Hereford History
Welcome to Tuesday’s Open Range I’m your host Susan Allen . You know it’s easy to take for granted all the different breeds of cattle but the hoof prints of America’s popular breeds reflect our nation's historic timeline. Back after the Break. Even though Hereford cattle, those wonderful red bodied, bright white faces that dot pastures throughout the USA were imported from England back in 1817, the success of the breed, is linked with the great western migration. Twenty three years after Hereford cattle arrived in 1840 the first herd was established in of all places Albany, New York. As our nation grew, westward migrating farmers and ranchers took the white faced cattle with them eventually breeding them with wild cattle that roamed the range, longhorns. The popularity of this crossbred spawned quite the English export business. Between 1880-1889 over thirty-five thousand Herefords were shipped to the US. Hereford cattle ended up virtually in every state of the union and became the cattle industry standard that met America’s growing demand for marbled beef. By 1881 a breed association had developed to protect and promote Hereford characteristics. Our cattle today don’t look anything like those first imports, for one most Herefords in the 1800’s had short fat horns that curled under today the polled or today the hornless strain of Hereford is more popular yet the historic ramifications of the breed that settle the west continue through their linage to this day. .
