‘A real cowboy’: Hale retires by celebrating a career that ‘wasn’t work’

Editor’s note: Gainesville High School graduate Abby Milligan, now a freshman in the University of Missouri School of Journalism, is doing an internship at the Ozark County Times during her holiday vacation.

At the age of 9, Joe Hale was gifted a calf. That gift blossomed into a 40-plus-year career.   

On Tuesday, Dec. 1, Hale and his wife, Eva, met in Ava with a small group of friends and colleagues who surprised him with a commemorative belt buckle in recognition of his decades-long career with the Mark Twain National Forest’s Range Allotment Program. 

The program allows producers to lease the public land for cattle grazing, and Hale, now retired, was integral to it. To him, a career that combined nature and cattle wasn’t work. “I’ve always had a passion about it,” Hale said when asked why he started all those years ago. “Some people play golf. I do this.” 

Hale, a former Ozark County resident, has an obvious passion for the job and admits he still can’t get enough of it. “I’m kind of like a sponge when it comes to learning about cows. I’ve tried to learn everything that I could get my hands on, but one of the main things I think . . . is I tried to study after guys that actually made it work.”  

Hale is an avid outdoorsman. At a table in the basement of the Mark Twain National Forest headquarters in Ava, he sat for around two hours and shared his seemingly endless knowledge of livestock, land, horses and more. What land needs burning, his preference for horses over ATVs, his thoughts on noxious weeds, and his love of anything having to do with agriculture and cattle were topics of conversation.

“Cows, they take grass and things humans can’t eat and turn it into some of the finest food in the world,” he said. “They’re a very essential thing.” 

It was a joke during the conversation that Hale wore many hats. He played an instrumental part in establishing the Missouri Brand Book, served as Missouri Farm Bureau president, sold horses to the Colorado Forest Service and, at one point, managed over 23,000 acres of grazing land.  

‘I like the bigness of it, the solitude . . . the quiet’

He had many tales from his time in the Range Allotment program. His MTNF colleague Mike Stewart reflected on their more than 20 years of working together.  He asked Hale, “Well, now that you have a few years in, looking back, is there any lessons you’d go back and tell your younger self?” 

To this, Hale answered with one word that prompted instant laughter: “Run!”  

He followed up by saying, “It’s not for the faint of heart.... But I’ve enjoyed it. I like the bigness of it, the solitude of it, the quiet.” 

Hale has lived his whole life in rural Missouri, a setting that sparked his love for the “solitude” of the grazing land. He described himself as having “deep roots” in Ozark County and expressed a passion for the land here. 

“I’m fifth generation,” he said. “My great-great-great-grandparents homesteaded down by Haskins Ford before the Civil War.” 

Hale now lives around Ash Grove but has lived in other area counties too. He keeps a few cattle around his home and said he doesn’t plan on getting rid of them anytime soon.  

Hale shared that he’s had some recent medical issues, including three hospital stays over the summer. He’s now feeling better but said he needs to focus on getting healthy before doing much else. He has grandchildren close by, and he has hopes to travel.

“Not extensively, but some,” elaborated Eva.    

Hale was regarded throughout the discussion for his dedication to his career over the past four and a half decades. Stewart described him as a “real cowboy” and said, “Whatever we need, you’re always willing to do it. We never have to twist your arm. Never have to call you twice.”

Those who gathered last week included some former co-workers, including retired range conservationist Ross McElvain. “That meant a lot to me to have those guys there,” he said. His colleagues and former colleagues confirmed that Hale has demonstrated a real passion for his work with the Range Allotment program and has made a mark on the service, one they will not soon forget.