For the past 13 years, Jim and Karen White have bought commercial Hereford cattle from two family herds, those of, Jr. & Sons and the Brite Ranch. These two herds have similar, line bred genetics. The majority of the heifers have been purchased from the family's Brite herd. The Brite Hereford cattle continue as our family's pride and joy, as well as our livelihood, throughout five generations.

Approximately 93 years of the line- breeding and strict selection have firmly fixed the essential beef characteristics and uniformity in our family's commercial herd. We offer individuals with good growth qualities and very high fertility.

Severe selection pressure has resulted in productive, middle-of the- road cattle that are in demand by breeders because of their outstanding uniformity, their adaptability to the range and their natural instinct to rustle for themselves, plus their desirable beef characteristics and performance. High standards are maintained. In the early part of the 20th century and still today the typically rain-short western ranges needed calves that could efficiently convert grass to muscle/meat, cows that could annually produce a calf and with the milk and mothering abilities to start that calf. An innate eye for selection and knowledge of cattle and the land generated these cattle.

These commercial cattle are possibly the oldest herd of line-bred Hereford cattle in the United States. A "closed herd" since 1915 the herd still functions today as a "closed herd." A closed herd with no introduction of any outside genetics. Line-breeding is the most successful means for establishing uniform quality and breeding. "Any breeder can produce some choice individuals, but to breed so scientifically as to make every one a choice individual is a Herculean task."

Jim weans, individually identifies and gives all heifer calves a full realm of vaccinations before moving them to native ranch pastures. He then begins his culling process. He's careful to select heifers with quiet dispositions and eye pigmentation. They're bred in late spring to low-birth-weight bulls.

To avoid reproductive diseases, Jim raises his own solid-colored Corriente bulls. "These bulls give us a live calf and a healthy heifer; one that is in good shape and ready to breed back. A compromise, but is the best option in the long run." says Jim.

As the heifers grow, Jim culls them a second time in summer. They're culled a third time when pregnancy tested in early fall and then sorted into calving groups.

Buyers find the heifers calve easily, are easy to handle, very uniform and very fertile. Normally, we get 97-98 percent bred in the first 60 days. Recently, many of these heifers sell into F1 programs that use gray Brahman bulls to breed for tiger-striped cattle. Other buyers breed to Angus bulls for black-baldy calves, while some prefer to use these heifers in their commercial Hereford operations.

Although Jim has found a niche market, he won't tell you it's without time and expense. "If it was easy, everybody would be doing it"

He says there are a lot of ways to raise replacement heifers. "But, in the long run, it's more efficient to buy them." Jim points out, if you figure in opportunity costs, you've lost two year's production. He predicts we're going to see more and more people buying replacements. "And there's going to be a trend toward more British genetics."

Jim summarizes, "A buyer gets over 100 years of experience when he buys these heifers. He gets what has taken us 100 years to develop."