Powell feeds and tends to the cows himself on most days.
Powell’s farm is on land purchased in 1942 by his father, Aubrey Powell.
Rommaster cattle are a cross between Beefmaster and Romagnola/Romangus males. Rommaster cows are more adaptable to a hot and humid climate, are generally black in color and are smaller when they are born; most of the calves are born between 60 and 80 pounds. Romagnola calves can weigh up to 100 pounds, so the smaller Rommaster calves at birth make life easier on the heifers and the farmer. “This is what’s very unique about this breed,” he says. “Although they are born small, these calves gain nearly 100 pounds per month on nothing but grass and their mother’s milk. They wean when they are near 700 pounds at 205 days, or seven months.” Powell’s Rommaster is the pioneer of the Rommaster cattle breed, but now, they can be found as far west as Oregon and as far south as Florida. The breed has become so popular, in fact, that Powell has agreements to sell the females and calves until the end of 2018. “I’ve always been fascinated with raising cattle. Every year my objective is to have a better cow the next year than I did before,” Powell says. “Only God can make the perfect animal, but I’m as close as I’ll ever achieve in my lifetime.” The Rommaster became a recognized breed in April 2014. “He lives and breathes cows,” Jeanette Powell says of her husband of 47 years.
COWBOYS AND CATTLE The Powells’ sturdy brick home sits on the same property Bobby Powell’s father Ardmore Telephone Company
purchased in 1942. “He paid $450 for 85 acres,” he says, “and I was born in the front yard.” The old home place sat in what is now the Powells’ front yard. Powell’s only sister — he is one of five children — lives next door. Both of his daughters and their families have homes on the land. “We were a very close-knit family. My dad and I were always together. If waking hours had been 24 hours a day, we would’ve been together the whole time,” he says fondly of his parents, Aubrey and Velma Powell. Jeanette and Bobby Powell met in the mid-’60s, one month before he left for active duty in the military. “We wrote every single day,” Jeanette Powell says, “and I still have all the letters.” After almost a five-year courtship, the couple married in 1970. In 1992, Powell retired from the military and returned home to his herd of Beefmaster cattle, which was maintained with the help of his father. Then, the work began to develop the Rommaster breed. Even though both of his parents have passed, Powell honors their memory daily by working hard and keeping the farm going. He does the majority of the work around the farm with the help of his wife. “She’s my staff,” he says with a laugh as he points his finger at Jeanette. Nothing makes Powell’s face light up like mentioning his grandchildren. He has three grandsons and a granddaughter. His eyes sparkle when he speaks of his
Bobby and Jeanette Powell developed the Rommaster breed of cattle.
6-year-old granddaughter, Aubrie, named after her great-grandfather. “She calls me Cowboy,” he says, beaming. “Those were the first two words she put together as a baby.” And, even though it’s not ordinary protocol for farmers to name their cattle, Aubrie insisted her favorite calf be named “Cowgirl.” “We wrote ‘Cowgirl’ on the ear tag, and now when there’s a different calf, we have to use the same tag,” Jeanette Powell says. One day, his son-in-law and grandchildren will take over the business that’s been in the family for generations. “Life has been very rewarding,” he says. “Everything we have touched has been blessed.” March/April 2017 | 13