O.J. Harris, Shoshone, has been selected for inclusion in the Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of Fame. Harris, one of five honorees, will be honored at a banquet in Twin Falls on Feb. 24. Others selected are Earl Taylor, Almo; Richard Blincoe, Heyburn; J.C. Merrill, Paul and Tom Prescott, Jerome.

HARRIS was born Aug. 27, 1912 to Mr. and Mrs. William Harris at Portage, Utah. He attended grade school at Portage and high school at Bear River. He went in business with his father on a sheep and cattle ranch and was always interested in livestock.

He married Helen Price, Malad City, Idaho and moved to Ogden, Utah where he brought trucks and worked on defense jobs. He also worked at the Brigham City Veterinary Hospital.

In 1945 they moved to Nampa, where, still being interested in livestock, he bought a 40 acre farm and also an 89 acre farm and started a dairy business. O.J. made it his goal to select dairy heifers from top Dairy Herd Improvement Association herds and picked artificial vaccinated dairy heifers. To accomplish this goal, he had to go to Washington, Canada and Utah where better herds were at that time. He was ablet o bring them back to Boise Valley and Magic Valley and helped many a dairyman, who had bought a lot of poor cattle, build back their herds to higher production and through help from the Farmers Home Administration they were able to get another start. Many of these small producers grew into the larger ones of today. O.J. stayed in business for 14 years.

In 1959, he moved to Shoshone where he bought the Shoshone Sale Year, which at that time was closed down. He had his first sale Aug. 31, 1959. From that time on, he and his family worked hard and, with the support of the good people who trusted and appreciated him, built the sale to two sales a week – a Feeder sale on Monday and a Dairy sale on Friday. This dairy sale has grown into the largest one in the west.

Harris purchased dairy cattle for the Kraft Cheese Co. and they sold them to their producers and in this manner bettered the dairy cattle in the entire area. He helped install and used the first pipeline milker in the State of Idaho.

His interest did not cease with just cattle but he has always been interested in horses too. O.J. and his brother, Bill, furnished a trophy and a blanket at the North Side Races held in Jerome. The blanket and trophy were donated for the Quarter Horse Intermountain Derby. O.J. and Bill also donated a trophy to the Chariot Horse Racing Association for Sportsmanship.

He always had an optimistic outlook for the cattle industry, otherwise in 1959 he would have neve had purchased and rebuilt the Shoshone Sale Yard (which had been idle) into one of the most successful livestock auctions in Idaho.

O.J. had been active in F.F.A. AND 4-H programs, giving a heifer, sheep or pig to a boy or girl every year at fair time in Lincoln and Blaine counties and helped them get started in the livestock business.

He served a term on the City Council, also belonged to the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club. He is an active member of his church. He was President of Western Livestock Inc. for 10 years, which is a corporation out of Rupert, which purchased dairy cattle out of California and brought them into this area to sell. He was President of Southern Idaho Horse Racing Association.

The honoree built a reputation on honesty and hard work and always had the ability to get along with all kinds of people. Many livestock people seeked and used his advise to attain their present potion of successful livestock breeders of today.

His brother, Bill, says that O.J. is the best judge of dairy cattle of any one in the entire Northwest.

O.J. feels through honesty and hard work he has helped many a farmer build better dairy herds. He still enjoys his farms and is still active in helping at the sale yard. After having four eye operations, he decided to sell the sale yard to Bill Harris, Burll Willians and Bob Waddup. His brother, Bill, joined him in the sale the last ten years he owned the sale. O.J. still stays active buying cattle and working with his sons, Tom O. Harris and Don L. Harris, Jerome. In the years he has lived in Shoshone, he has purchased two farms – one 215 acre ranch west of Shoshone and a 200 acre ranch north of Shoshone.

O.J. has the ability to look anyone in the eye and tell them the solid truth.

He has six children and 18 grandchildren.