Busy schedule of cattle work, field work, and maybe a hobby 

By MINDY POEHL | Central Texas Edition

Ted Uptmore, Jr. of West matches a busy schedule of cattle work at his family’s sale barn, his hay operation, and a passion for restoring old cars.       -- Staff photo by Poehl

Sept. 15, 2005 - Ted Uptmore, Jr. is a 25-year employee of West Auction Inc., the cattle auction in West, who makes the sales run smoothly. As son of the owner of an active auction company, Ted Jr. has many important duties. 

"In the morning I tag cattle and get the crew together. I help get all of the customers in. I move cattle into the empty pens and sort the cattle," Uptmore explained. "It's like doing laundry - you can't let it get backed up."

Uptmore also cleans the pens and makes sure all of the cattle are shipped to the correct place.

Not only does Uptmore stay busy while working at West Auction, but he also specializes in custom hay baling.

"I brought in 1,200 square bales this week," Uptmore said. "I use Coastal bermudagrass and some Tifton 85. It's really promising."

Uptmore said he usually bales around 6,000 round bales per year and 12,000 squares per year.

"It's something we've always done. I lived on a farm next to this place (the auction) when I was growing up. I've been driving tractors since I was eight and baling hay since I was fourteen," Uptmore recalls. "I used to row crop, but I decided to specialize in hay because I did not have all of the heavy equipment I needed for growing crops."

Once he decided to specialize in hay, "I was able to have good, modern equipment and people can depend on me," said Uptmore.

Uptmore grew up in West, Texas and graduated from Texas A&M in 1982 with a degree in mechanized agriculture. He and his wife Sherry, who is a 5th grade aid at West Intermediate School, have two sons, Trey (9) and Trent (7). 

Uptmore and his family also have 50 head of crossbreed cattle in a cow/calf operation.

"I don't contract any cattle or send them to the feed lot," Uptmore stated. "They have to take care of themselves a whole lot because I'm busy. So, I select for low maintenance and easy calving."

Of the many bales of hay Uptmore produces, he feeds around 6,000 squares and 500 round bales to his cattle, as he sends the rest to market.

In the last four years, Uptmore has developed a hobby that he loves - restoring old cars.

"It's very important to have a hobby. All of my time and effort and money is the farm, so I need some kind of diversion that can take me away from that," Uptmore explained passionately. "Don't let yourself get overly focused in your business. You need an outlet. This is something I can do with my children and we can look at it when we are through with it. It's an achievement you have that you can't get out of the farm."