Love of a Breed Hereford loyalists dedicated to long time king of beef by Managing Editor Stevie Ipsen
For many cattlemen and cattlewomen in the U.S., the love of ranching is synonymous with images of horned Hereford cattle roaming the range. There are also cattlemen and cattlewomen who are sentimental for other reasons – they maintain loyalty to the Hereford breed because their dad or grandpa loved red and white cattle. And then there are beef producers who keep Herefords on their place not out of nostalgia but simply out of the common sense belief that Hereford genetics are the best way to keep well-rounded traits in their herd through heterosis. Despite the ushering in of the Angus era through the 70s and 80s and the very successful branding of black-hided cattle through today, even those who raise predominately Angus cattle admit the beef industry is what it is because of Hereford cattle. Steve Lambert, Oroville, raises purebred Hereford cattle, offering his best bulls to commercial beef producers across the west. A large portion of those bulls go to ranchers who also have Angus genetics in their herd. “You will hear many cattlemen say that the black baldy is the best mama cow you can breed for,” Lambert said. “I won’t argue that. Hereford bulls pass on a lot of traits we need in the commercial business and the white-faced mama is one of those. She is a good mother, raises a stout calf, has good milk, high fertility and is easy to get along with and can travel in tough country.” Matt Macfarlane, owner of California-based livestock marketing firm M3 Marketing, Rocklin, said he buys Hereford bulls for many reputable commericial breeders who are known for their Angus-based herds. “People you might not typically expect to buy Hereford bulls often do. They do it because they are smart and recognize the value Hereford genetics bring to Angus herds,” Macfarlane said. “In all reality, the largest commercial guys in the west might have Angus-based herd but they continuously replenish their Hereford bull battery because the fertily, docility and maternal traits are hard to get from other breeds.” It’s no secret that black hides do better at sale time but for many, the traditional Hereford-Angus cross is the best way to grow a cowherd. And the feed efficiency of Hereford-influenced cattle in the feedyard is impressive as well. According to research done by the 32 California Cattleman February 2022
United States Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), Herefords do well when pitted against other breeds in the feedlot. Against Herefords, the five-year cost difference per steer/year in terms of feed was $19.75 for Angus, $22.79 for Red Angus, $22.16 for Simmental and $5.80 for Charolais. Lambert says he sees in his own commercial cows that the low-birth Angus calves that will perform on the rail with good yield grade and marbling but the docility that comes with Hereford genetics keeps Herefords in first place, in his opinion. “Docility is a trait that gets overlooked by the dollar signs that Angus can bring. In my experience, I would trust Hereford-influenced cattle with the most irreplaceable parts of my operation like my kids and grandkids,” Lambert said. It is believed the Hereford breed was founded on the draught ox descended from the small red cattle the Romans brought to Britain, and from a large Welsh breed. Herefords get their name from the county Herefordshire, where the breed began. Herefords made their appearance in the U.S. in 1817 when Kentucky statesman Henry Clay imported a bull, a cow and a heifer. They became the predominant breed throughout the rangeland of North America. Warren Gammon, from Des Moines, Iowa, developed the Polled Hereford breed after seeing some on exhibit at the Trans-Mississippi World Fair in Omaha in 1898. ...CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
