Fayette Co. man's journeys bring him back to the farm
Pastor, to banker, to Angus breeder - Mueller says life is as good as it gets

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Fayette County Angus breeder Lee Mueller Jr. began with five heifers in 1963. Today he has over 100 Angus cattle. -Staff photo by Taylor

October 30, 2003 -- While growing up on a farm in Fayette County, Lee Mueller Jr. couldn't wait to leave and make a life doing something outside of agriculture. All he saw was "lots of hard work and no money." So Mueller decided he was going to approach life, differently, and that's just what he did - even though it wound its way back to the farm.

After graduating from La Grange High, he pursued a degree at the Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, earning a bachelor's degree in 1958. From there, he attended Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, to earn his master's divinity degree, followed by a diploma in law from La Salle University in Chicago, Ill.

After a six-year career as a Lutheran pastor, Mueller went into the insurance business, along with a banking career. In 1968, he decided he did want to be involved in agriculture and he and wife Barbara moved back to the Fayette County area. In 1963, they'd purchased five Angus heifers and 28 acres of land. As they say, the "rest is history."

Mueller said he decided upon the Angus breed because of all of the information he obtained. He read that for 50 to 60 years of carcass testing and ranking, all but three of those early years were won by Angus cattle. And, if that was the best breed and what the consumer wanted, as determined by the quality carcasses, that was what they would raise.

Today, the Muellers live in the rolling hills of Fayette County, where they raise a herd of 100 Angus. Once they made the decision to go the Angus direction, it has been full speed ahead.

Mueller has been an officer in most Angus associations around Texas, and is currently seeking a seat on the American Angus Association's board of directors. The only Texan on the board is completing her term, and Mueller feels there should be at least one Texan on the board, since Texas is second in Angus production in the nation (Missouri ranks first). Too, he feels he can make a difference with other Angus producers.

Several of his business activities have included the Long Star Angus Alliance, of which he was the founder; the Texas Angus Association; the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association; the Colorado Valley Independent Cattle Raisers Association; Independent Cattlemen's Association; and the American Angus Association. He has recently been appointed to the Board of Regents at Texas Lutheran University, and is looking forward to serving his alma mater.

While Barbara retired from teaching and being a school counselor in 1999, she is there to assist Mueller on the ranch, and is his "right-hand woman." In fact, they've been married 44 years, and, laughingly, said they were "much older" than their only child, Laurie, who was born when they had been married 21 years! A graduate of Emory University in Georgia, Laurie is employed as a project assistant at Fulbright and Jaworski L.L.P. in Austin.

Although ranching is something they plan to do as long as they are "physically able," Mueller continues to work with FFA and 4-H students and is a big supporter of high school students who are interested in agriculture.

Mueller is a supporter of country of origin labeling (COOL), and said he feels it is "one of the most positive things to come along in a long time," for beef producers. He said beef producers have been behind the pork and chicken producers for too long, and he feels it's time to catch up.

"I think it's time to get on board and support and use (COOL) to our advantage," he noted.

He has been a big supporter of tagging and information gathering on his Angus herd all along, and he puts each of his animals through an ultra-sound test at one-year-old to track various traits, and all information is kept on a computer program.

Mueller said although ranching is "a lot of hard just plain physical work," he wouldn't trade their lives for anything. He and Barbara have worked throughout their lives to be in a position where he always wanted to be, when he was a young boy with dreams, but little money.

"It's like a dream come true. It's great to do what you want to do; be what you want to be; go where you want to go. It's about as good as it gets!" smiled Mueller.