Cattleman of the Year – Dustyn Sweeney
Unique to many of our farmer’s stories we share, Dustyn is a first-generation rancher. Even so, he is no stranger to the cattle industry. Growing up next to one of Jackson County’s largest cattle ranches, this Dustyn spent his formative years watching friends and family work cattle, bale hay and tag calves. He knew exactly what he wanted to be and started working at the young age of 15 at the Bar L Ranch. Dustyn is now the foreman of the ranch, overseeing the day-to-day operations. He is a hard worker, the AI technician when it is time to breed, and is in charge of the tagging of newborn calves and dealing with health issues in the herd.
Dustyn has always had a passion for the cattle industry, with a dream of owning his own herd one day. He got his start when his FFA advisor, signed a group up for the calf scramble at the National Peanut Festival during his junior year in high school. Dustyn caught a heifer that year, which became the start of his herd. In the subsequent years, he purchased heifers from friends that also caught heifers and soon had a small herd of three young heifers. Dustyn began his herd by keeping heifers from the original three, purchasing new cows and calves, and skillful negotiations for a hard day’s work with other ranchers. Dustyn is always ready to make a deal, if the opportunity presents itself.
This cowboy has created a reputation for being a trustworthy individual and a worker you can rely on. His reputation has allowed him to further expand by being entrusted to upkeep parcels of land for elderly members of the Dry Creek Community; creating more acreage for more cattle. Dustyn has partnered with local agencies to help reduce soil erosion by planting cover crops for winter grazing so he could rotate his feeding areas allowing him to manage and provide for his herd in the most efficient way possible.
This young cow hand’s hard-working reputation has also made him the on-call cowboy for our local community – many of whom are here tonight. Dustyn is first and foremost a cowboy. He enjoys a good day’s work on horseback while learning from other local operations when he is asked to help. He has even been on the scene several times to help catch cattle that took a field trip out to the interstate. Gerri, Dustyn’s wife, says that he is the most dependable person she knows, because he is always willing to help others, often at his own expense and time. But they would not want it any other way. Dustyn can’t wait to share this work ethic and ingenuity with his own son, which they are expecting this December. He is a true representative of the Spirit of the Florida Cowboy and a steward of the land. We are honored tonight to recognize Dustyn Sweeney for his dedication to the local cattle industry that means so much to him.
The Cattleman of the Year is sponsored by the Jackson County Cattlemen’s Association. Nominees are selected by a committee of past recipients of this prestigious award.