Hereford Heritage Fact Sheet

Managing Herefords Hereford Heritage Fact Sheet

The Hereford breed originated as The breed’s doing ability, coupled with exclusivity from Red Oak Farms due to a product of necessity. Efficient, early maturity, revolutionized American its failure to meet license covenants. adaptable and hardy, these cattle have beef production. Greater Omaha Packing Co. was always had a face to remember. To achieve this desired early licensed as the second company Nearly 300 years ago, farmers of maturity, breeders in the 1930s and to produce and market CHB in Herefordshire, England, founded the 1940s sought short, low-set, wide and November of 1999. The following breed in response to demand created by deep-bodied cattle. Success eventually October, the AHA formed a limited Britain’s Industrial Revolution. Efficient became a downfall. liability corporation, CHB LLC, for production, high yields and sound Compact, fat cattle continued to excel management of the CHB program. reproduction were of utmost importance. in the showring into the 1950s. However, Hereford history was made during Benjamin Tomkins is who to thank beef packers were starting to pay less for the second week of 2005. CHB had its for the original design. A primary over-fat cattle. The American diet was first million pound week, when packers founder of the breed, Tomkins began in calling for leaner, more heavily muscled sold approximately 1.3 million pounds 1742 with a bull calf from the cow Silver carcasses. Hereford breeders stepped up of product to participating retail and two cows, Pidgeon and Mottle. to the challenge. locations and food service outlets. Henry Clay, Kentucky statesman, Beginning in the 1960s, breeders The CHB program has experienced brought Herefords to the United States focused their attention on tools such 40% annual sales growth since 2000, in 1817. A true Hereford identity was as performance testing, artificial indicating the power of its mission: not established in the states until insemination, objective measures, To strengthen demand for Hereford William H. Sotham and Erastus embryo transfer and sire evaluation. cattle, Certified Hereford Beef LLC Corning, Albany, N.Y., began the first These tools allowed the rapid commits superior customer service, breeding herd in 1840. genetic change needed to bring competitive pricing and creative Among other renowned early Herefords in synch with consumer marketing strategies to the sale of Hereford breeders were Charles and industry expectations. tender, great tasting Certified Hereford Gudgell and Thomas A. Simpson A broad genetic base allowed Beef within retail grocery stores, of Missouri. Their big break came Hereford breeders to select stock wholesale food distributors and food with the importation of Anxiety 4, a comparable in size and performance service outlets. bull credited as being the “father of to competing “exotic” European American Herefords.” breeds. Although major changes Today’s Hereford A few of these early breeders came were made, breeders didn’t lose sight Today’s versatile Hereford continues to together in Chicago on June 22, 1881. of fundamental Hereford traits, be the benchmark against which other The result was the foundation of the particularly fertility and docility. breeds are measured as cattlemen American Hereford Cattle Breeders A new goal was established in the continue to seek the optimum traits Association, later renamed the late 1980s — formal documentation of inherent in Herefords. Those traits American Hereford Association (AHA). Hereford performance in the feedlot and critical to survival in the cattle business Its purpose was two-fold: to keep the on the rail. Colorado State University are exactly the same traits Hereford breed’s records and to promote the animal scientists conducted related offers today’s industry: interests of its breeders. tests for the AHA from 1991 to 1993. • Fertility Seven years later Warren Gammon Superiority was noted in average daily • Reproductive performance noticed naturally hornless Herefords gain, feed conversion and cost of gain. at the Trans-Mississippi World’s Fair Further studies in the early 1990s • Feed efficiency in Omaha, Neb. He decided to fix demonstrated the quality of Hereford • Optimum size and growth the hornless trait using the bull Giant beef. Regardless of marbling, Hereford • Documented feedlot and carcass and 11 Hereford females. In 1910 the steers consistently excelled in tenderness, superiority American Polled Hereford Association juiciness, flavor and palatability. • Low maintenance costs (APHA) was founded. These findings led to the formation The two Hereford associations of a branded beef product known as • Optimum muscling merged in 1995, keeping the AHA title. Certified Hereford Beef ® (CHB). In • Optimum milk The AHA now registers all horned and 1994 the AHA, Midland Cattle Co. and • Adaptability and hardiness polled Herefords. its affiliate, Mid-Ag, came together to market CHB. Mid-Ag, later renamed • Superior disposition Through the years Red Oak Farms, was licensed as the • Soundness Shows and expositions contributed exclusive seller of CHB. In October of • Crossbreeding advantages greatly to a growing Hereford popularity. 1998 the AHA board of directors pulled

Jack Ward, AHA chief operating officer and director of breed improvement • P.O. Box 014059 • Kansas City, MO 64101 • (816) 842-3757 • [email protected] • www.hereford.org • [email protected] • 842-3757 (816) • 64101 MO City, Kansas • 014059 Box P.O. • improvement breed of director and officer operating chief AHA Ward, Jack — Page 1 of 2 — Managing Herefords Hereford Heritage Fact Sheet

Hereford History

1742 – Benjamin Tomkins, a primary founder of the 1961 – The AHA purchases The American Hereford Journal. Hereford breed, starts with a bull calf from the cow Silver and two cows, Pidgeon and Mottle. 1963 – APHA registrations jump to 174,575 from 111,008 in 1962. APHA introduces Guide Lines Program 1817 – Henry Clay, Kentucky statesman, brings Herefords to encourage the use of tools most effective in to the United States. bringing about herd improvement. AHA also starts measuring performance, first through the Herd Sire 1840 – William H. Sotham and Erastus Corning, Albany, Feedlot and Carcass program. N.Y., begin the first U.S. Hereford breeding herd. 1964 – AHA furthers performance efforts with the Total 1881 – American Hereford Cattle Breeders Association Performance Records (TPR) program. APHA Guide is organized (name later changes to American Lines Program becomes active. Hereford Association [AHA]). 1965 – APHA purchases Polled Hereford World. 1899 – AHA is first breed association to hold a national one-breed show. 1968 – APHA issues its first artificial insemination (AI) certificate. Producers who don’t own the bull can 1900 – At the turn of the century, 125,000 Hereford cattle now purchase its semen to AI their cows, making have been registered. the best genetics available to everyone.

1901 – The polled Hereford breed comes into being with 1973 – AHA allows AI. 11 registrations on record. 1974 – APHA surpasses its registration goal of “204 1910 – American Polled Hereford Association (APHA) is (thousand) in ’74.” organized. Hayes Walker Sr. founds The American Hereford Journal. 1974 – The first Junior National Polled Hereford Heifer Show and Forum is held in Nashville, Tenn. 1920 – The AHA is the first beef breed association to own its own headquarters; permanent residence is 1978 – Kansas State University hosts the first All-American established at 300 West 11th St., Kansas City, Mo. Junior Hereford Show.

1933 – The Great Depression takes its toll, and prices drop 1986 – AHA moves to third headquarters on 1501 Wyandotte, to a low point; all 2,743 head of Herefords sold at Kansas City, Mo. auction this year bring an average price of $105 per head. AHA registrations also fall from 101,839 in 1994 – The AHA, Midland Cattle Co. and its affiliate, 1929 to 87,541. Mid-Ag, come together to market branded beef product, Certified Hereford Beef® (CHB). 1945 – A total of 303,679 calves are registered with the AHA, a record number for any breed in a single 1995 – AHA and APHA merge. CHB is officially established. year. APHA registrations increase by more than 9,000 head in the same year. 2000 – AHA forms a limited liability corporation, CHB LLC, for management of CHB program. 1947 – The first Polled Hereford World is published. 2001 – Whole Herd Total Performance Records (TPR™) 1953 – President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower replaces old performance measuring tools. dedicates second AHA headquarters at 715 Hereford Drive, Kansas City, Mo. 2005 – CHB has its first million pound week; packers sell approximately 1.3 million pounds of product to 1953 – AHA registrations peak at 560,794. participating retail locations and food service outlets.

1960 – By the end of the year, the AHA has registered a total of 10 million head.