SALUTE TO SERVICE
Service, Stewardship and Sirloin
Leamon Bratton, Army military police veteran, builds a direct-to-consumer Angus beef operation grounded in skills he learned from the service.
July 1, 2025
After more than 20 years as a career Army officer, Leamon Bratton returned to his home state of Tennessee to build something entirely new: a beef cattle operation.
Today, he runs Bratton Angus Ranch in Woodlawn, Tenn., raising high-quality, Angus cattle with the same discipline and pride that defined his military service.
“He’s one of those unsung heroes in our country,” says retired Col. Mike Galloucis, a longtime colleague and fellow Army officer. “Guys like Leamon have a highly successful military career and then go into a whole new field having nothing to do with the military, and they excel. That’s rare.”
Bratton and Galloucis met in August 1980 as young second lieutenants undergoing officer training at Fort McClellan, Ala. Both were new military police officers — and even then, Bratton stood out.
“What impressed me from the jump was the way he carried himself,” Galloucis says. “He was a very good soldier and had strong military bearing.”
They reconnected in 1993 at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Now majors, they were sharpening their leadership skills for future command roles.
“He would have continued to do well in the Army without question,” Galloucis says. “But he always knew he wanted to go back to Tennessee and be a farmer. That was his vision from the start.”
Galloucis admired his clarity.
“It takes courage to step away from something you’re good at and start again,” he says. “Leamon had the long-term vision and the grit to pursue it.”
Bratton grew up in Dickson, Tenn., about 30 minutes from where his farm sits today. His grandparents had farmed, but after his grandfather passed away, the land was sold. What remained was modest.
“What we raised, we ate,” Bratton says. “We were poor. It was subsistence farming.”
The Bratton family (from left): Julius; Leamon; Valencia; daughter, Valencia, holding newborn Zuri; Melvin Taylor; and Tony Cotton. Joseph Dickens, Leamon’s eldest son, is not pictured.
Faith and grit carried him through high school and into Middle Tennessee State University, where he ran track. It was there Bratton caught the attention of the ROTC director, and the $100 monthly stipend sealed the deal.
“I joined ROTC, and it gave me a pathway into the Army,” he says.
After commissioning in 1980, he served in a variety of roles — platoon leader, protocol officer, and director of operations and training at Fort Campbell — and built a reputation as a capable, consistent leader.
Through time, his assignments grew more demanding. He served as executive manager of the 795th Military Police Battalion, chief of police for the 1st Armored Division in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and deputy chief of police for the 5th Corps in Heidelberg, Germany.
“I found out early in the military that everything is done by a plan,” he says. “I took those same planning principles and applied them to my everyday life."
Before retiring, he had already purchased land back home. At first, his only goal was to make the annual note. But when he returned full-time in 2000, Bratton dove headfirst into cattle ranching.
“It was a learning curve,” he says. “There was a lot to figure out, but I was determined.”
And figure it out, he has. Since shifting to a direct-to-consumer freezer beef model, Bratton has been sold out every year since 2019.
In 2023, he gained a new customer: David Swett.
“I started off at 12 years old as a butcher,” Swett says. “I’ve seen a lot of beef over the years, but when I look at his product, I’m always impressed.”
After visiting Bratton’s farm, Swett says he saw more than just well-raised cattle.
“I saw a man who’s very passionate about what he does, and it shows in his product,” he says. “It’s some of the best beef I’ve ever tasted.”
Demand for Bratton’s beef remains high.
“When you get on the list to buy beef from Leamon,” Swett adds with a chuckle, “you’ve got to stay on the list.”
Bratton’s dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2014 the Tennessee House of Representatives recognized him for implementing best management practices on his farm. A decade later, in 2024, he received the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Master Conservationist Award, an honor that reflects his ongoing commitment to land stewardship and sustainable ranching.
Bratton credits much of his growth as a cattleman to the resources and guidance from the University of Tennessee. Andrew Griffith, professor of agricultural economics at the university, has watched Bratton’s operation evolve for more than a decade.
“I’ve known Leamon since 2011,” Griffith says. “He’s completely transformed his operation since then.”
What began as a modest cattle business has become a tightly run, data-driven enterprise focused on continuous improvement.
“He’s always calling about business,” Griffith says. “He’s made steady progress by asking questions and thinking critically about where he can improve, even as a smaller-scale producer.”
One of Bratton’s standout practices is his attention to genetics. That focus has helped him steadily improve the consistency and quality of his herd. What began with cattle that didn’t even make the grid has evolved into a program that reliably turns out Choice, Certified Angus Beef® and Prime carcasses.
“He’s a data-driven man,” Griffith adds. “Within four years, he flipped everything in terms of quality.”
The shift didn’t happen by accident. Bratton tracked carcass data, monitored performance and doubled down on proven genetics. The early gains were dramatic, and now the fine-tuning is ongoing, Griffith says.
That blend of discipline, humility and adaptability is what sets Bratton apart, he says.
“He’s a constant student,” Griffith says. “Very humble. I think the world of Leamon, we’ve done a lot of work together and spent a lot of time on the phone over the years.”
But despite his success in the military and in agriculture, Bratton says his greatest legacy is his family.
It’s never been about profit or recognition. It’s about building something lasting.
“I wanted my kids born in Tennessee,” Bratton says. “I never wanted them to have the typical military brat answer, saying they’re from all over. I wanted Tennessee to be their home.”
Today, Bratton and his wife have been married more than 40 years. Their daughter is a principal; their oldest son manages a construction shop; and their youngest son followed in his father’s footsteps into service, joining the Navy and becoming a Blue Angels pilot.
Discipline, dedication and pride — Bratton didn’t just live those values. He passed them on to his children, his cattle operation and the land he’s long called home.
Editor’s note: Elizabeth Rosson is a freelance writer from Louisa, Va.
Topics: Salute To Service , Success Stories , Ranch profile
Publication: Angus Journal
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