KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In celebration of 50 years in the Hereford business, four Hereford breeders were honored as Golden Breeders for their commitment during the American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Membership Meeting and breakfast in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 22. 

 This year’s Golden Breeders are:

• Snedden Ranch, Maricopa, Calif.
• Mill Creek Ranch, Alma, Kan.
• Reed Farms, Green Ridge, Mo.
• K7 Herefords, Lockridge, Iowa

Snedden Ranch
The Snedden family began ranching in the rugged mountains of Kern County, California, in 1867. Snedden Ranch has been running a primarily Hereford-based commercial cow herd for well over 100 years. As progress was made in developing adaptable lines of cattle, Snedden Ranch began to see demand from local cattle producers for the bulls they were producing. To develop the maternal quality and consistency that was desired, Snedden Ranch has had a closed cowherd for almost 40 years. Today, Richard and Susie Snedden are partners with their son, Austin, and his wife, Sarah, in the ranch operation. Austin and Sarah’s four children contribute to the ranching operation.

Mill Creek Ranch
Mill Creek Ranch, owned by the David and Diane Briener family, is located at the northern edge of the Flint Hills near Alma, Kansas, and has been in operation for fifty years. The first Mill Creek Hereford cattle were purchased in the spring of 1972 and featured Mark Donald, Line 1, Tiberius and Don Blanchard bloodlines. In the late ’70s, David became the managing partner and owner. Over the past 50 years, an extensive AI and embryo transfer (ET) program has been utilized to produce seedstock that are moderate birth and high performance, with excellent carcass traits for registered and commercial producers. 

Reed Farms
The Reed Farms operation was started by Jim Reed while he was in college in 1962. After Jim and his wife, Linda, married in 1965, they continued their passion in Green Ridge, Mo. The family operation has now been in place for 60 years. Jim and Linda have two sons, Brian and Craig. Jim and Linda have spent a lifetime dedicating themselves to the Hereford breed. They have helped other breeders host successful Hereford sales and have helped them market their Hereford semen and certificates, all while raising polled Hereford cattle.

K7 Herefords
K7 Herefords started in 1968 as a 4-H project. Today, K7 Herefords features 100 cows in production with a production sale hosted every March. Ran by Tom Heidt with the love and support from his wife, Jo, and their three children, K7 Herefords strives to keep up with the beef industry’s ever-changing needs and wants. K7 Herefords began in a small Wisconsin town, before moving to southeast Iowa, where carcass traits and customer needs are at the forefront of the herd.

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The American Hereford Association, with headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., is one of the largest U.S. beef breed associations. The not-for-profit organization along with its subsidiaries — Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) LLC, Hereford Publications Inc. (HPI) and American Beef Records Association (ABRA) — provides programs and services for its members and their customers, while promoting the Hereford breed and supporting education, youth and research. For more information about the Association, visit Hereford.org. For pictures and additional news releases, visit www.Hereford.org/media.