Cooper Hereford Ranch
At home under the Big Sky!
Our Hereford ranch sits nestled amidst the mountainous foothills of southwestern Montana near where the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin rivers converge to form the headwaters of the mighty Missouri river. Settled in 1914, our family is proud to have roots in agriculture that date back over a century. And especially proud of our legacy within the Hereford breed. We offer reliable Hereford cattle for sale to commercial producers each year in our annual production sale held at the ranch the 2nd Tuesday of March.
At Cooper Herefords, we’ve remained dedicated to Line 1 genetics for over 75 years, combining decades of data collection, performance testing, and line breeding to deliver cattle with unmatched predictability and uniformity. We aim to offer Hereford cattle for sale that meet the demands of the commercial segment of our industry and have remained steadfast in focusing on fertility, maternal and performance.
One hundred years of hard work and good management have helped transform the original 480 acre homestead into a fertile 4,500 acre ranch. We harvest hay and grain on 1,800 acres of farmland with the remaining acreage serving as home to over 200 registered Line 1 Hereford cattle and 150 head of commercial cattle. Our recipient herd is home-grown and ET calves are raised on the ranch from birth to sale day. This ensures all calves are managed similarly and helps prevent introduction of health concerns into our herd from outside genetics. Our breeding season is a short 45 days which has strengthened the fertility in our herd and further increased the uniformity of our calf crops.
Backed by over a century of ranching expertise that’s rooted in stewardship of our land and cattle. We respect the beliefs and practices of previous generations but have proactively interwoven progressive and innovative farming and ranching practices into our business. We believe strongly in the value of a hard day’s work, and in treating our customers and peers with integrity and honesty.
The History of Cooper Herefords
Patriarch Jack Cooper purchased his first Hereford cattle for sale – 15 Line 1 females – from the U.S. Range Livestock Experiment Station in 1947. At that time, Jack’s brother-in-law, Dr. Ray Woodward, was a Line 1 Project Leader at the Experiment Station in Miles City, MT. He ultimately convinced Jack and his half-brother Leslie Holden to become involved in this closed line of breeding…. Read More
