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, Cooper Hereford Ranch began as a 480 acre homestead 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, Frank’s son Jack bought the land and continued to run a general farming operation for several years before laying the groundwork for Cooper Hereford Ranch with an investment in 15 Line 1 Hereford 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 desirable 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, Cooper Hereford Ranch had 10 years of performance testing under its belt. 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) to continue the Cooper Hereford Ranch legacy. They celebrated 100 years as stewards of the land in 2014, and they’re just one year away from hosting their 60th Annual Production Sale. The Cooper Hereford Ranch cowherd has grown significantly over the past century from 480 acres to 4000 acres and is home to over 200 registered Line 1 Herefords and approximately 150 head of recipient cows used for ET and IVF practices. 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 their cattle with the remaining 1500 ton marketed to local and regional ranchers.
