praying the prices are good.
Conception to Consumption: Harrell Herefords
started ranching in Baker County. They founded Harrell Herefords in 1970.
Bob Harrell has spent most of his life onthefamilyranchnearBakerCity,OR. Although his father was in theAir Force and the family moved around when he was young, his parents Bob Sr. and Edna Harrell moved back to their roots and
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-
by Ruth Wiechmann“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 commercialcowsbeforetheygotintothe
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 grocerystoretobanking.AlthoughEdna’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.”
“I like building stuff,” Bob said. “I enjoybuildingranches,buildinggenetics, improvingonourcows,addingtraitsthat add value. like the process of taking a pieceofgroundthat’sbeenrundownand fixing fences, working on the irrigation system,buildingupthesoil.It’sthesame with the cows.”
It’s a business he loves.
Theentirefamilystaysinvolvedonthe 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 TurnbullofBrockton,MT,alongwiththeirdaughter and son in law Tara and Chad Kelly, is deeply rootedinthehistorythathashelpedbuildtheir ranch.OnehundredtenyearsofHerefordcattle has enabled these third and fourth generation ranchers to thrive today.
In1912,withtheurgingoftheGreatNorthern
Railroadadvertisingforyoungmentogowest and farm the rich prairie lands, Elmer Foss madethetrekfromKenset,IAonaGreatNorthern emigrant car to bring the first Hereford to the Foss homestead. On this car were five
Eastern Montana is home to theTurnbull and Kelly families and their Hereford herds.Pictured are part ofTara’s registered herd.
New deadlines
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 neartheranch,hadtocrosstheMissouri
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.
Deadlines for the upcoming season:
SEPTEMBER issue
Monday, August 7, 2023
OCTOBER issue
Friday, September 8, 2023
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
Thurs., October 5, 2023
JANUARY 2024 issue
Wed., December 6, 2023
FEBRUARY 2024 issue
Friday, January 5, 2024
MARCH 2024 issue
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APRIL/MAY 2024 issue
Friday, March 8, 2024
