© Hereford Traditional Cattle Breeders Club Maintained by Local PC Care
Traditional Herefords Club
The club is dedicated to the preservation of the last 200 years of British families of Hereford Cattle, including all of the distinctive features and conformation which have made the Hereford the supreme breed for economy in Grazing and feeding.
These animals are bred for specialist beef markets and command much higher prices than the crossing cattle designed for the supermarket. A great number of our breeders now market the final product direct to the end customers who demand a high quality product with traceability of the Farm, the Breeding and the Production.
We welcome all breeders and potential breeders of Hereford Cattle to our site and hope you will find it both interesting and informative.
A club is a collective group of people with a common thread. The common thread here is preservation of the Native or Traditional Hereford. This club was formed in August 1996 by Hereford Cattle breeders, within the UK, who wished to maintain the Native or Traditional Hereford Cattle, who were bred from cattle that were born and reared in Great Britain and Ireland, and whose ancestry is traceable to the 1878 Herd Book.
This Club is, however, not a preservation society. The aim of the club is to maintain and expand the influence of the Native Hereford in today's conditions. This entails using the cattle of our past to enhance and support our cattle in the future. However, the conservation of these cattle is entirely in the hands of club members and their ability to breed, rear and market the results of their work within the modern economic climate.
The Club aim is to meet four times a year. These meetings are usually held twice at the Royal Show Ground, Stonleigh, Warwickshire, in September and December; in March at Hereford House, Hereford, for the Annual General Meeting; and once a year, usually in June, for a farm walk, to inspect typical working cattle of the Breed. The meetings have a formal and social aspect to them. The formal aspect of the meetings is the discussion and formulation of the aims and objectives that we as a club are able to influence. The bringing together of like minded people in an atmosphere of friendship provides the basis of our social aspect.
The Club is part of the "Traditional Meat Marketing Scheme". This enables all cattle reared for slaughter, that are Native Hereford in breeding, the opportunity be marketed through the Scheme. This is a formal arrangement which enables us to market our cattle in a competitive and profitable manner conducive with the overall aims of the club. Members are also entitled to market their cattle to their own personal advantage, however that might be.
The Traditional Hereford
Owning a Traditional Hereford is like owning a piece of History. These great animals have graced the turf of Herefordshire since before the 17th century and are now classified as a rare breed.
- Traditional Herefords contain no imported blood and can be traced back to the very first Herd book records in 1846. It is the supreme grazing animal produced and developed by Herefordshire and Welsh Border farmers many generations ago. It was designed to fulfil their basic needs for meat and hide. They could not afford a high maintenance animal, which is the reason why the breed was so sought after in the great grasslands of the World. Our great breeders have developed an animal, which is easy to maintain, is of perfect symmetry, has a kind temperament and is of consistent type.
- We are extremely lucky that a few discerning breeders have never strayed from the original quest of the early Hereford Breeders in developing the pure English Hereford. These efforts are paying off with the successful efforts of individual sales from the farm gate and a direct marketing campaign by the Traditional Meat Marketing Company to participating butchers. Premium prices are paid for this excellent product.
- Our main goals are to breed consistent cattle with excellent conformation at the right size and with an efficiency of conversion from grass to meat that is second to none.
- When the club started 10 years ago we had 350 breeding cows and the numbers have steadily increased to around 500.
- If you need help in obtaining cattle our energetic secretary will be happy to point you in the right direction.
Message From The Chairman
We hope you like our Web Site, which has been designed to provide maximum coverage on the Traditional Hereford and the Breeders who can help if you wish to participate in ownership.
You can read about the conformation and qualities of the breed from our experts and begin to understand why this ancient breed still commands the highest respect in the modern World.
Our news and events section will tell you what is happening during the year including shows where you can hope to see these quality animals. We have an open door policy and you are welcome to join us at any event to see how we operate.
For those of you who are interested in the History and current developments of the Traditional Hereford you can read all about them in the appropriate sections of the site.
International visitors are welcome and should register any interest with the secretary. We are receiving a lot of interest in our banks of Traditional Semen from around the World. If you have similar interest then do not hesitate to contact us.
David Powell
Chairman
David PowellChairman