Many people ask...who is the Miniature Hereford Breeders Association? Well, the Miniature Hereford Breeders Association was established in the state of Nebraska on November 8, 2001 as a non-profit organization led by a Board that meets bi-monthly by means of a tele-conference call. The Board holds its annual meeting in Denver, Colorado in conjunction with the Miniature Hereford World show at the National Western Stock Show in January. The Miniature Hereford Breeders Association was formed by like-minded Miniature Hereford breeders in the hope of bringing together breeders from across the US and Canada to improve the breed, educate the public on the positive aspects of owning a Miniature Hereford, as well as promoting them in the show world as an alternative to the larger breeds. The MHBA works to inform potential breeders of the benefits of owning Miniature Herefords, especially for those who own smaller acreages, are interested in farm tax deferral, and for those families who have youth that were interested in the raising, marketing, and showing of beef cattle.
I am often asked "Why should I join the Miniature Hereford Breeders Association?" The answer is easy, as a Family level member, you will receive four issues of the Miniature Hereford News magazine free of charge (4 issues per year), the ability to show in Miniature Hereford shows all across the United States, have access to special sections of the website and receive newsletters. But more than that...when you join the MHBA, you instantly become part of a huge family that shares the same interest...Miniature Herefords. Every member of the MHBA works hard to improve their genetics and expand the breed as a whole and being part of this Miniature Hereford family provides you with a vast number of dedicated individuals who have many years of experience in raising, showing, and marketing these animals. Whether you are new to the mini world or an old hand, everyone is happy to provide guidance and knowledge to those who request it. One of the benefits of being a member and part of this family is that you are able to connect easily with other members if you have questions about what to feed, calving, or even showing these special little guys. Another benefit to joining the MHBA is to be able to easily find other breeders if you are in need of purchasing that perfect bull or selling a few extra females you have. I usually find that if a fellow MHBA member doesn't have what you are looking for to purchase, they will almost always assist you in finding another member who does. What could be better...Family and cows!
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2022-23 MHBA President Kurt Hoban
My wife Jen and I live north of Detroit Lakes, MN and have | MHBA Region 6 Director Craig Rutland
Region 6 Members, My name is Craig Rutland and I have recently been appointed as the temporary Region 6 Director for the MHBA. I currently reside in Hamilton Texas and co-own and operate with my wife Phyllis, Rut Ranch in Hamilton County. We have been raising miniature Herefords since 2008 and continue to expand our herd. We don’t per-say show ourselves, but occasionally, our grandkids will, our main focus here at the ranch is to first and foremost enjoy the minis, and secondly raise the best quality that we can to move on to others that may want to show more aggressively or even just wanting to start their own herds. As we all know, its only time and money, which if you’re like me, am limited in both areas, but the sheer enjoyment and pleasure we receive from the mini’s are well worth the time it takes. I was born and raised in San Angelo, Texas. I spent 12 years in the agriculture transportation industry hauling cattle/sheep/hay/farm equipment/etc. In 1988 I decided to get off the road and go into the Health, Safety and Environmental world in the oil and gas field. I have spent the last 32 years in the midstream business starting at ground zero to today being the Director of the EHS department for a Fortune 250 company based out of Tulsa Oklahoma. As I am new to this appointed position within MHBA, I look forward to working with all members whether you like to raise the minis for your enjoyment, to the members that raise their cattle to be in the show world. My thoughts are regardless what reason you’re into the miniatures every voice and thoughts are important as the next. We must remember at the end of the day it’s what can we do to continue to grow and strengthen the miniature Herford breed and to bring more families into this world of fun. I am sure we will have growing pains, but I feel confident that we can always overcome and prevail in doing what is best for not only Region 6, but the MHBA as well if we all work together for the common goal. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. Keep in mind I am new into this position and may not be able to answer the questions you may have at the time, but rest assured I will always find the answers and get back with you. My contact information is listed below. I look forward to hopefully one day meeting or getting to visit with each of you soon. Sincerely Craig Rutland Email: hcrutland@gmail.com |
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2022-23 MHBA Vice-President Dan Wiley I live in Central Ohio with my wife, Heather and our two teenage boys, Isaac and Walker. My wife and I both grew up in the city, but spent our weekends in the country with grandparents. Twenty years ago, we left city living behind and bought a small hobby farm. I spend my days as the Service Manager of a commercial HVAC company and then come home to do what I really love on the farm. In 2009, we bought our first Miniature Herefords and started 4 Wiley Farm. The name of our farm represents the four Wileys in this venture, but also represents the four cows that started our Miniature Hereford herd. We had never owned cattle before and had no idea what we were doing. That first year was a baptism by fire, but we sure did learn a lot. Our home farm is only eleven acres, but with rented pastures we have now grown our herd to approximately 20 head of Miniature Herefords. Our oldest son started showing in 4-H in 2012 and we have been involved in the show circuit ever since. We now show on the county, state and national levels. I have had the privilege of being the Miniature Hereford show superintendent for the Ohio Beef Expo, the Ohio State Fair and the North American International Livestock Expo. I am passionate about the Miniature Hereford breed and am excited to see the breed growing in this part of the country. The more we show up, the more we are recognized. The more we are recognized, the more opportunities will be presented for us to showcase our breed. The Miniature Hereford Breeders Association has offered our family great opportunities through the show ring and by being part of an organization that has so much to offer the cattle industry. This cattle business is a family affair. I can’t imagine living and raising my boys in any other life. As Isaac and Walker are growing up, leaving for college, and looking to their own futures, we have had to take a step back and look at which direction this cattle venture will turn. Time will only tell how big or how small this cattle operation will be, but each and every one of us loves Miniature Herefords, so I have a feeling things will only be getting bigger and better around here. | MHBA Region 2 Director John Cooper Spring Trail Ranch began in June 2009 with an unusual event. As I was on top of the new barn's roof, for our four horses, finishing up installing the galvanized roof panels. My wife Yvonne shot down the hill screaming John, John, where are you ! Immediately I assumed something was wrong and shot up from a crawling position of installing screws into the roof panels and yelled what's wrong ! Oh nothing came from her voice. She then informed me she had just seen and copied this story on Fox TV about this man in California who had these adorable miniature cows called miniature Herefords. We'll, right then and there, I knew I was in trouble ! After finishing up the roof panels, I drug my tired body into the house to see this copied video of this guy in California and these adorable mini cows. Well I have been to California over five times in a car, with and without air conditioning in the summer time. So I was not looking forward to explaining that to my wife who was all excited. Well I did enjoy the video and said surely somebody else in the country closer to us, being in North Carolina, would have some Miniature Herefords. After researching online and talking to several breeders for a month we ended up buying our initial stock of four heifers and a bull from Nebraska. Only 1250 miles from home ! Well the rest is history after numerous more purchases of mini's we have a herd of 75 ranging in age from two weeks to our old girl, 18 year old KAP Flora Rose out of the famous KAP King Henry. Flora just had a gorgeous heifer last October and has so every year since we purchased her. Our other animals include our Bouvier des Flanders dogs that we have bred since 1974. Thru the years in showing we had 29 Champions and several group winners. But the primary purpose of the Bouvier's is the protection of our property and people. Bouvier's are herding dogs with super temperament's and unwavering unending desire to defend their territory. They originated in Belgium and as a side note during WWII the Germans had a bounty on the Bouvier's as a feared adversary. After retiring from the insurance industry several years ago, our mini's and Bouvier's are our full time passion. I love seeing each year what breeding combination produces and how to improve what I am doing with our mini's. To me it is very interesting to see each other breeders style of mini's through out the country. You can learn a lot from each breeders efforts. Interestingly thru the Covid 19 pandemic we have seen an tremendous upswing in the interest for mini's in the Southeast this past year. I believe since the average person is spending more time at home they have decided to put there land to work and / or they see the need to be self sufficient down the road. It's a great time to be involved in the Miniature Herefords ! John Cooper MHBA Region 3 Issac Wiley
Growing up in the Miniature Hereford breed, I am proud to now be able to serve the members in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Illinois and Wisconsin and help to promote the breed, support our breeders and keep the MHBA strong and moving forward. I live in Mount Vernon, Ohio and I am one of the four that makes up 4 Wiley Farm. I am a 2022 graduate of the University of Northwestern Ohio and I now work for a commercial HVAC company. I am actively involved in the day-to-day operations of our family farm with a special focus on growing the size and diversity of the farm. I have been involved behind the scenes of the MHBA for many years as a Regional Ambassador, as well as assisting my parents with many of the shows. I look forward to our region working together to become better people, better cattle men and women, better breeders and continuing to improve the Miniature Hereford breed and the organization. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, concerns or ways that I can assist you. |
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2022-23 MHBA Region 4 Director Amanda Morgan
My name is Amanda Morgan and I am from El Dorado, Arkansas. I live on a small farm with my husband Josh and our daughter Myra. My husband and I own a feed store in the same community we live in, and are 4-H leaders there as well. I grew up in Oklahoma on a commercial cattle ranch where my love of cattle started. From the 9th grade till my freshmen year of college I showed various commercial cattle, sheep, rabbits and chickens. I have a bachelor in Agribusiness from Southern Arkansas University and a Masters in Agribusiness Management from Mississippi State. We got our first miniature Hereford in 2018 when my daughter became old enough to show them. One grew to two and soon we had a small herd. We currently are still expanding and teaching our daughter about good genetics in the cattle we raise. Our family still has the commercial farm in Oklahoma, a few head in Arkansas and our own small but growing herd of miniature Herefords. My contact info is amanda@blockr.farm and cell number is 870-904-0153 Amanda Morgan |
MHBA Region 5 Director Leon Lamer |
MHBA Region 6 Director Craig Rutland
Region 6 Members, My name is Craig Rutland and I have recently been appointed as the temporary Region 6 Director for the MHBA. I currently reside in Hamilton Texas and co-own and operate with my wife Phyllis, Rut Ranch in Hamilton County. We have been raising miniature Herefords since 2008 and continue to expand our herd. We don’t per-say show ourselves, but occasionally, our grandkids will, our main focus here at the ranch is to first and foremost enjoy the minis, and secondly raise the best quality that we can to move on to others that may want to show more aggressively or even just wanting to start their own herds. As we all know, its only time and money, which if you’re like me, am limited in both areas, but the sheer enjoyment and pleasure we receive from the mini’s are well worth the time it takes. I was born and raised in San Angelo, Texas. I spent 12 years in the agriculture transportation industry hauling cattle/sheep/hay/farm equipment/etc. In 1988 I decided to get off the road and go into the Health, Safety and Environmental world in the oil and gas field. I have spent the last 32 years in the midstream business starting at ground zero to today being the Director of the EHS department for a Fortune 250 company based out of Tulsa Oklahoma. As I am new to this appointed position within MHBA, I look forward to working with all members whether you like to raise the minis for your enjoyment, to the members that raise their cattle to be in the show world. My thoughts are regardless what reason you’re into the miniatures every voice and thoughts are important as the next. We must remember at the end of the day it’s what can we do to continue to grow and strengthen the miniature Herford breed and to bring more families into this world of fun. |
Region 7 Director Luke Arnold
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Region 8 Director Jerry DuVal
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MHBA Region 9 Director Robin Benton
Hi, I’m Robin Benton. I live in Manti, UT which is about 120 miles southeast of Salt Lake City and I’m running for Region 9 Director. I have raised Boer goats and Dorper sheep. In 2015, I sold my goat herd and opted for cattle. I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle full-size cattle, so I began researching the miniature breeds. Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved the look of the Hereford. The red and white just stood out and takes me back to my childhood days of the range cattle that hung out my favorite fishing hole. I was very happy to see they came in a mini size. I was able to secure some breeding stock from a ranch in northern Utah and started my cattle ranch – Diamond Dollar Ranch. I had no plans of showing. However, that changed when Dan Taylor, the Regional Director, arrived at my home. It was his knowledge and somewhat of a persistent nudge, I started showing. Now I’m hooked and spend my spare time researching bloodlines, AI cattle and developing an embryo program. I’ve built my herd up to about 20 cows using some of the best bloodlines I can afford. As a Regional Director, I hope I can also help others find the joy of owning and showing the miniature Hereford. |
Past MHBA Executive Officers and Regional Directors |
Justin Grady has served as the President of the Miniature Hereford Breeders Association for many years. He was an exhibitor the very first year Miniature Herefords were shown at the National Western Stock Show and has been instrumental in making the breed an integral part of this historic event. He has been the Show Superintendent for countless shows, pioneering the way for the breed. We are deeply indebted to Justin’s dedication and foresight in establishing the Miniature Hereford breed at many shows throughout the country as well as being the driving force behind the Miniature Hereford Youth Foundation and the Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals. Justin has led the organization through years of growth, guided us through challenges and helped to make the breed what it is today. It is with heavy hearts that the MHBA Board has accepted Justin’s resignation as President of the organization. We know this was not an easy decision for Justin, and we will forever be grateful for his service and many contributions to the breed. Justin, on behalf of the Board of the MHBA, thank you for all you have done. |
MHBA President
