By Faimon A. Roberts III
NOLA.com
Jason Smith, 50, has gray hair and a thick, curly beard. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, he retired from the Marine Corps in 2016 after rising to lieutenant colonel and moved to Mt. Hermon to take over his family business — a small ranch up in the northern part of the parish. There, he can often be found carrying a shepherd’s crook to direct the cattle and talking ranch business with his 82-year old father Walter.