History of Miniature Herefords The period to which the Miniature Hereford can be identified commenced in 1902 with the involvement of the Largent family. The Largents' have been involved in breeding and showing these purebred cattle since that time.  Objectives and blood lines used in the Miniature Hereford development, to achieve what they then envisaged as the perfect beef animal focused on the following traits: early maturity high fertility high feed conversion disposition/ease of handling hardiness and universally adaptable to various climates and conditions lower over head/higher profitability lighter weight equipment requirements one person butchering small cuts of meat With the achievement of these “fundamental traits” their next objective was to establish the ideal for conformation.” The conformation standards they sought were: long hip and loin heavy muscled and thick through the hind quarters sufficient bone to support the size of the animal sufficient bone to support muscle attachment depth of body for sufficient room for food intake, lung    expansion and reproduction shortness of leg from the knee to the hoof length of leg from the knee to the hip smooth shoulders set well in short neck short, small, broad head in proportion to the size of the body Commencement of the breeding phase began in 1970 with seven blood lines of Hereford cattle,  these were: Husker Mischief The Mischief line came from the Bell Ranch in north eastern New Mexico, owned by Albert Mitchell. The registered Hereford herd managed by Mr Mitchell dated back to 1896 including a cow added to the herd in 1920, Bright Duchess 76 by a son of Beau Brummel and out of a daughter of Beau Brummell (the bull Beau Brummell was a son of Anxiety the 4th). The Mischief line is descended directly from Anxiety 4th chiefly through Young Anxiety the 4th. In 1925 another bull was purchased Mischief 5th and through this bull many champions were produced. The Mischief line is considered to be one of the top Hereford lines ever to be produced in the United States. The Mischief cattle were very popular with ranchers for their ability to do very well under range conditions. The Mischief cattle were developed and raised on the range in New Mexico. Zato Heir The Zato line came from the Turner Ranch at Sulphur, Oklahoma. Mr R J (Roy) Turner was at one time Governor of Oklahoma. Following the "clean up" of the Hereford pedigrees in the mid 1950's the Zato line had a profound impact on the Hereford breed. The "clean up" refers to the work undertaken by the American Hereford Association in checking of Hereford pedigrees for bloodlines containing dwarfism. Zato lines where identified to be free of dwarfism during this process. Zato progeny can be found in the pedigree of many top winning Herefords since that time. Zato cattle were smaller and chunkier in conformation than any other lines following the clean up of the pedigrees. Zato lines exhibit a deep red color. Colorado Domino The Colorado Domino line was one of the leading blood lines from the mid 50's to the early 70's. Domino influence can be found in many of the winning specimens of the day. The original "Domino" bull was but 5 generations out of Anxiety 4th. The Colorado Domino's came out of Domino out of Prince Domino. Over a period of 25 years, Banning-Lewis Ranches at Colorado Springs developed what became known as the Colorado Dominos. Through selective breeding, emphasis was placed upon bone structure without loss of smoothness and upon refinement without loss of size. Real Onward Onward cattle first came from the Hull Dobbs Ranch at Fort Worth, Texas. The Onward cattle were a deep bodied animal and were very successful in the show ring. Onward cattle were lighter colored Herefords. Mill Iron The Mill Iron line was of Colorado Domino ancestry originating on Mill Iron Ranches at Childress, Texas. The foundation stock in its virtual entirety came from the Banning-Lewis herd. Britisher The Britisher bull used by Largent and Sons came from the Everett Brown herd in Reliance, Nebraska. Britisher cattle were another deep bodied line of Herefords. Everett Brown had a champion car load of bulls at the Denver Stock Show one year with a load of Britisher bulls. The Britisher line originated in Saskatchewan, Canada on the Robert Weir farm at Weldon, Saskatchewan. The bull Britisher Domino 8813(c) became Grand Champion at the Toronto Royal Winter Fair in 1936. Real Silver Jack Turner from Silver Crest Herefords out of Fort Worth, Texas. For many years the productions sales held at Silver Crest Herefords were among the best in the country. The Real Silver line was prominent in the show ring from 1925 to the late 1950's. Real Silver cattle were more yellow and lighter in color. These seven blood lines which were all checked free of dwarfism by the American Hereford Association, represented the top winning blood lines in America at the time. [As with] almost all Herefords in the United States, these blood lines can be traced directly back to Anxiety 4th. Largent comments that: “From these original seven blood lines stock was selected and bred to establish the Miniature Herefords. The selection process was based on years of breeding experience and on the knowledge of the genetics carried through each of these lines.” Quotations from an article: Largent, "Miniature Hereford Newsletter", U.S.A

Paragon Farm | Our Herefords | Bulls at Paragon Cows at Paragon | Calves at Paragon | Cattle Services | Beef Facts | History | Cattle Care