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Meet the Candidate - Andrew Matheny

Meet the Candidate - Andrew Matheny

September 25, 2018

Over the next month we will be highlighting all six of our senior board candidates. Three new board members will be elected from the pool of candidates at the AHA Educational Forum and Annual Meeting …


Over the next month we will be highlighting all six of our senior board candidates. Three new board members will be elected from the pool of candidates at the AHA Educational Forum and Annual Meeting at the end of October.

In 1982 Andrew purchased a Hereford cow as an FFA project, marking the beginning of his involvement in the Hereford breed. He then became involved in the American Junior Hereford Association (AJHA), where he met his wife, Suzanne. In 1990 they began Matheny Herefords and have grown it to a 150-head operation.

Their spring calving program is a diverse system, which allows them to utilize artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET) technologies. Each year their Hereford calves are split between natural mating and ET calves, totaling 50 head. The remainder of their cow herd is used as recipients to raise ET calves for other purebred breeders.

The set-up of the Matheny Herefords program also allows the family to sell genetics from their herd twice each year. Females are marketed through an annual production sale, The Breeder’s Cup, held each fall. Bulls are sold in conjunction with Boyd Beef Cattle and Meyers Angus in an annual spring bull sale. The family also sells cattle via private treaty to purebred breeders each year. A large majority of their calves are contract ET calves, but the remaining commercial calves are sold in the Kentucky Hereford-Influenced Feeder Calf sales.

The goal at Matheny Herefords is to produce Hereford cattle that fit the demand of its customers to perform well in both purebred and commercial operations. Focusing on phenotype as well as genomic predictors has allowed the Mathenys to produce a product that is adapted to the needs of their customers. Each year they strive to breed cattle that will have a positive impact on the industry and will be profitable for their customers.

Andrew is a member of the AHA and the Kentucky Hereford Association. He has been a Kentucky voting delegate at the Annual Meeting since 2014, has served on the Kentucky State Show planning committee since 2015 and has been a Kentucky Junior Hereford Association advisor since 2017. Andrew also served on the executive planning committee for the JNHEs in 2006 and 2017. He is a past member of the Kentucky Hereford Association board of directors as well as a past member of the AJHA board of directors from 1985-87.

Andrew is a member of the Mason County Cattleman’s Association, the Kentucky Cattleman’s Association and the Mason County Livestock Improvement Association. He is also a member and deacon at Highland Christian Church.

Andrew and Suzanne have two children, Austin and Taylor Belle, who both serve on the NJHA board of directors.