It is not known exactly when Jim Holt’s father and
grandfather started their herd of cattle.
The Holt breed was started near Hawkinsville in south Georgia. In the early
1900’s the herd, already
more than 100 years old, moved even further south to an area near the
Okeefonokee Swamp. Jim Holt
started his herd of Pineywoods cattle from this foundation stock. Carl Williams of
Pinehurst, Georgia
purchased some of the Holt cattle to start his own herd in the 1970’s. He maintained
the herd until his death
when his sons, Joe and Clark, took over.
Eventually, they sold the entire herd.
In the early days of the Holt line, it was a common
practice
to swap bulls with other local breeders.
However, this practice was eventually discontinued. The Jim Holt herd was maintained
as a
closed herd for many years. In the
mid 1980’s a white bull purchased
from Carl Williams and reported to have been a Barnes line from south
Alabama breeding was introduced.
Holt cattle are predominately
horned with an occasional
polled animal. Cows will weigh
between 800 and 1,000 lbs. and bulls may weigh 1,100 to 1,500 lbs.
Jim Holt’s father preferred
solid dun colored cattle and
had an entire herd of that color.
Jim Holt’s cattle were mostly black on their sides. Cattle from the Carl
Williams herd
introduced some almost solid red, almost solid black, some roan, and some white
with black points (white park pattern).
