Barber Ranch produces the best from their blended horned and polled Hereford genetics

by B. Lynn Gordon

Located in country that will test your devotion to your occupation, Barber Ranch is as constant in the Hereford business as the winds are in the panhandle of West Texas. Fit for this Texas Panhandle saying, ‘If you wear a pair of boots here long enough to wear out the soles, you’ll never leave.’ Dale and Mary Barber have built their own legacy from a herd started in 1904 and have laid the groundwork for a lasting legacy through their children and grandchildren.

Dale and Mary met and were married shortly after Dale’s graduation from Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. After Dale’s service in the U.S. Air Force, they made the move to Channing to take over Mary’s family ranch as her father’s health declined. The couple was blessed with four children, Brett, Terri, Jason, and Justin, who worked alongside their parents daily on the ranch while growing up.

In recent years, Dale and Mary have been joined full time in the day to day activities of the ranch by sons, Brett and Justin. Brett oversees bull development and farming operations for the ranch while Justin directs office operations and manages breeding decisions for the cowherd utilizing embryo transplant, artificial insemination, and natural service from the ranch’s extensive herd sire bull battery. While not on the ranch full time, Terri, a sales consultant for Elanco Animal Health, and Jason, manager of the Purebred Division of Superior Livestock and co-owner of SmartAuctions, contribute to the success of the ranch however possible.

Historically a 100% horned cowherd, the introduction of polled genetics in the late 1990s changed the direction of the ranch’s future in the Hereford business. Brett, manager of Michigan State University’s Purebred Beef Center at the time, decided to utilize some of the ranch’s leading horned females and breed them to polled bulls. This decision led to Justin and Jason exhibiting the champion females at the 1999 Polled Hereford Junior National and Horned Hereford Expo shows. Popularity of crossing horned and polled genetics increased following this feat.

An elite cowherd has always been the base of Barber Ranch, and no cow bred by the ranch is more recognizable than BR Gabrielle 5082. Gabrielle traces back to the polled/horned breeding of the 1990s as her granddam is 62H, the 1999 Polled Hereford Junior National Champion. Gabrielle’s mating to DM BR Sooner produced tremendous daughters and prominent herd sires that continue to influence the Barber Ranch cowherd and top Hereford operations across the United States.

Mary Barber on the Texas Hereford ranch.

THE PRESENT

Barber Ranch held their first bull sale on the ranch in 1973. Over the years, various sale outlets have been utilized from private treaty on the ranch to sales in The Yards at the National Western Stock Show to consigning to the San Antonio and Houston livestock shows all-breeds bull sales. Since 2008, bulls have been marketed at Jordan Livestock Auction in San Saba, Texas. This move allowed a central location for past and potential customers to purchase Barber Ranch genetics. The addition of internet and television broadcasting further enhanced the marketing of the bulls to locations across the country and gave national exposure to Barber Ranch. Held annually on the second Wednesday of November, this year’s sale will feature over 100 polled and horned bulls. New in 2020 was an early spring sale held on the ranch - only the second time in over 30 years a sale has been held at the ranch headquarters.

Internet broadcasting has played a huge part in marketing females and frozen genetics recently. Whether broadcasting a live heifer calf sale from the Fort Worth Stockyards on Superior Livestock or hosting a semen sale on SmartAuctions, the nationwide reach has driven upward the popularity of Barber Ranch. This exposure has led to the BR prefix appearing in pedigrees across North America.

Producing an easy keeping, functional, uniform cowherd has always been forefront for Barber Ranch, but a love for showing has brought another component to the success of Barber Ranch. With humble beginnings at local Hereford association shows, recent years have brought widespread success at national shows. Multiple bronze statues of horned and polled bulls and females line the shelves of the show barn office with a shelf reserved for the coveted crystal awards given to the Supreme Champion at the National Western Stock Show. The most recent crystal was won in 2019 by BR Belle Air 6011, the second time the bull was named supreme champion.

Dale Barber, Barber Ranch

The show ring has been another way for the generations of the Barber Ranch to work alongside one another. Brett’s children, Rylee, Bryden, and Aidyn have exhibited numerous Junior National Hereford Expo champions in the past few years and been named champion showman at the state and national levels. They all look to their Grandma Mary for advice when it comes to preparing and exhibiting their cattle. While 2020 was the final year for exhibiting junior cattle for Rylee, Bryden and Aidyn look forward to continuing a rich tradition of Barber Ranch children in the show ring for the foreseeable future.

Giving back to the Hereford breed through leadership positions has been rewarding for members of the Barber family. While all have served on the local and state levels, Terri and Rylee have recently given back in a big way. Terri served on the American Hereford Association Board of Directors from 2013-2017 and was president for 2016-17, becoming the first female to hold that leadership position. Rylee recently completed her term on the National Junior Hereford Association Board of Directors from 2017-2020, serving as vice-chairman for the 2019-20 term.

Accolades haven’t been important to the Barber family, but they are very much appreciated. 2004 brought recognition from the Texas Department of Agriculture for being in the cattle business for 100 years. The Texas Hereford Association has twice honored members of the Barber family as the 2006 Fort Worth Stock Show Hereford open show was named for Barber Ranch and 2016 saw Dale and Mary named honorary members of the Texas Hereford Association. 2018 saw the awarding of one of the highest honors bestowed by the American Hereford Association as Dale and Mary were inducted into the Hereford Hall of Fame.

above The Barber family - Justin, Terri, Dale, Mary, Jason, and Brett. opposite Barber Ranch was recognized in 2004 by the Texas State Department of Agriculture for being in the cattle business for over 100 years.

THE FUTURE

As members of the Barber Family look to the future, they know their customer needs come first. A change in the bull market has brought more demand for polled Hereford genetics and greater reliance on EPDs. A unique opportunity was presented to Barber Ranch in 2019 with the opportunity to purchase the Loewen Herefords herd from Waukomis, Oklahoma. The herd was known for their use of homozygous polled genetics and their emphasis on curve bending cattle with carcass merit. The purchase has already garnered attention for the genetics as a trio of full sisters won the 2020 NWSS Champion Pen of Heifers and a full brother to these females, Loewen Genesis G16, has demanded top dollar for his semen in 2020. This opportunity allowed Barber Ranch to fast forward in their pursuit of additional polled bulls with higher growth and carcass numbers to meet their customer demands.

First introduced to the American Hereford Association in 2012, genomic-enhanced EPDs have really begun to play a part at Barber Ranch in the past few years. Having utilized DNA testing for many years, Barber Ranch has committed to DNA testing every live calf born on the ranch beginning in 2020. This allows every animal sold and shown to have GE-EPDs available to customers and evaluators to further enhance their breeding decisions. 2020 also saw the resurgence of ultrasound measurements for all bulls, meeting customer demands for another tool to help in their selection of bulls. While every member of the Barber family enjoys driving through the pastures to admire the cowherd, they know to remain relevant in today’s data driven world, additional needs must be met to keep customers happy.

Barber Ranch was early adapters of artificial insemination, beginning in the early 1970s, and embryo transfer, beginning in the early 1980s. Looking ahead, they plan to continue to utilize the best of the Barber Ranch bull battery through natural service and AI while using outside genetics to complement their breeding. In-vitro fertilization was adopted in 2009 and continues to be used extensively today to propagate the best producing females at Barber Ranch. While satellite herds have been and will continue to be used, members of the family look forward to 2021 when embryo transfer calves will once again be born on the ranch. This will allow the calves to adapt to the tough, Texas Panhandle environment from the very beginning of their lives.

While 2020 has shown us that nothing in the future is certain, members of the Barber family hope to see Hereford cattle roaming the plains and canyons of Channing, Texas, for many years to come.

Barber Ranch Annual Bull Sale will be held November 11, 2020 in San Saba, TX.

Barber Ranch in Channing, TX