The Birdwell legacy started with a land drawing and a five-year commitment. The family made their home in Fletcher, Okla., by drawing a quarter section from a lottery for the land available for settlement. Thanks to the Homestead Act of 1862, the Birdwells just needed to live and work the land for five years before it became theirs. Jim continues to live and farm on the property originally gained by his great grandfather.
He still has the original deed, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt. Jim attended Oklahoma State University (OSU) to study agricultural education. After graduation, he headed to Union City, Okla., to teach high school agriculture courses. Jim had a quick-kindled friendship with the owner of the local service station, as well as with those who frequented the gathering place for coffee and conversation. Jim would go to the station after school, and all the farmers would be there. Not only did Jim befriend the owner of the station, but he also taught his son in school.
Little did he know, he would soon be introduced to someone new: his future wife, the station owner’s daughter Jeanne. Jim and Jeanne married, and in 1972, they made the move from Union City to Fletcher to buy the land across from the family’s homestead.
The couple has been there since. Jim taught high school students for five years, but the Lord had other plans for his future. Ed Meacham was the head of the Western field staff of the American Polled Hereford Association (APHA). He called Jim about an opening on the field staff, which Jim accepted. Jim had to sell $20,000 worth of advertising. The drawback was you could buy a page of advertising for about $300 at that time. Jim served APHA members in Oklahoma and Kansas from 1972 to 1975 before he found his true calling.
Jim travelled with Eddie Sims, auctioneer and owner of National Cattle Services, Inc. Eddie gave Jim a new appreciation for the auction business. Fortunately for Jim, Eddie’s business expanded at an opportune time, and he was able to begin work with National Cattle Services, Inc., in 1975. Jim didn’t attend an official auctioneering school, but he learned the business and listened to several different auctioneers. He would practice while traveling up and down the road and developed a chant that didn’t run people out of the barn. Just three years after joining National Cattle Services, Jim decided to use his cattle marketing skills to launch his own auction business in the summer of ’78.
Between Jim’s contacts in the registered cattle business and advertising efforts, he was able to auction at a variety of sales until his retirement in the fall of 2020. His many years of service to the livestock industry across the United States and Canada will not be soon forgotten. The cattle business has always been a stronghold for the Birdwell family. Joel and Jamie, the two Birdwell children, both attended OSU, just like Jim and Jeanne, and stayed connected to the cattle business upon graduation. The Birdwell children also maintain a close connection with the Hereford breed. With the five Birdwell grandchildren growing up around the business, the legacy of the family lives on.
