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. 26, No. 1
Published by: Hereford America, Inc. • 13823 Beaver Creek Place • Reva, SD 57651 • Est. 1996
Editorial Comments... Jill Bayers Hotchkiss
As we enter into the months of fall, it’s a time for reflection on the summer’s production and activities. We start Jill Hotchkiss looking forward to weaning good, heavy calves and harvesting bountiful crops, hoping and praying the prices are good. Here in northwest South Dakota we’ve been very fortunate this summer. Conditions have gone from extreme drought a year ago to an incredible growing year that we couldn’t even imagine last year. Now we are back into very hot, dry weather. We are very thankful for the timely rains we received this spring and early summer. To quote Wyoming writer Bob Twing, “God is Good.” It has turned into an incredible growing year with fat calves and glossy, contented cows. I realize not everyone in our readership area is as fortunate as us and at times it has seemed like The Seven Plagues. But those of us in agriculture are eternal optimists and we persevere. In our area of western South Dakota there is quite a lot of excitement about a huge, state-of-the-art packing plant that is proposed in the Rapid City area which is 110 miles south of us. Western Legacy Development Corp. is the name of the company planning to build a million square foot packing facility in western South Dakota that would cost in excess of $1.1 billion and would process beef and bison. According to the Megan Kings(continued on page 10)
September 2022
Conception to Consumption: Harrell Herefords by Ruth Wiechmann Bob Harrell has spent most of his life on the family ranch near Baker City, OR. Although his father was in the Air Force and the family moved around when he was young, his parents Bob Sr. and Edna Harrell moved back to their roots and
started ranching in Baker County. They founded Harrell Herefords in 1970. “I’ve been here most of my life,” Bob said. “On my mom’s side I am the fifth generation here, and our daughter is the sixth generation. My parents had some commercial cows before they got into the
Located near Baker City, OR, the Harrell Hereford herd runs in high country between the Elk Horn and Eagle Cap Mountains. Remnants of the original Oregon Trail can still be found in the area.
Hereford business 52 years ago. I started taking over the management in the mid 1980s.” Edna Harrell’s ancestors came west on the Oregon Trail and homesteaded in the area. Bob said that previous generations have done ‘a little bit of everything’ — from ranching and mining to owning a grocery store to banking. Although Edna’s health has faltered since a recent stroke, she is still on the ranch. “She is the matriarch,” Bob said. “She has had to pull back but she still likes to be involved and know what is going on.” It’s a business he loves. “I like building stuff,” Bob said. “I enjoy building ranches, building genetics, improving on our cows, adding traits that add value. I like the process of taking a piece of ground that’s been run down and fixing fences, working on the irrigation system, building up the soil. It’s the same with the cows.” The entire family stays involved on the ranch. Bob’s wife Becky helps out quite a bit with the cattle and the family’s registered Quarter Horses. Bob and Becky’s
(continued on page 4)
Turnbull Family: Building on Over 100 Years of Hereford Cattle
by Abby Reidle A7 Ranch, operated by Neil and Judy Turnbull of Brockton, MT, along with their daughter and son in law Tara and Chad Kelly, is deeply rooted in the history that has helped build their ranch. One hundred ten years of Hereford cattle has enabled these third and fourth generation ranchers to thrive today. In 1912, with the urging of the Great Northern Railroad advertising for young men to go west and farm the rich prairie lands, Elmer Foss made the trek from Kenset, IA on a Great Northern emigrant car to bring the first Hereford Montana is home to the Turnbull and Kelly families and their Hereford to the Foss homestead. On this car were five Eastern herds. Pictured are part of Tara’s registered herd. Hereford heifers, a registered Hereford bull, a milk cow, a team of horses and a piano. They traveled to Brockton, MT, then due to not having a bridge or ferry near the ranch, had to cross the Missouri River when it was frozen to reach what was and still is considered “home.” Elmer founded the original homestead and lived there from 1912-1974. (continued on page 7)