Mike McDonald, Jane Lew, W.Va., has been raising Herefords since he was 9 years old. His father, William P. McDonald Jr., and his grandfather, Paul, purchased the operation from the in 1967. They registered their first calf in 1968 and the WPM prefix was born. Mike began showing 4-H Hereford steers later that year and has been active in the breed since.

The McDonald family has always enjoyed promoting the breed. Mike’s father was active in starting the West Virginia Polled Hereford Association in the late 1960s, and as a current board director, Mike continues to help the association. He dedicates a large sum of his time assisting many local breeders in marketing their Hereford-influenced calves. He also supports the Certified Hereford-Influenced Feeder Calf Sale in Stanford, Ky., by getting a pot load of calves each year.

Mike and his companion, Becky, love helping the grandkids get involved in the Hereford business. They enjoy teaching them the everyday activities of beef cattle farming and have assisted them with participating in the last five Junior National Hereford Expos.