by Craig Huffhines, executive vice president
by it all, and then almost how they can make their Great Champions overnight, I became a Giants product better and what the fan for one game. breed can offer the industry Are Often Underdogs Even after the Giants during changing times. eliminated the Cowboys This year at the National Why is it so much fun to in the National Football Western Stock Show root for underdogs? The Conference championship (NWSS) and the National Cinderella story captivates game in Dallas, I still Hereford Show and Sale, I the minds and hearts of all couldn’t help but root for could sense the momentum of us, and the recent Super the Giants. By the time shift. Never in my 18 years Bowl game, heralded as Eli drove his team down of attending the NWSS did one of the greatest upset the field in the fourth I witness a better line-up victories in the history of the quarter of the Super Bowl, of cattle from one end to National Football League making miraculous play the other. The pens and (NFL), was one of those after another and finally carloads were as strong as David versus Goliath match- scoring the game winner they have ever been. The ups that ended in heroic against the league’s “best excitement for the breed was fashion. The country boy, red zone defense,” I became genuine and recognized by little brother quarterback, so emotionally attached breeders of all breeds.
Craig Huffhines Eli Manning, now basking in that I had forgotten for At the same time all of his improbable glory a moment my lifelong the Hereford breed was as Super Bowl MVP, staged loyalty to Dallas. America’s participating in its largest an unbelievable two-minute team of the ’70s and ’80s tradeshow event of the drive to defeat what many became a distant memory. year in Denver, National thought to be the “greatest Momentum is a Beef Packing Co. LLC, team” in NFL history. wonderful thing. A feeling the American Hereford I was ecstatic for Eli, of something bigger than we Association’s packer the disrespected young are begins to percolate and partner and major Certified quarterback, who has then slowly boil until there’s Hereford Beef ® supplier, was dodged bullets from the an eruption of energy that airing radio advertisements begins to totally overpower across a five-state region in the status quo. I believe that the Midwest promoting its Momentum is a wonderful thing. A feeling same feeling is beginning desire to purchase Hereford of something bigger than we are begins to to resonate within the and black-whitefaced cattle. Hereford business. Never before in the history percolate and then slowly boil until there’s The power of positive of the beef business, has an eruption of energy that begins to totally direction can be a packer asked feedlot unstoppable. When a team, operators to call the overpower the status quo. an organization, an industry packer to offer the feedlot or even a country all begin operators’ Hereford fat to believe in themselves, cattle for premiums. New York and national their mission, their Can you feel that media as well as one of his direction, their purpose in momentum? Here we are former superstar teammates, life, wonderful things evolve. in our fourth quarter drive, Tiki Barber, now turned We are experiencing this executing the breed’s news anchor. momentum shift within the playbook for genetic Now, I grew up in the Hereford business. Sure, improvement, market access, north Texas area idolizing we could get down in the hybrid vigor contribution, the immortal Dallas Cowboy dumps about the price of feed efficiency, longevity, days of Tom Landry, Roger corn and feed, drought docility and beef tenderness. Staubach, Tony Dorsett and conditions, cost of land, but As the playbook unfolds, one of the game’s defensive when the momentum shifts, the momentum is building greats, Randy White. It has positive thinking translates and more success is soon to been next to impossible for into positive opportunities. come. HW me to ever consider rooting The Hereford breed is in for the New York Giants, but an opportunistic position. I found myself captivated Breeders are thinking about
6 HEREFORD WORLD / March 2008 www.hereford.org