TM
The Largest Privately Owned Hereford Newspaper in North America
The one that’s read “from cover to cover.” • Visit us on the web at: www.herefordamerica.com Vol. 23, No. 4
Published by: Hereford America, Inc. • 13823 Beaver Creek Place • Reva, SD 57651
Editorial Comments... Jill Bayers Hotchkiss At the end of October my husband Marc and I traveled to Kansas City for the annual AHA meeting. As we boarded our Jill Hotchkiss flight in Rapid City, I couldn’t help but think of my parents taking this same trip at my age or younger, for a number of years. For them, in the late ’60s and through the ’70s, their involvement was more intense and my dad’s roll as a board member was very serious business, as it should be. As a kid growing up on our Montana ranch, there was daily discussion about Herefords and the association and dad was very passionate about the direction and forward progress of the breed and spent hours and hours working on it. In the 1970s, especially 1975 and 1976 when he was AHA president, I remember him being gone for a large portion of the year, attending Hereford events throughout the country. Taking flights to events my parents once attended certainly makes me contemplate the parallels between their lives and mine, although there are many differences. In going to this meeting and looking at the history, the core issues of breed improvement, finances, promotion, cattle quality and performance and staying in touch with breeders is still there, just at a different and renewed level. (continued on page 8)
January 2020
AHA Hall of Fame, Hall of Merit Recipients Honored at Annual Meeting in Kansas City
Mark Cooper, Three Forks, MT, was inducted into the Hereford Hall of Fame, Oct. 25, 2019. Pictured (l to r) are Dave Hanson, Kelsy Cooper, Luke McDonagh, Katie Cooper, Tracy Schopp, Mark Cooper, Cristy Cooper, Tad Kovarik, Jaks Kovarik, Natalie Kovarik and Luke Kovarik.
KANSAS CITY, MO — George and Harry Tjardes, Gibson City, IL.; Denny Hoffman, Thedford, NE; Guy Colyer, Bruneau, ID; Mark Cooper, Willow Creek, MT, were inducted into the Hereford Hall of Fame during the Hereford Honorees awards ceremony at the American Hereford Association’s (AHA) Annual Membership Meeting and Conference, Oct. 25, in Kansas City, MO. The Hall of Fame award is presented annually to those who have influenced the advancement of the Hereford breed. “We are honored to recognize these individuals and their families for their commitment to the Hereford breed and beef cattle industry,” says Jack Ward, AHA executive vice president. “They continue to set the standard in the areas of genetic improvement, marketing and leadership.”
Mark Cooper
Denny Hoffman, Thedford, NE, was inducted into the 2019 Hereford Hall of Fame. Pictured back row (l to r) are 2019 AHA President Pete Atkins, Jennifer Goodman, Junior Deniz, Shayne Myers, Cody LaFrentz, Randy Myers, Stephanie Myers, Dixie Hoffman, Denny Hoffman, Kaycee Hoffman, Jason Hoffman, Kirk Hain, Raegan Hain, and AHA Board director Mark St. Pierre. Pictured front row (l to r) are Kennedy Hoffman, Lily Hain, Hayden Hoffman, Haxton Hoffman and Logan Hain.
Guy Colyer, Bruneau, Idaho, was inducted into the Hereford Hall of Fame. Pictured (l to r) are 2019 AHA President Pete Atkins, Katie Colyer, Kyle Colyer, Piper Colyer, Guy Colyer, Cruz Colyer, Sherry Colyer and AHA Board director Mark St. Pierre.
Mark Cooper was raised on his family’s cattle ranch in southwestern Montana and spent his formative years digging in the soil, stretching wire, and learning the true art of growing crops and breeding cattle from his father and uncles. Mark was very fortunate to “learn by doing” and has worked alongside some truly amazing gentlemen, including his father, Jack Cooper, and uncles, Les Holden, Dr. Ray Woodward and Dr. Scott Cooper. Each of these men was instrumental in shaping Mark’s life. Their guidance and wisdom undoubtedly contributed to Mark’s success as a rancher and farmer. Mark’s love of ranching influenced him to attend Montana State University, where he focused his studies on animal science and agronomy. He returned home to the ranch in 1977 and settled into the day-to-day operation alongside his father and mentor, Jack Cooper. For more than 30 years, the two worked side by side to expand their farming operation, settled in 1914, and to grow their registered Hereford operation, which Jack and his wife, Phyllis, started in 1946. Cooper Hereford Ranch has been a pioneer in the beef industry since its (continued on page 18)