Co-ops honor Tony Brannon
Retired Murray State dean is Distinguished Rural Kentuckian
ON THE SAME FAMILY FARM where his parents, Harold and Dorothy, taught life lessons to him and his brother Tim, Tony Brannon hunches over a vintage orange Allis-Chalmers tractor, willing its engine to turn over.
As smoke sputters from the exhaust stack, the signature smile that defined Murray State University’s agriculture program for nearly 40 years spreads under Brannon’s white mustache.
“I cut my teeth on the steering wheel of a Model B Allis-Chalmers,” Brannon says. “I love to farm. If I could have farmed for a career, I probably would have. At the time, my dad and uncle were farming together, and my dad said, ‘Son, go use your education. You can always come back to the farm.’ And I was fortunate enough I was able to do both.”
Propelled by an encouraging FFA advisor in high school, Brannon found his second home 11 miles up the road at Murray State. His parents scraped together the resources to enroll him in 1977.
After receiving his undergraduate and master’s degrees in agricultural education, Brannon taught high school agriculture for four years, “then packed everything in the back of my dad’s truck and headed to Oklahoma State” for his doctorate.
In 1988, Brannon returned to Murray State as an assistant professor known for his sense of humor and boundless energy.
“Before you go in the classroom you get outside, and you crank up your motor,” Brannon says, yanking back an imaginary pull-start rope and growling like his stubborn tractor.
Brannonisms
“He really ignited the fire for me,” says Bob Wilson, one of Brannon’s early students. “He was so inspirational, so conversational. I just wanted more. I couldn’t wait every day to go see Dr. Brannon and to be a part of his class.”
Brannon has delivered his Dr. Seuss-inspired On Beyond Zebra presentation to hundreds of audiences and his lectures were liberally sprinkled with what came to be known as “Brannonisms:”
Strive to have a good say-do ratio.
Plan your work, work your plan.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.
“His mantra is, ‘Come to Murray State to get an education, not a degree,’” says 2011 graduate Sheila Phillips, a veterinarian.
Between classes, Brannon advised student clubs and alumni agricultural chapters, co-authored articles on ag education and developed cooperative ventures with manufacturers.
In 2002, he crafted a long shot $2 million perpetual funding grant request for the Kentucky Future Farmers of America Foundation.
“Probably nobody in the state thought it was even possible at the time,” says Matt Cauliff, executive secretary of Kentucky FFA. “I don’t know what strings he pulled, but that’s money that’s going to be impacting ag education and FFA all across the state, forever.”
At the request of then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher, Brannon led a group of agriculture leaders to develop Kentucky’s first Strategic Plan for Agriculture, recognized nationally as a model, as well as the subsequent strategic plan five years later.
Middle name: Recruit
Brannon was also tasked with coordinating student recruitment curriculum.
“His middle name ought to be recruit,” says Deputy Agriculture Commissioner Warren Beeler. “Because it doesn’t matter where he’s at, he’s recruiting all the time. His passion, his excitement, his enthusiasm, are just contagious.”
“I had a great mentor, Eldon Heathcott,” Brannon says. “He never met a stranger. He knew everybody’s name. I tried to emulate some of that.”
When Heathcott retired in 1996, the university named Brannon interim department chair. A series of promotions culminated with his becoming dean of the new school of agriculture in 2004.
Under his leadership, Murray State developed the Racer Academy dual-credit program for high school students. Various bachelor’s and master’s degree programs now include online programs for students throughout the world to earn a degree from Murray State. In 2014, working with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Brannon pushed for Murray State to plant the first legal agricultural hemp research plot.
When Brannon retired in 2023, ag enrollment had climbed to nearly 1,200, among the top 10 non-land grant institutions nationwide.
Brannon with his wife, Lisa, and grandson, Ramsey. Photo: Wade Harris
Family man
“It just makes my heart happy that others recognize him for all that he’s done for agriculture in Kentucky,” says Lisa Brannon, who married Tony in 1989. “It means the world to us.”
Proudly hanging on the garage wall at the family farm are the signature blue FFA jackets worn by Tony and his sons, Jonah and Caleb. Brannon and his brother Tim, an Allis-Chalmers dealer, continue to operate the farm, which is served by Gibson Electric.
“My dad was a lifetime veteran farmer,” Brannon says, rocking in a swing on his porch. “My brother and I vowed that we would keep the family farm going. So, it’s kind of the nucleus of our family.”
Son Caleb says, “Dad is a God-fearing man that really wants the best out of everybody. He will do anything that it takes in order to grow them personally and professionally.”
“I knew how he was as a parent and how much he cared for us,” adds son Jonah. “But he had almost that same level of care for each and every single one of his students.”
“Plant seeds of knowledge,” Brannon advised a university crowd. “Fertilize with kindness and understanding. Spray everything with a sense of humor and you’ll harvest a happy and successful life.”
Former Murray State University Hutson School of Agriculture Dean Tony Brannon was named the 40th Distinguished Rural Kentuckian at the 78th Annual Meeting of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives.
“I’ve seen Kentucky agriculture up close and personal through its people,” Brannon told the co-op gathering. “I’m so fortunate that the people that I’ve met have stood me up.”
“With what he has done for rural America, he is richly deserving of this honor,” says Bob Hargrove, who serves on the West Kentucky RECC Board of Directors, which nominated Brannon for the award.
