Turned out that the cable bottom end was froze up. Unscrewed from the hydraulic control unit below, sprayed in WD40 and was able to loosen the cable up.
Thanks for everybody's comments.
I took the boot off and inspected. No rust or dirt accumulation, looked clean. The tractor wasn't on when I did that so I will try again to operate with the boot off while running to see if the valves are movable or frozen somehow.
Thanks!
Has anyone had this issue? The Joystick for the hydraulics is stuck. I am interested to know whether this is a dealer service center only fix or perhaps a possible DIY solution. Thanks!