Beginnings

Why Breed Minis?

Miniature Herefords are a wonderful kind of Hereford. They have so much to offer in so many areas.

Pets. Miniature Herefords make wonderful pets. No, they cannot be housetrained. But they have such gentle, sweet temperaments that make them a joy to be around. Their small size makes them far less intimidating than modern and even Classic cattle.

Beef. Bred from the Classic Hereford, Miniature Herefords also possess a superior ability to create beef. Their small size again comes in handy as they require less feed to maintain their own condition and raise a calf, and also when it comes time to process the beef. One family can process the meat in a day, and if you've got a pretty strong guy around, he can probably even lift a quarter without the aid of machinery. You wouldn't catch anyone trying that with a quarter of a modern steer!! It is commonly touted that you can raise more beef per acre with Miniature Herefords than you can with modern Herefords. It is this reason why they make such wonderful additions to any homestead or self-sufficient family's barnyard.

4H, FFA. Kids just love the little babies when they arrive, and even a very young child is perfectly safe leading a weanling Miniature Hereford calf around for shows. Have you ever seen some poor kid drug around the showring by an excited Angus calf? Not gonna happen with a Mini Hereford. Not only are they naturally more docile, but they just don't have that weight to "throw around" so to speak.

Tax Exemption Status. I am not personally involved in this, because I don't have any land. YET. I've heard, however, that in some areas of the country, the tax advantages of Mini Herefords are outstanding. I believe that to qualify for agricultural tax exempt status, you must run a certain number of animals on your property - no problem with these little cows! You can usually run twice as many Minis as moderns, sometimes thrice as many. Therefore, you can acquire exempt status on less acreage.

And best of all, they're just plain CUTE!

Why Breed Classics?

Good question. I've got one for you: Do you ever get tired of reading the same list of qualities each beef breed brags about? Usually it's the same list, in the same order, and each breed is darn sure they're the best: Fertility, Milking Ability, Weight, Conformation, Hardiness, Disposition. I personally don't consider those traits to belong in that order, and here's why:

Hardiness. This quality is highest on the list of desired traits in my herd. I need a cow who will perform in the mountains of West Texas. We have rocks, desert, heat in the summer, cold in the winter, water is scarce and grass is sparse. The Hereford proved his worth in Texas in the late 1800's and I believe the same kind of Hereford will produce just as well today as he did back then. If my cattle can thrive in this environment, they can travel just about anywhere in the world and think they've gone to heaven. Are they feedlot animals? No. But I don't believe in feedlots, and I don't breed to accommodate them.

Fertility. Definitely high on the list of desirable qualities. Without fertility, you won't have much chance at profit. However, fertility must be combined with hardiness, or you won't be able to calve your cows without lots of special (and expensive) care. My definition of fertility is the ability to breed up on range pasture in two months of exposure, every year. Not that my cattle have attained that yet, but they will. Or ELSE.

Conformation. I value conformation, but not necessarily the same kind of conformation as the next Hereford breeder. I want a thick boned cow, relatively wide set to her shoulder and a definitely wide hip, as deep a heart girth and flank as I can get and I wouldn't care if her legs were six inches long. Each point I look for, or try to avoid, has a very definite reason WHY, and I explain my reasons in more detail here. My purpose in conformation is to produce the highest percentage of the highest quality beef I can, on a frame that will survive the real world as long as possible (i.e. longevity).

Weight. This is a good trait if you wish to raise beef, but it must be relative. A 5,000 pound cow is going to have a very difficult time traversing the terrain around here, and is therefore not going to be very hardy or produce well. Cattle of the size commonly seen today are all too often sore footed in these mountains, which diminishes their ranging ability, they lose weight and that equals loss of performance. If their feet hurt at a springtime weight, why would they want to add more pounds over the summer? I wouldn't. So, I believe that weight must be placed on an adequate frame, and must not be too much for efficient foraging. Also, a cow must be able to gain rapidly when the feed does become plentiful and good. This is, in my opinion, the definition of hardiness.

Disposition. I require my cows to have a level head on them. I don't expect furry Einsteins, but I don't want hot blooded idiots, either. Wild, crazy cows are dangerous, and I don't see how they protect their babies any better than a level headed cow who knows I am not the predator. Not all my cows will eat out of my hand, but I know they will never charge me or any visitor I bring along with me. While my cows may live on the last of the "open" range, there are still far more people around than there were 100 years ago, and I have to take that into consideration. As far as my bulls, have you ever seen a Hereford bucking bull at a rodeo? Didn't think so. You see Angus, Charolais, Brahmas, crossbreds of all kinds, but you'll never find a Hereford. The fact that they are no fun in a rodeo means they'll be lots of fun in your back pasture: they're just too gentle.

Milking Ability. This is a very common trait to list among beef cattle, especially Angus, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. A cow must produce enough milk to grow her baby to his fullest potential. However, it is just not necessary to have a cow walking around with half her bag untouched because the baby can't eat it all. If they put that much energy into milk, they won't be putting it into themselves to maintain condition enough to breed in a couple months. And there goes your fertility. I breed beef cattle, I don't run a dairy.

Orion Herefords Beginnings

Orion Herefords "Calved Out" in May of 2005, shortly following the dispersal sale of a Classic Hereford herd in West Texas, one of the few remaining Classic herds in existence. Realizing that the once famed "type" of Hereford was in danger of disappearing forever, Orion Herefords began the arduous process of building a herd of quality cattle.

One of very few known Classic Hereford herds in the United States, Orion Herefords is dedicated to preserving the quality and genetics that made Herefords the beef animal of choice for generations.

There is a reason it was the Hereford bull that was chosen to improve the Texas Longhorns in the early days of the West. Their hardiness in the rugged countryside made them the logical choice, even though Shorthorn and Angus cattle were more commonly known in those days.

There is a reason that Herefords were the most popular beef animal for nearly 100 years. Their genetics proved time and again their superiority: from calving ease, weaning weights, early maturity, finishing and marbling ability to the steak on a consumer's plate.

And, there is also a reason that the Hereford has fallen out of favor in the last thirty years. Breeders chose to focus on larger frame size for the slaughter industry rather than quality beef for the consumer.

Coincidence? Nope. That's why Orion Herefords considers quality our Number One Goal.

Regena's Story

Cattle are my passion. My childhood was spent on commercial cattle ranches ranging from California to Virginia, and Montana to Texas. My earliest memories involve cattle, as I was the chosen child to care for any calf that required a little extra TLC. I remember the great joys of saving a calf from the icy jaws of death, naming each baby as it joined my little group of dogies, and the plans I had to train one bottle-baby named "Spunky" to pull a small cart.

More specifically, Hereford cattle are my passion. My first bottle calf was a Hereford, or at least my 8-year-old mind thought so, certainly no purebred but I loved him nonetheless. Herefords have a great history and royalty that inspires me more than any other breed. Their gentle natures make them far easier to manage, and I have seen them excel in mountainous and rocky terrain where other breeds moped around the water trough pining for easier pastures. I have too many vivid memories of being chased up a tree or fence or anything tall enough to get me out of a black white-faced cow's reach. No sir, no high tails disappearing over the horizon for me. I want me a cow that will stand there chewin' her cud and gazing right back at me while I look her over in the pasture.

Miniature and Classic Herefords are the "type" of Herefords I choose to breed. I appreciate their appearance, mostly the depth and stockiness they possess. Registered purebreds have traceable heritage and ancestry which, to me, makes them a more desirable animal to manage than commercial cattle. If I have a break out of pink-eye or any other undesirable trait or disease, I can trace it back to a genetic weakness and eliminate those genetics from my herd. Commercial cattlemen must rely more heavily on chemicals, pesticides, vaccinations, de-wormers and other symptom suppressors because they have no knowledge of their cattle's history or genetics. My personal goal is to produce the most natural, delicious and nutritious beef on the market for the benefit of health-conscious consumers - just like it was in 1880.