History
“Our greatest reward has been knowing the great people we have met through the years.”
Recorded as the Silver Brook Farm by the County Clerk on November 28, 1914, the original homestead of 480 acres was settled by Frank Oscar Cooper. He raised farm animals and harvested a large garden before losing the land during the Great Depression. After receiving a Land bank loan for $200/year, Frank repurchased the land. In 1946, his son Jack bought the land and continued to run a general farming operation for several years.
Jack Cooper purchased his first foundation stock – 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.
Shortly after Jack’s initial purchase, with the understanding that he could improve his stock by keeping precise records and breeding animals with desireable traits, Jack began number branding and performance testing his cattle. By the time the Montana Beef Performance Association was formed in 1957, with Jack as a charter member, he had 10 years of experience with Line 1 Herefords and performance testing. Jack later joined the American Hereford Association’s “Total Performance Records” program at its inception in 1964.
In 1977, after studying Ag-Production at Montana State University, Jack’s son Mark returned to Willow Creek permanently to assist with the ranching and farming operations. Together for over 40 years, father and son worked hand in hand to improve their cattle and grow their farming operation. Through their tireless work, good management and forward thinking, and with unyielding support from their wives Phyllis and Cristy (who served and continue to serve as the operation’s bookkeepers), the original 480 acre homestead was transformed into a fertile 4,000 acre ranch.
Today, Mark and Cristy work closely with the fourth generation (two of their four daughters, Kelsy and Katie, and son-in-law Dave Hanson). Our family celebrated 100 years as stewards of the land in 2014, and 2015 marked our 50th Annual Production Sale. The cowherd has grown significantly over the years and now includes over 200 registered Line 1 Herefords and approximately 150 head of recipient cows used for ET and IVF practices. The initial 480 acre farm has grown in size to 4000 acres and includes numerous center pivots and several wheel lines used to irrigate 1800 acres of farmland. The ranch produces close to 3000 tons of hay, 600 tons of sileage, and 500 acres of wheat annually. Over half of the hay produced is fed to our cattle with the remaining 1500 ton marketed to local and regional ranchers. We feel fortunate to have control over the production of our feed and find satisfaction in selling a top quality product to fellow producers.
