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Dwindling breed evokes memories of Montana's rich ranching h

Hereford76

Well-known member
To any Hereford people out there - please read this article and send a response to either Kim or the Great Falls Tribune editor. In my opinion Kim made a lame attempt with her article on the Hereford breed in Montana.



http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070325/NEWS01/703250301/1002




Dwindling breed evokes memories of Montana's rich ranching history
By KIM SKORNOGOSKI
Tribune Staff Writer

The son of bull royalty, Prince Domino IX lived and died on the Willow Creek Ranch at the base of the Highwood Mountains near Belt.

Weighing more than a ton, his wide back and square body sat short to the ground — the epitome of the Hereford breed. His strong genes have since passed on to his more than 6 million descendants.


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"That's what a bull should look like," said Jack Hoover, whose father bought the bull for $5,000 in the 1920s.

These days, few do. Once as much a part of Montana's landscape as the prairies it grazed, the Hereford has been replaced.
Forty years ago, Montana Hereford breeders registered 23,000 calves a year. Today that's dropped to just 3,000.

Driven by aggressive and clever marketing, Angus is king, and Montana is the capital of the kingdom. The state has five of the country's largest Angus breeders and claims more registered Angus cattle than any other state.

Many of the qualities that made Herefords a vital part of developing the cattle industry in Montana during the homestead era are no longer prized.

"Every breed has their pros and cons," said Montana State University Professor Janis Rumph, who specializes in animal breeding and genetics. "There's a lot more focus on what the consumer wants, looking toward the end product."

Herefords are sturdy and hardy.

Their size and short legs helped them traverse the various terrains throughout the West. Their hides are thick, helping them adapt to both cold and warm weather. And Herefords are fast growers — what they eat efficiently converts into pounds of meat.

A bull, heifer and cow were first imported from Herefordshire in western England to Kentucky in 1817. With small numbers of cattle in the states, Hereford breeders didn't have much luck expanding their herds until two New York businessmen shipped over a dozen cows and calves at the exorbitant price of $8,000 in the 1840s.

The Herefords took a star turn at the 1844 New York State Fair, where the "Albany Cultivator" lavishly praised the breed.

"(Herefords) are the very best animals that could be selected," the paper wrote. "No one can help being struck by the extraordinary size of the cows, their fine forms and their substantial development, denoting strength and power."

By the 1870s, Herefords were part of the larger commercial herds moving west.

By the time W.H. Hoover and Sam Stephenson Jr. purchased Prince Domino IX, Hereford cattle populated the hills surrounding the Willow Creek Ranch. Each spring, breeders traveled from across Montana and Canada to buy the bull's offspring.

Spanning 6,000 acres, the ranch kept 400 head of cattle.

"The ranch had a good reputation. People came from around the country," Jack Hoover said.

When the partners died, Hoover's family sold the ranch. It now raises Black Angus.

The Makis are one of two ranching families in that area still raising Herefords. Though it's growing more difficult to find bulls and the market price is dropping, Ken Maki refuses to switch to Angus.

Because they are scarcer, Hereford bulls can cost between $3,500 and $4,000, compared to $1,500 to $2,500 for an Angus bull of similar quality. Top Hereford bulls are priced at $20,000.

Meanwhile at the slaughterhouse, Herefords are worth between 3 and 10 cents less per pound — a difference that adds up when yearlings weigh more than a ton.

"In the local market, black is beautiful," Maki said. "There's no excuse for it, but that's the way it is."

Faded signs along Montana's highways welcome drivers to cattle country. The bull on the sign has the white face of the Hereford.

But that is no longer the face of the cattle industry. Beginning in the 1950s, breeders experimented to accentuate specific Hereford traits.

Some pushed to make their bulls even bigger. That resulted in more work for ranchers, as their heifers needed more help delivering the larger calves.

John Paterson, beef cattle specialist with the Montana State University Extension Service in Bozeman, said that in response, ranchers began breeding Angus bulls with Hereford cows and heifers.

"They ended up with a wonderful cross with a white face and a black body," he said. "They got cattle to grow faster and were better at reproduction."

The cross also removed one of the Hereford's genetic flaws. When the sun reflects off the snow it can burn the cows' white udders, causing moms to kick away their hungry calves.

In the 1970s, dozens of exotic breeds, such as Chianina, Gelbviehs and Limousins were imported from France, Germany and Italy and bred with Herefords to further tweak the breed.

Paterson said breeders got carried away, and it wasn't long before their herds were a mottled mess.

"Buyers came in and said, 'Good God, you've got every color cow in the rainbow,'" he said.

Musselshell rancher Ben Brillhart, Montana's representative in the national Hereford Association, said breeders made other mistakes. They exchanged muscle mass for larger frames and paid little attention to milk quality.

"We were just so big and so dominant, we just thought we'd never be knocked off the top rung on the ladder," Brillhart said.

As Hereford breeders struggled, Angus ranchers answered industry concerns by creating the Certified Angus Beef program.

That stamp means the cow is half Angus. The other half could be anything but a dairy cow. Over time, the golden and red cattle dwindled.

While ranchers grew to appreciate Black Angus because the breed's udders didn't chap, buyers appreciated their highly marbled — and therefore tender and juicy — steaks.

Through the certification program, the American Angus Association built a reputation for quality and consistency.

"Just because it's black doesn't mean that underneath the hide they are a good cow," Paterson said. "But blacks sell. The mystique has been marketed very well."

Just like the Disney brand is identified as family entertainment, Angus is identified as excellence.

"They've sold Angus with the idea that if you said the word 'choice,' you would think Certified Angus Beef," Paterson said.

These days, grocery stores carry everything from T-bones to sirloins sporting the certified Angus sticker. Semis carrying the meat also are labeled with a certified Angus logo.

Fast-food restaurants such as Hardee's, McDonald's and Burger King are capitalizing on the brand, bragging that they serve Angus burgers.

"I don't just sell black animals," said Darrell Stevenson, whose family raises purebred Angus cattle two miles east of Hobson. "I sell high-performance predictability."

The Stevenson Basin Ranch is the largest registered Angus breeder in North America. Each year, buyers flock from all over the world to buy the 3,000 bulls and 4,000 females sold at spring and falls sales or through private arrangements.

Stevenson works daily with cattlemen in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and nearly every country in South America. In the late '80s, the ranch sold the largest-ever replacement shipment of heifers to Japan.

Several other Angus breeders report similar success. Just 40 years ago, Montana's Angus breeders registered roughly 14,000 calves a year. Today they register more than 30,000 annually — 10 times the number of the second-most popular breed, the Herefords.

"The best Angus breeders in the world are right here in Montana," Stevenson said. "Montana is a true leader in the beef industry."

Though they don't have the numbers, Hereford, Charolais, Red Angus and Simmental breeders in Montana are building a national reputation as well. Last week, the Cooper Ranch south of Three Forks drew buyers from across the West to purchase Herefords.

Trends evolve over generations of cattle, but technology is speeding change.

Rachel Endecott, a beef cattle specialist at Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory near Miles City, tracks the trends.

Artificial insemination makes it easier and cheaper to breed high-quality cattle. Frozen bull semen can be shipped easily, costing as little as $20 for enough to inseminate a cow.

Stevenson spends much of his time collecting data and charting breeding information. DNA samples are taken for research in marbling and meat tenderness.

Ultrasound machines measure rump and rib fat to determine the true value of the carcass.

Rumph encourages breeders to cross cattle to highlight the best characteristics of each breed.

With corn being used to create ethanol, the cost of feeding cattle is climbing. Consequently, Endecott expects cows will be bred for efficiency — growing as much as they eat.

Ranchers also are looking to save themselves time and stress. They want cows with gentle dispositions that care for their calves and don't need help giving birth.

Health-conscious consumers are leading more and more ranchers to skip hormones and other non-natural additives.

"We have some pretty visionary cattle breeders in this state," Endecott said.

Following the successful Certified Angus Beef program, the Hereford Association is starting its own certification programs.

"Every breed is trying to do it to promote their breed," Brillhart said. "It took 14 years or so to get that program going. They were the trendsetters in the meat industry that way."

It could take years to know whether the Hereford Association will be as effective in marketing its brand.

Ken Maki is willing to be patient. Though he's turning over the ranch operation to his son Paul, the family plans to stick with Herefords.

Even many of the Maki's Herefords have some Black Angus blood.

As he pet a Hereford heifer, whose newborn calf wobbled to stand for the first time, Paul Maki noted that few breeds are as gentle and easy to work with.

"You don't have to jump a fence when its with its calf," he said. "Life's too short to be watching your back every moment that you're out here."

Now the best place to see a great Hereford bull like Prince Domino IX is in a museum. Charlie Russell contemporary O.C. Seltzer created two oil paintings of Prince Domino in a grassy field with Herefords dotting the horizon.

They hang at the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls. A bronze of the bull completes the shrine.

"I still think they are some of the most beautiful cattle in the world," Hoover said.


Reach Tribune Staff Writer Kim Skornogoski at 791-6574, 800-438-6600 or [email protected]
 

passin thru

Well-known member
I'll try and get back and address this article later. All I can say is she made some broad assumptions and tried to paint Herefords with a very wide brush.
Ulterior motives...............or just lazy reporting?
 

Hereford76

Well-known member
probably a little of both.

Look at the people she interviewed. Ben Brillhart, the AHA rep for Montana. Ha Ha. No offense Ben, but I don't consider you a representative for my operation or anyone else in Montana besides coopers and holdens. I think she took some remarks made by John Paterson way out of context. Why are all those reporters buddy buddy with operators like the Stevensons?

"I don't just sell black animals," (ahhh.... yeah you do) said Darrell Stevenson, whose family raises purebred Angus cattle two miles east of Hobson. "I sell high-performance predictability."
Sorry, couldn't resist.
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
I never realized yearlings weighed a ton in Montana I thought that only happened in Texas lol. Unfortunately she isn't too far off the mark with some of her other facts-I think the Hereford Angus alliance could be one of the strongest in the cattle business. Pretty tough to beat a baldie. Hereford bulls are pretty hot commodities up in the cowboy country up here-the breeders who stayed the course and raised good ranch acceptable Herefords are getting paid well.
 

Denny

Well-known member
I would say Cooper's did pretty well on their bulls

72 head averaged $6495

Holden's were to bad either

82 head at $5707 average

Stevenson/Basin's average was $2421 on all there Nutted steers.

Top bull was lot number 513 for $19000 to Basin angus :roll: and Thunder Creek Angus Saskatoon Sask. Canada

Kinda Funny Stevenson Angus sells Basin Angus the top bull I watched some of the sale on RFD you could have filled Potloads of bullsteers for $1500 per head.They would be better off to raise fat cattle on some of there bulls flooding the market with less than average bulls is'nt doing anyone any good.I think they need to buy a sharp knife..
 

Aaron

Well-known member
Northern Rancher said:
I never realized yearlings weighed a ton in Montana I thought that only happened in Texas lol.

Nice to know I wasn't the only one that wondered what the heck my Herefords were lacking. :p
 

Aaron

Well-known member
Denny said:
I would say Cooper's did pretty well on their bulls

72 head averaged $6495

Holden's were to bad either

82 head at $5707 average

Stevenson/Basin's average was $2421 on all there Nutted steers.

Top bull was lot number 513 for $19000 to Basin angus :roll: and Thunder Creek Angus Saskatoon Sask. Canada

Kinda Funny Stevenson Angus sells Basin Angus the top bull I watched some of the sale on RFD you could have filled Potloads of bullsteers for $1500 per head.They would be better off to raise fat cattle on some of there bulls flooding the market with less than average bulls is'nt doing anyone any good.I think they need to buy a sharp knife..


The whole 'should have been cut' issue was Hereford's problem in the 80's and it will be an Angus problem in this century. The Angus really are all over the place in regards to quality. I see so many Angus that look like like nice Gelbvieh, Charolais, Limousin and Simmentals; it's uncanny! The Angus sure have a lot of diversity in their breed. :wink:
 

passin thru

Well-known member
I say herefords problems are multifold and blame can be lain on many.
One is many breeders kept many bulls that should have had a knife.
Two many breeders wouldn't pay anything for a good bull, just bought scrubs. Then when they figured it wasn't working, they changed breeds and spent big bucks on the new breed and blamed their woes on the breed instead of their own program. One thing I have noticed about these sales on RFDTV is that their are many bulls that should have had a knife like Denny says. It will come back to bite them in the rear.
Third breeders and the association thought they were no 1 and it would always be that way.
Fourth the association had their head in the sand and ignored the grassroots breeder.
Fifth many ignored the old stories about problems and let these stories perpetuate.......as if hereford cattle still had problems. However did you ever notice how some people will use a ten year old bull on ten year old cows and be happy. They could care less about trying to get some better gentics.
Sixth, hide color has no flavor..........quality does
Seventh, the herefords did not compromise and let any thing with 50% hereford blood be registered. Thank goodness they did not compromise here.
Look at genes........a black cow bred to a Hereford bull and it's offspring is classified as Angus the majority of the time
76 is right about fieldmen paying attention to the big breeders and ignore others. However these big guys are paying big money to the Association through adv. etc. Many times the little guy is ignored in help from the assoc. and their input into the association. (Yearly activation fees for lifetime members is a prime example) ie if you sell a few 20,000 dollar bulls the activation fee is neglible, but for the guy that breeds 25 cows it is entirely different.
As far as Hereford being outdated, I don't think so. Cooper Holden and many other breeders prove this wrong. If I had more hereford heifers, I could sell all I had abd still have a waiting line. Herefords also have a reputation for efficiency and as grains go up herefords will get more looks.
This reporter needs to do a little more groundwork before writing another story or she will be outdated.
This response is not meant to cut any breed down, just cite some problems. So if you have found something that works for you.......great.
 

Work Hard and Study Hard

Well-known member
Denny said:
I would say Cooper's did pretty well on their bulls

72 head averaged $6495

Holden's were to bad either

82 head at $5707 average

Stevenson/Basin's average was $2421 on all there Nutted steers.

Top bull was lot number 513 for $19000 to Basin angus :roll: and Thunder Creek Angus Saskatoon Sask. Canada

Kinda Funny Stevenson Angus sells Basin Angus the top bull I watched some of the sale on RFD you could have filled Potloads of bullsteers for $1500 per head.They would be better off to raise fat cattle on some of there bulls flooding the market with less than average bulls is'nt doing anyone any good.I think they need to buy a sharp knife..


I agree but why fault Stevenson's? Just because they sell a bull that should have been cut doesn't mean anyone has to buy it. . A sucker is born every day. A real cattlemans bull sale took place this Saturday, Connealy Angus averaged $5525 on 408 Angus bulls. Honest bulls from honest people.
 

loomixguy

Well-known member
Over 80% of the cattle I run LOOMIX to are black. I do have several registered Hereford breeders as customers, too. I agree 110% with what PT said, seen it happen in the horse business as well. Too many breeders don't use a knife when they should.

I have one Hereford man who buys all his bulls at Ft. Keogh, over 800 miles NW of here. He just got done shipping 2 pots of replacement heifers to a guy down by Lubbock. This blood does get around! I have another customer who had the NICEST set of commercial Hereford cows on the planet, bar none. When I would drive out there to service the trough, I would just marvel at them. You liked what you saw, and you'd see what you like. Unfortunately, he is now in the process of going all black. He'll never have the quality of blacks that he does of Herefords.
 

Denny

Well-known member
Work Hard and Study Hard said:
Denny said:
I would say Cooper's did pretty well on their bulls

72 head averaged $6495

Holden's were to bad either

82 head at $5707 average

Stevenson/Basin's average was $2421 on all there Nutted steers.

Top bull was lot number 513 for $19000 to Basin angus :roll: and Thunder Creek Angus Saskatoon Sask. Canada

Kinda Funny Stevenson Angus sells Basin Angus the top bull I watched some of the sale on RFD you could have filled Potloads of bullsteers for $1500 per head.They would be better off to raise fat cattle on some of there bulls flooding the market with less than average bulls is'nt doing anyone any good.I think they need to buy a sharp knife..


I agree but why fault Stevenson's? Just because they sell a bull that should have been cut doesn't mean anyone has to buy it. . A sucker is born every day. A real cattlemans bull sale took place this Saturday, Connealy Angus averaged $5525 on 408 Angus bulls. Honest bulls from honest people.

Why would they bother selling average bulls for $1500 the AI and Registration fees are an easy $100 per head so now he's down to $1400 fat steers are selling for near a dollar per lb.If the cattle are as good as they say they should get some premium's from the packer and end up with more money in their pocket and doing themselves and their customers some good.Get the data back on the fat cattle and share it with their customer base.

Notice alot of the smaller ranchers are still getting very good prices for their bulls they have pride and they know what their market can handle.

The motto at most seedstock outfits is "Feed's the Breed" anymore it should be "Greed's the Breed" They are useing feed to fuel their Greed.

You say a sucker is born everyday and that is true but to prey on them to fund your greed is wrong a little bit of Honesty and Morals should kick in but when Blinded by greed normally it does'nt.

I could have sold any of my commercial bred cows to a kid a couple weeks ago for $1200 per head I knew the one's I wanted to sell were only worth $850 so thats what I did he did'nt need $350 a head more debt to fund my greed he would have payed it but I did'nt think it was right and it was'nt.Just because there is someone willing to pay the seller needs to have some Morals.I dont expect top price for bottom end cattle.

A sharp knife the most un-used tool on a seedstock outfit.....
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
Yep.. I couldn't imagine selling bulls for 1500 bucks although there has been a time or two I have bought some yearlings for less that turned out okay and suit the purpose that they were brought here for.. They were all PT bulls however, I have rarely seen a bull I was remotely interested drop blow 2000 at sales I have been too while I have seen a few go to that 7000 range that left me in the dust :lol: Just shows that I picked a popular bull so either I am smart or everyone else is as dumb as me.
 

katrina

Well-known member
Me too Ill R....
Nine chances out of ten my picks are the spendy ones....
I always said I liked champaigne on beer wages...
Back when we were buying bulls... My goal was to buy the bull that was maybe a really good bull everyone else overlooked....
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
Lol... yep.. I actually bought 3 bulls at a sale once that I felt got overlooked. I was was needing to buy some and they came through and I saw the price was so low I raised my hand and poof.. They were mine.. A nice gentleman came over after the sale, not the breeder just a spectator, and told me I stole them... I don't know.. I think it was a lesson in maybe everyone wasn't as dumb as me.. :oops: :lol: :lol:
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I went to a local sale once that they should probably have cancelled or postponed...Terrible snow storm- and when I got there, there was only about 20 folks on the seats...

I'd picked out a few bulls in their catalog that I figured would work as heifer bulls-- the #1 bull sold for $1400 and I was so shocked I forgot to bid- the #2 bull came in, a California Traveller son that was my #1 pick (one of the catalog picture bulls that I thought I couldn't afford) and I bid $1000 right off the bat and got him...They ended up selling about 1/3 of the bulls they'd brought for an average of about $1000- took the rest home to sell private treaty....

Anyway its the only time I've been able to afford my #1 pick or a picture bull :wink: :lol: He was a good heifer bull--I got two seasons out of him, until the California Traveller breeding started coming out in him and he began hunting anyone on foot or horseback....
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Oh yeah, OT, be glad you never paid more for a California Traveler.
Too bad about their attitude because they were good heifer bulls.
In the 80's we AI'd to RR Traveler 5204 (sire of California Traveler)
and found those heifers were wicked and got rid of all of them.
Other than disposition, they were nice heifers, but disposition is
number one with us. If that's bad, nothing else matters.

Only a couple of other times have we got to buy the 'first pick' bull we
wanted. One was at Sitz sale and we had to return that bull
for attitude. He was a Traveler 23-4 and Rito 054. What a pedigee,
but he was a mean son-of-a-gun. Took Sherry Sitz when they
unloaded him and he never got better. The other was a Traveler 416
son that was out of a Bando 598 daughter. He had a good disposition,
but he just got taller and more narrow every day. He exhibited
598 genetics and not 416. So I hope this bull is better than they
were. Maybe third time is a charm.

We didn't buy this bull because of his EPD's, but I will list them
here just for fun:

BW 2.9 WW 50 Milk 20 YW 89
Cow raised 4 calves with a NR of 102; 205 729;
42 in. scrotal.
He is moderate in size at this point. Guess we will see. I'd sure
like to post a picture of him but Lunds have him there. We are
planning to breed him to the heifers that are calving now so
we'll know what we have. He will definitely add length.
We used to buy our bulls from Younkin Angus at Manhattan
and their favorite cow family was the Patricia family. This bull
goes back to that cow family as Lunds bought some Younkin
cows. He also has Rosebud Rope in his pedigree, which Lunds
think was one of the best bulls they ever had as far a making
good cows. Solid pedigree means more to me than EPD's. (Sorry,
Doc Harris.)

Got to say, we bought 2 heifer bulls (Wye breeding) from Rick Hanson last year, and are we ever pleased. Talk about easy calving and yet good
calves. Most of the calves have been bulls and they just squirt out.
Only reason we didn't go back to Rick this year is because we
only needed one bull and we wanted a little older bull. Rick
calves later and his bulls aren't as big, of course. But we sure
like what we got from him. Our neighbor got a cow bull from him
last year that he is very pleased with as well.
 
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