He was the second commercial producer to be elected to a BCIA executive office, and became president in 1990. One key of his operation was to worm cows a month before calving to produce heavier calves at weaning. With cattle as his only source of income, Lovelady was able to put two sons through college, one of which, Butch, took over the farm when his father passed. Lovelady was known for uniformity in his herd and a willingness to lead by example.	Ralph Lovelady, right, with his son, Butch.
1986 Oscar Bradford Greenview Farms, Cullman Oscar Bradford has been involved in several different phases of beef production, including cow-calf, stockering and finishing phases, and also produced show calves. His farm, which began producing commercial cows in 1959, bred Angus and commercial cattle. Bradford was one of the first producers to endorse the use of fungus-free fescue. He was appointed to the Alabama BCIA Board of Directors in 1979 and served in a number of offices for the Alabama Angus Association. Forage production was one key to his farm’s success, but Bradford was known for saying, “You can’t just look at a cow and tell if she is making money for you. You have to keep accurate records from the day she drops a calf.”
1987 John McDaniel McDaniel Farms, Ashford McDaniel Farms began operation in 1941 as a strictly commercial herd selling finished cattle. The farm finishes all cattle except replacement heifers, and grows all of its own feed. This was one of the first farms to use a Gelbvieh bull. At the time of his nomination, McDaniel used AI and bought only on-the-farm tested bulls. McDaniel was on the BCIA Board of Directors and was a charter member of the Auburn University Agricultural Alumni Association. He became Alabama BCIA president in 1993.
1989 Farquhar State Cattle Ranch, Greensboro The Farquhar State Cattle Ranch was completed in 1941. The 4,680-acre ranch had barracks for 50 convicts that maintained a herd of 1,200 cattle. The ranch joined BCIA in 1988 with 439 calves with a 459-pound average weaning weight. In 1991, 384 calves were in the BCIA records with an average weaning weight of 443 lbs. The cow herd has lately consisted of almost 400 head. Sire breeds are Simmental, Angus, Hereford, and Charolais. The adult herd is culled annually of nonproductive cows, which are sold at competitive bid at a stockyard. The calves are weaned and also sold through the ranch’s feeder-calf sale, selling in truck-load lots. Tony Silva was the manager in 1989. He is now retired and Hugh Burt is the current manager.
1990 Carl Parker Parker's Senepol Farm, Rogersville Carl Parker has been a cattlemen since 1973 and joined BCIA in 1982 with seven calves and an average weaning weight of 466 pounds. In 1991, he had a total of 67 calves and an average weaning weight of 547 pounds. Sire breeds included Hereford, Beefmaster and Angus. Parker began his purebred Senepol operation in 1990. He received the Senepol Cattle Breeder’s Association’s Mario Gasperi award for Senepol seedstock producer of the year in 2000. He served as president of the SCBA in 1999 and has served on the board of directors. He is a member of the Alabama Senepol Association and has served as the president of this association, too. He has participated in the Wiregrass grazing test and Texas feeder calf programs.
1991 Ray Boyd Enterprise Ray Boyd joined BCIA in 1990 with 44 total calves and an average weaning weight of 567 pounds. In 1992, he had a total of 37 calves with an average weaning weight of 619 pounds and frame score average of 6.3. Sire breeds are Simmental and Angus. He now has an purebred Angus operation, One Way Angus Farm LLC, and is still an active BCIA member.
1992 Patty Sherman Summerdale Patty Sherman started in 1989 on BCIA with 85 total calves with a 552-pound average weaning weight. In 1993, she had 73 total calves with an average weaning weight of 650 pounds. In 1994, she had 58 total calves for an average weaning weight of 671 pounds. Her farm’s sire breed is Simmental.
1993 Lamar and Kay Ivey Ivey & Ivey Farms, Webb Ivey & Ivey Farms has been in the cattle business since 1948 and began producing commercial cattle in 1954 with mostly Simmental and Angus. The operation includes a meat-processing plant, so the goals are to sell high-quality meat and to sell and show bulls, steers and heifers. Profits increased over the years through a total quality management program, including shortening the calving season by synchronizing breeding, keeping performance records and increasing the cow population while decreasing acreage.
1994 Walter "Buddy" Carlee Carlee Farms, Lawley  Carlee Farms entered the commercial cattle business in 1975, using Angus and Simmental in a total forage system to provide steer calves and replacement heifers for sale. Buddy Carlee began using performance data in 1989, which helped him to produce larger calves that still have easy fleshing ability. Carlee has been a director of the Chilton County Cattlemen’s Association and received numerous BCIA awards for top cow herd and Gold Star Cows. He was president of BCIA in 2000.
1995 Don W. Freeman Freeman Farms, Lowndesboro  Freeman Farms was established in 1968 with Angus-Holstein dairy calves to start the herd, which in 1996 consisted of 500 head of Angus, Simmental and Charolais cross cows divided into six herds. The farm’s goal is to develop a superior foundation from conception to finished product based on production cost, feed efficiency and carcass value. Animals are bred to have high qualities of all three breeds. Don Freeman has been a director of the Lowndes County Cattlemen’s Association.
1996 Oneil Smith Uriah Oneil Smith has been involved in the cattle industry since he first showed club calves in 1948, when his steer won grand champion in Monroe County. He later acquired 25 head of cattle from his father-in-law, and began keeping records at the advice of his county agent, Dink Sellers. He became a BCIA member in 1970 as a Hereford producer. Smith has since passed some of his cattle down to his sons. His grandchildren are showing his calves in Monroe County and winning numerous awards. He has been recognized as having the top 30-99 herd by Alabama BCIA. He has served as president of the Monroe County Cattlemen’s Association and of Alabama BCIA, and is now a lifetime director of Alabama Cattlemen’s Association. Smith is a sale committee chairman and strong supporter for the Southwest BCIA Heifer Sale.
1997 Randy Martin Montgomery Randy Martin joined BCIA in 1989 with 75 total calves and an average weaning weight of 563 pounds. In 1998, he had 87 total calves and an average weaning weight of 616 pounds. His farm’s sire breed was Angus in 1998; cow herd breeds were Simmental, Charolais and Hereford crosses.
1998 Iris, Bill and Linda Lipscomb 3L Ranch, Prattville  3L Ranch has been in the Lipscomb family since 1936. It consists of both timber, hay and pasture land, with 100 brood cows. By setting strict short-term goals, the farm is able to produce quality, well-managed bulls that will keep customers happy and the farm running to fulfill the long-range goal of keeping the farm in the family. Performance records have been kept since 1971. Animals are sold primarily through the Producers Feeder Calf Sale, which Bill Lipscomb has chaired, but the top heifers are sold through BCIA. Lipscomb served as president of BCIA in 1991 and was a president of the Autauga County Cattlemen’s Association. He also manages the Autauga Farming Company.
1999 Tony Boothe Boothe & Boothe Farms, Millport  Boothe & Boothe Farms was established in 1965 and is a family-run operation with 50 to 60 cows. Originally, the farm was founded on Brahman genetics, but today is based on Angus. Selection and culling are based on strict criteria, and all replacement heifers come from within the top third of each year’s calf crop. Tony Boothe participates in the West Central Alabama board sale and the Alabama Pasture to Rail program. Boothe has served as president of the West Alabama Feeder Calf Association and is a member of state and national organizations. Boothe also consigns heifers to the BCIA Ag-O-Rama Heifer Sale.
2000 Billy H. Bolding Billy H. Bolding Farm, Randolph The Billy H. Bolding Farm has been in the Bolding family for three generation and was taken over by Billy in 1980. At that time, the cow herd was Polled Hereford and Angus. Bolding added Brown Swiss and Simmental to develop a 95-head herd, which is primarily Simmental-Angus. The farm has used performance records since 1983. Steer calves are marketed through board sales, and the top 15 heifers are marketed in the Chilton County Heifer Sale. Heifers have averaged $125 over average sale price for the past two decades. No outside replacement heifers are purchased. Bolding has been a director of the Chilton County Cattlemen’s Association and has been on and co-chaired the Autauga-Chilton County BCIA Heifer Sale.
2001 Joe Navarre, manager C.C. "Bo" Torbert, owner Torbert Farms, Opelika  Torbert Farms is located on some of the first land to be homesteaded in Alabama. The cow/calf operation consists of more than 200 Angus-based cows, an embryo transfer recipient cow program for surrounding purebred herds, and a heifer development and steer backgrounding station for local commercial cows. Cows are bred through embryo transfer, AI or natural service. The farm develops at least 200 replacement heifers each year, marketed through the Piedmont board sale and BCIA heifer sales. Torbert has been vice president and test manager for the Piedmont BCIA Heifer Association and a director of the Lee County Cattlemen’s Association.