Local couple honored for outstanding cattle operation

By Carrie A. Mizell

Kenny and Kay Corbin were named 2011 Outstanding Cattleman by the Gilchrist County Cattlemen’s Association on Tuesday, Sept. 27.
The Gilchrist County couple has been in the cattle business for 30 years, growing hay and raising 125 head of cattle on 420 acres east of Trenton and 80 acres in Levy County. With registered Brangus bulls, Brahman cattle and replacement heifers to tend to, Kenny and Kay stay busy despite being retired.

Gilchrist County Cattlemen’s Association President Jim Jones presents a plaque
to Kay and Kenny Corbin, the 2011 Outstanding Cattleman winners.

After serving 20 years in the Air Force, Kenny worked for the City of Trenton as wastewater treatment operator for a number of years before retiring in June 2010. He is a second-generation cattleman born and raised in Levy County.
A Gilchrist County native, Kay Read Corbin is a fourth generation cattlewoman who worked for Farm Bureau Insurance for 37 years. She started and ended her career with Farm Bureau working as a secretary in the Farm Bureau office in Trenton, but while working for Farm Bureau she was the first woman Farm Bureau agent in the district. Kay was also the first woman to serve on the board of the Gilchrist County Cattlemen’s Association.
The Corbins accepted a plaque recognizing them as the 2011 Outstanding Cattleman last week while attending the Gilchrist County Cattlemen’s Association’s meeting held at Otter Springs.
According to Jim Jones, president of the Cattlemen’s Association, the fall meeting was sponsored by Mayo Fertilizer, Columbia Livestock Market, Accelerated Genetics and Dow Chemical Company.
Harland Stalvey of Mayo Fertilizer helped cook the steak dinner for the meeting and thanked all the cattlemen gathered for their business.
Stalvey told the cattlemen that rye seed will be tight this fall, but oat seed should be in good supply.
“If anyone wants a soil sample, now is the time,” Stalvey said. “We get busy in January.”
Bo Mathis of Dow Chemical introduced himself as a Georgia native who recently moved to Alachua, explaining that he is now working as the Dow Chemical area representative.
Mathis gave an update on the products Dow Chemical provides including residual and nonresidual herbicides and insecticides.
Robert Whitacre represented Accelerated Genetics, though he acknowledged Earl Jones Jr. as the area representative. Whitacre described the practice of artificially inseminating cattle as a management tool and said the company he works for is an American cooperative that recently celebrated 70 years in business.
Lowgan Daniels of Bell FFA and Josie NesSmith of Wilcox 4-H Club were recognized for showing homegrown steers at the Suwannee River Fair that were bred and raised in Gilchrist County.
Daniels feeder steer weighed in at 750 pounds and placed first in class at the Suwannee River Fair in March. Daniels’ purchased his steer from Larry Lindsey. NesSmith showed a 1,160 pound fat steer at the Suwannee River Fair that she purchased from Erin Jones.
As in years past, the Gilchrist County Cattlemen’s Association presented $25 awards to the children of Cattlemen’s Association members who showed steers at the livestock fair. Those children were: Bailey Roux, Kailey Roux, Lyndsay Boland, Erin Jones, Mill Lang, Allie Lang, Selena Thomas, Maverick Mikell, and Jared Thomas.
In other business, Charles Townsend, chairman of the nominating committee for the Cattlemen’s Association, recommended that Earl Jones fill Wilbur Bush’s term on the board and that Kay Corbin be re-elected to serve a new term on the Cattlemen’s board.
Those motions passed unanimously.