Eminent Farmer
County: Yankton
Joseph Rezac, Tabor, was born Dec. 2, 1878, on the same farm where he built his home and well-known farming and livestock operations. His father, Joseph Rezac, Sr., came from Bohemia and homesteaded, in 1869, in what is now Yankton County.
Rezac left school at an early age to help his father on the farm. When he was 21, he married Theresa Novotny, and assumed management of the farm. To the Rezacs were born seven children—five boys and two girls.
Rezac has specialized in Hereford cattle. The blood of the herd is now principally of the Domino strain.
The Rezac and Sons Herefords have won many prizes, trophies and ribbons from the Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota State Fairs, the Chicago International, Denver National, Western, Kansas City Royal and Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Livestock shows.
His greatest herd sire was Repeater 191st whom Rezac purchased at the close of the 1919 show season in which Repeater defeated all competition in every show and fair of note in the United States.
The Rezacs fattened 200 head of steers and heifers each year for the beef market. The topped the Sioux City and Chicago markets with at least part of their cattle every year they fed. Since 1912, the Rezacs raised grade Hampshire hogs to follow the cattle in the feed lots.
The original homestead of 160 acres in 1869 grew to 600 acres, and the Rezacs leased an additional 2,000 acres.
Rezac was a firm believer in the policies of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration. He was a member of the Yankton County Farm Bureau Federation, and served from 1919 to 1931 as a member of the board of county commissioners.
He was a life-long member of the Tabor Catholic Church, and was baptized and married in the same church, and is a firm supporter of home and community life.
Rezac believes that any farmer, whether he plans to raise beef or dairy cattle, hogs or sheep, should be satisfied with only the finest livestock available. Livestock farming, he says, is far superior to grain farming in his part of the state.