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'New' breed gaining popularity among producers By Kari Kramer Country World staff writer
Guilliams owns a Black Hereford cattle operation north of Blossom. The Lamar County ranch is home to more than 45 Black Herefords and breeding stock. He and his operations manager, Brett Taylor, have been spending the last year building the operation. Guilliams has been in the cattle business periodically throughout his life. He previously worked with Hereford cattle. "I loved Hereford cattle and since these are black, I'm liking it even better," said Guilliams. The American Black Hereford Association (ABHA) was established in 1994, after the late John Gage had requested the American Hereford Association (AHA) create a sub-registry for black cattle. According to Joe Hoagland, ABHA executive officer, when the AHA refused, Gage set up his own association. "I think he had seen what some of the other breeds had done to capitalize on the black coat phenomenon," said Hoagland. When Gage became ill in 1998, Hoagland and his wife Norma, of Leavenworth, Kan., purchased all but two of Gage's cattle, and received the corporation papers on the ABHA. "We just put them in a drawer and forgot about it," said Hoagland in a letter to Guilliams. "We used John's cows and bulls in our commercial herd for a couple of years. We noticed we didn't get any red baldies. That's when we dusted off the records, dispersed our registered Hereford and Angus cowherds and started raising Black Herefords." Since Hoagland has resumed the activity of the association, interest has increased. Guilliams himself has been surprised by people's reactions. "I've had calls from nearly everywhere," said Guilliams. He added that most people do not believe there is such a thing as a Black Hereford. Guilliams expects to add 20 more to his herd this calving season. "We started with two black bulls," said Guilliams. Then we bought 20 head of registered red (Hereford) heifers." The operation has continued growing and Guilliams, 60, said he hopes to have 80 head of cow by the time he retires. Eighty head is an ambitious goal, considering the time required to produce one Black Hereford. "It takes time to produce these cattle," said Hoagland. "It's a slow process for the person who wants to be a registered breeder."
In order to be a registered Black Hereford, the calf must have and ABHA registered sire and an ABHA or AHA registered dam. It can be the product of the first two combinations that may not have been eligible for registration due to hair color and an ABHA sire, or may be accepted as a sire by vote from the association. The black color is the ultimate goal, but the are other aspects of the breed development that are being targeted. The black color gene is dominant in cattle, red is recessive. A heterozygous black bull carries the red gene and can still produce red cattle. If a bull is bred homozygous black, it will only produce black-colored calves when bred with a red heifer. The association is working towards a full Expected Progeny Differences (EPD) database, and a black cow herd. "Once the cow herd is black, the percentage of black calves jumps considerably," says ABHA information. "I'm going to turn my whole herd black," said Guilliams. He said the time and patience required to develop the herd are the hardest obstacles to overcome. "It's a long drawn-out process." He said the Hoaglands and others in the association have been very helpful to him. He said cooperation between breeders is essential for the success of the breed. "There's so few of the cattle that we've got to work together," said Guilliams. "The friendliness of the people involved in the association is a good deal. They're the friendliest people you'll ever meet." Both Guilliams and Taylor have high expectations for the breed. They both feel that once the word spreads, the demand for Black Herefords will exceed the supply. They believe the high demand will result because black baldie calves tend to have more market value. "A breed where all the calves look the same will sell better than calves of all different colors," said Taylor.
"That's just the Hereford in them," said Taylor as he rubbed the head of a massive registered bull. He noted their use as show projects for children in 4-H and FFA. "They're so gentle." While Guilliams and Taylor's immediate plans center on developing the current herd, ultimately they hope to help others in the industry by spreading the breed. "Getting the commercial breeders involved in this - that's the whole idea," said Taylor "Something really great can happen, it can really grow because Black Hereford cattle are designed to produce black baldie calves when used on black cows." The ABHA consists of 14 breeders in nine states. Information is available at www.blackhereford.com. Guilliams said those involved with the association are always more than happy to help answer questions. Guilliams and Taylor will focus their energy this year on the 20 calves they expect, putting up the new ranch sign they just received, and selling off reserve bulls. The future will be filled with more black Herefords if Guilliams gets his wish. "I think it's the breed of the future. You've got to believe in what you're doing or it's not going to do any good." |
Black Herefords may be uncommon, but George Guilliams sees the situation changing.
A calf suited for registration can come from a cross between a Black Hereford sire and a registered Red Hereford dam. If the offspring is black, it can be registered with the ABHA, if the calf is red, it can be held as breeding stock to produce black calves. The male gene pool is restricted to only registered Black Herefords, but a registered Red Hereford female cane be used in breeding.
Taylor also noted the gentle nature of the animals, even the large bulls.