NJW POLLED HEREFORDS

Decker, Mont.

NJW Polled Herefords is a commercially focused operation that selects for balanced traits and culls hard in their quest to produce easy-doing, thick and sound cattle with added performance, while maintaining sufficient calving ease and superior maternal traits. 

Ned and Jan Ward own the operation and manage it with their daughter, Bell. They calve about 230 registered Hereford cows and 90 embryo transfer calves. They also run about 320 purebred Red Angus commercial cows, which are used as recipients and to raise Red Angus steers that are contracted and shipped straight off the cows at weaning. 

NJW Polled Herefords typically sells 100 yearling bulls and 40 yearling heifers in their annual production sale the last week of March. The offering includes pick of their heifer calves and a group of fall-born 18-month-old embryo transfer bulls, and sometimes, bred fall heifers. 

CHURCHILL CATTLE CO

Manhattan, Mont.

Churchill Cattle Co. is owned and operated by Dale and Nancy Venhuizen and their four daughters, Katie, Anne, Megan and Camille. Dale and Nancy established the program in 1980 with 60 head of registered Hereford females. 

The operation’s name — ‘Churchill’ — stems from a bull named DV Lord Churchill out of a female gifted to Dale by his father, John. The proceeds from the bull’s sale at the Western Nugget in Reno, Nev., served as the foundation for the new herd. 

Churchill Cattle Co. grew to about 350 Hereford pairs and a handful of commercial females before their historic retirement sale in September. The two-day World Class Dispersion featured 425 lots and grossed $10.4 million, a record-breaking event for the Hereford breed and likely any other breed. Their final World Class Bull Sale will be next January. The Venhuizens developed a loyal following of both commercial and seedstock producers. 

L BAR W CATTLE CO

Absarokee, Mont.

L Bar W Cattle Co. is nestled in the Stillwater River Valley, against the Beartooth Mountains, bordered by the Stillwater River. It encompasses approximately 5,000 acres of deeded and leased land, which provides pasture for the operation’s 225 spring-calving cows and approximately 60 fall-calving cows. They AI most of the registered herd and utilize embryo transfer, using home-raised cows from their commercial herd as recipients. 

Their emphasis has been on breeding and developing horned Herefords that excel in longevity, fertility and predictability. The cow herd is managed much like a commercial operation, with the cows traveling for water and making the most of Montana’s natural grasses to maintain their condition and successfully raise a calf each year. The operation was established from a 2013 partnership between Carl and Denise Loyning and Mike and Jeannette Walen. The Loynings oversee the day-to-day ranch operations, while the Walens help during haying season, work with cattle and contribute to marketing efforts. They will host their 10th annual production sale next February. 

FEDDES HEREFORDS

Manhattan, Mont.

Feddes Herefords strives to produce sound, efficient cattle with calving ease, rapid gain and excellent carcass traits. Their cowherd — 150 mother cows today — has long been noted for performance, sound feet and good udders. They were early adopters of in-herd data collection and performance testing. Cutting edge genetic evaluation guides their selection decisions, along with visual appraisal honed by years of practical experience and listening closely to the needs of ranchers, feeders, packers and consumers. 

The Feddes family has been raising high-performance Herefords for more than 70 years. Brothers, Marvin and Neal Feddes, launched the operation in the 1950s. Marvin’s sons, Dan and Tim, continue the operation today, along with Dan’s son, Taylor. Dan and his wife, Robyn, have five children. Tim and his wife, Tami, have three children. 

Feddes Herefords markets 70 yearling bulls and 40 bred heifers each year, private treaty.