The Black Hereford Breed of Beef Cattle

     The term Black Hereford is used in the British Isles to describe a particular line of hybrid beef cattle. Although the use of the term was meant only as a casual reference, it has become a much-respected name for a unique group of bovines. The American Black Hereford Association is one of the major promoters of this exceptional beef cattle breed. The ABHA handles all of the registration and lineage information for the American Black Hereford and there are dozens of rules regarding the inclusion of any animal into these record books.

What is a Black Hereford?
     A Black Hereford is an offspring resulting from the pairing of a Holstein-Friesian cow and a Hereford bull. While one of the most often seen cows in the  British Isles it is still less widely known in the US. The white face of the Hereford and the Black hide color of the Holstein-Friesian create a distinctive physical appearance for the offspring. There can be some white on the legs and underside of the body, but there is no mixing of the colors on the back and shoulders. The black body color is a direct contrast to the red color seen in the normal Hereford cattle.

Black Hereford Breed Making Big Strides in the US Market.
     Black Hereford is the term used by cattlemen in the US when they are referring to one line of cows that is now attracting a lot of public attention. The US Patent and Trademark Office made the term “Black Hereford” a registered trademark in 2002. In the year 2003, the National Association of Animal Breeders granted an international breed designation to the Black Hereford cattle line.  During 2005, the Black Hereford Beef product line was created and although production is still very limited, the meat is of superior quality and has an extremely low concentration of fat.

The Beginning of the US Black Hereford Line
     In 1994 the American Black Hereford Association was begun and 3 years later the first Black Hereford cattle qualified for registration and listing in the herdbooks that the ABHA keeps. This breed was chosen for one trait:
     • Fertility

     The Black Hereford foundation believed in this quality so strongly that the bulls were chosen for registration based on the size of their testicles. As the years progressed, the emphasis extended to the maternal instincts and ease of birth being shown by the female cows. Being able to introduce a newly created cattle breed requires a great deal of work and calving. Breeders must be able to keep their stock produce new heifers so that they can form new generations of these animals quickly. Qualifications for the females began to be focused on:
     • Milk Production
     • Size of the Pelvic Bones
     • Birth Weight of the Calves

Outstanding Traits of the Black Herefords
     The superb meat quality of the Black Hereford beef cattle is obvious and many cattle enthusiasts would choose the animal for this factor alone, but these animals are no “one trick ponies”. Today more people are learning about the exceptionally docile temperaments that the Black Herefords possess. Some people find the charm of the white faces to be too irresistible to resist, charm, but they are more practical traits that make them highly desired by cattle breeders.

     These animals can withstand almost any weather extreme and they handle the environment with ease. Even the coldest, bitter blizzards that can prostrate other cattle breeds are taken in stride by the Black Herefords, These bovines are also very efficient at using their food for weight gain and this makes them perfectly suited for grazing and grass fed diets.