Hill-Vue Farm is owned and operated by Bud Hill and his gracious wife, Lorraine. Arriving at the farm around noon, Lorraine had prepared a delicious lunch of homemade chili, fresh fruit, and to top it off a sweet potato pie. Needless to say, Bud and I had several helpings. Come to think of it I have been accused of timing many of my farm visits around lunch.

Bud is in the process of retiring after running a business located in Cleveland, Tennessee. The nature of his business is managing municipal and utility water pumping facilities. Bud is a 1961 graduate of Georgia Tech with a degree in Industrial Management. Also, he participated in ROTC at Tech where he served his country for two years in the Navy. Bud and Lorraine have three children and four grandchildren. Even though Bud has a bit more free time now, he still needs additional help on the farm. Troy Dyer has been helping Bud for many years, and according to Bud and Lorraine, Hill-Vue could not run smoothly with out Troy’s help. Troy’s help was certainly in high demand the day a few cows decided to play 18- holes of golf on a nearby golf course. According to Lorraine, that was a very exciting morning.

Bud was recently elected as president of the Blue Ridge Mountain Cattleman’s Association for 2002. The association consists of five counties with two of the five counties located in Tennessee. For the 2001 year, the association won a squeeze chute for having the highest membership growth for the 2001 year. Congratulations!

Bud is the fifth generation of his family to live in the Blairsville area, so his roots run deep in the Blue Ridge soil. At age fifteen, Bud bought forty acres of his current farm by using money made from delivering the Atlanta Journal. After that, Bud, his father, and brother purchased additional acres of the farm. Today, the farm consists of 480 acres, with 75 acres leased. The cattle herd consists of 120 brood cows, which are 50% Polled Hereford, and 50% Black Angus. The Black Angus cows were introduced to the farm in the past couple of years. Bud felt that there was an opportunity in his area to meet a demand for Angus bulls, and to capitalize on Black Baldy heifers and steers. The Angus foundation cows are from Graham Farms. The Hereford and Angus cattle will continue to be pure bred and also line bred. The Hereford foundation bloodline consists of 6/8 to 5/8 Plato Domino 1 and 2/8 to 3/8 Felton breed cattle. Many years ago, Bud was able to purchase cattle from Mr. Neil W. Trask, who developed the Plato Domino 1 line. Bud was able to develop a good relationship with Mr. Trask, who passed along time-tested knowledge to Bud’s eager, young mind.

Hill-Vue is a no-nonsense farm operation. Cattle are grass fed, and feed is used to help develop weaned heifers and bulls. All of the cattle are of moderate frame, with good muscle and body depth. The philosophy at Hill-Vue is survival of the fittest. Data on the cow herd is collected and consists of the usual information, including birth weight, weaning weight, and ultra sound. Bud sells 30-day preconditioned steers through a Tennessee agent and receives top dollar for his steers.

Bud, and Lorraine Hill, and Troy Dyer work very hard to run an excellent cattle operation. The sense of hard work and obvious love for cattle farming make the Blue Ridge Mountain’s Hill-Vue Farm a pleasure to visit. Thank you for your hospitality!

Hill-Vue Farm, phone number (706) 745-5714, is located two miles north of Blairsville, GA.

Submitted by Bill Sims – Apple Valley Farm

Author’s Note: I would like to encourage each one of our members to visit a Hereford farm when you are traveling in Georgia. You will be glad you did!