09/21/05 Hereford Tour

Hereford Tour Sometimes seeing red can be a good thing, especially if there's a little white around the edges. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll tell you what I mean right after this. About 60 people were seeing red at the end of August this year. The red was bordered by white highlights since this was a cattle tour featuring Herefords. I couldn't go on the tour, but I called Cheryl Thomas, president of Oregon, Washington, and Northern Idaho Hereford Association or OWNI and had an enjoyable and informative tour discussion. There were four Hereford stops for the day starting at Bird Herefords of Halfway, Oregon. Next, McGinnis Hereford Ranch showed a purebred commercial herd that pastures the rough ground of the Powder River Breaks. Lunch- time at the MacKenzie Ranch in the Baker Valley changed the scenery from Hereford cattle to Quarter horses. First stop after lunch was Chandler Herefords, which was started in 1862. The tour ended with the hospitality of Harrell Herefords. I know all about that hospitality since we've bought bulls at their sale. Mrs. Thomas said the tour was a lot of work for her and her volunteer help but it was well worth the time. The timing of the event was perfect since the American Hereford Association held a Breed Improvement 101 Seminar at Baker City the day before. This was the first year a seminar was held west of the Mississippi River. I had to chuckle when Mrs. Thomas said she was worried about using association money and being accountable for it. I told her not to run for office, she would never become a good politician. I'm Jeff Keane.