What Are Registered Hereford Cattle Used For

Breeds of Livestock - Polled Hereford

Polled Hereford

The Origin and Growth of Polled Herefords
Polled Herefords represent the development of an idea - an thought spawned in the minds of a minor number of Midwestern Hereford breeders in the late 1890s who realized that it was both possible and practical to develop "modern Herefords minus horns."
These breeders were motivated by the promising prospect of developing Herefords with outstanding beef-producing characteristics, but with the added desirable trait of being naturally hornless. They planted the seed from which grew a new giant in the American and globe beefiness cattle industry

The Polled Hereford of today is the outcome - a modern, practical breed of cattle that has experienced widespread acceptance and desirability.

Polled Herefords were developed from the horned Hereford breed which was founded in the mid-18th century past the farmers of Hereford County, England. Amongst the horned Herefords an occasional dogie would be born which did not develop horns. This change from parents' characteristics is known every bit a "mutation." These cattle soon came to be called "polled," which means naturally hornless.

Warren Gammon, a young Iowa Hereford breeder from Des Moines, originated Polled Herefords. He seized upon the idea of producing the hornless cattle after seeing some on exhibition at the Trans-Mississippi World Fair in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1898.

Three years later, Gammon established the Polled Hereford breed registry with 11 head of naturally hornless whiteface cattle he had located and purchased. These Herefords were registered in the American Hereford Association, but were not identified as to their polled feature. Therefore, Gammon formed the American Polled Hereford Cattle Order to maintain a carve up tape of purebred Polled Hereford registrations.

Thus, in 1901, the Polled Hereford breed came into being with 11 registrations on record. In 1907, the pioneer breeders of Polled Herefords incorporated their arrangement, with headquarters in the Gammon home in Des Moines. Gammon served every bit executive secretary until 1921.

Today the Polled Hereford registry is combined with the American Hereford Clan.

The photographs and information contained on this page are provided courtesy of the American Hereford Association, P. O. Box 014059, Kansas Metropolis, MO 64101