From Hereford page on Oklahoma State's Breed of Livestock page:
"The Hereford breed was founded some two and one-half centuries ago as a product
of necessity. Thrifty and enterprising farmers near Hereford in the County
of Herefordshire, England,
were determined to produce beef for the expanding food market created by Britain's
industrial revolution. To succeed in Herefordshire, these early-day cattlemen
realized they must have cattle which could efficiently convert their native
grass to beef and do it at a profit.
"There was no breed in existence at the time to fill that need, so the farmers
of Herefordshire founded the beef breed that logically became known as Herefords.
These early Hereford breeders molded their cattle with the idea in mind of
a high yield of beef and efficiency of production, and so firmly fixed these
characteristics that they remain today as outstanding characteristics of the
breed.
"Beginning in 1742 with a bull calf from the cow Silver and two cows, Pidgeon
and Mottle, inherited from his father's estate, Benjamin Tomkins is credited
with founding the Hereford breed. This was 18 years before Robert Bakewell
began developing his theories of animal breeding. From the start, Mr. Tomkins
had as his goals economy in feeding, natural aptitude to grow and gain from
grass and grain, rustling ability, hardiness, early maturity and prolificacy,
traits that are still of primary importance today.
"Other pioneering breeders were to follow the Tomkins' lead and establish
the world-wide renown for the Herefordshire cattle causing their exportation
from England to wherever grass grows and beef production is possible.
"Herefords in the 1700's and early 1800's in England were much larger than
today. Many mature Herefords of those days weighed 3,000 pounds or more. Cot more,
a winning show bull and noteworthy sire, weighed 3,900 pounds when shown in
1839. Gradually, the type and conformation changed to less extreme size and
weight to get more smoothness, quality and efficiency."
Today, there are yes both Miniature Herefords, but there are still the traditional-sized Herefords that have an average weight of around 1400 lbs for cows and 2200 lbs for bulls. Historically, the Hereford breed had taken over in North America in from the late 1800's to the mid 1900's, but popularity decreased as the Angus breed took over. But the Hereford breed still holds strong, even though there is only a few thousand registered breeders in both the American Hereford Association and Canadian Hereford Association.
"The Hereford breed was founded some two and one-half centuries ago as a product
of necessity. Thrifty and enterprising farmers near Hereford in the County
of Herefordshire, England,
were determined to produce beef for the expanding food market created by Britain's
industrial revolution. To succeed in Herefordshire, these early-day cattlemen
realized they must have cattle which could efficiently convert their native
grass to beef and do it at a profit.
"There was no breed in existence at the time to fill that need, so the farmers
of Herefordshire founded the beef breed that logically became known as Herefords.
These early Hereford breeders molded their cattle with the idea in mind of
a high yield of beef and efficiency of production, and so firmly fixed these
characteristics that they remain today as outstanding characteristics of the
breed.
"Beginning in 1742 with a bull calf from the cow Silver and two cows, Pidgeon
and Mottle, inherited from his father's estate, Benjamin Tomkins is credited
with founding the Hereford breed. This was 18 years before Robert Bakewell
began developing his theories of animal breeding. From the start, Mr. Tomkins
had as his goals economy in feeding, natural aptitude to grow and gain from
grass and grain, rustling ability, hardiness, early maturity and prolificacy,
traits that are still of primary importance today.
"Other pioneering breeders were to follow the Tomkins' lead and establish
the world-wide renown for the Herefordshire cattle causing their exportation
from England to wherever grass grows and beef production is possible.
"Herefords in the 1700's and early 1800's in England were much larger than
today. Many mature Herefords of those days weighed 3,000 pounds or more. Cot more,
a winning show bull and noteworthy sire, weighed 3,900 pounds when shown in
1839. Gradually, the type and conformation changed to less extreme size and
weight to get more smoothness, quality and efficiency."
Today, there are yes both Miniature Herefords, but there are still the traditional-sized Herefords that have an average weight of around 1400 lbs for cows and 2200 lbs for bulls. Historically, the Hereford breed had taken over in North America in from the late 1800's to the mid 1900's, but popularity decreased as the Angus breed took over. But the Hereford breed still holds strong, even though there is only a few thousand registered breeders in both the American Hereford Association and Canadian Hereford Association.
