Dale and Mary Barber – Barber Ranch
Honorary Members
Dale and Mary Barber are the founders of Barber Ranch, an honoree of the TX
Family Land Heritage award given for 100 plus years of continuous agricultural
production by the same family. Barber Ranch has been family owned and operated
since 1904. The Barber name is known prominently throughout the cattle industry for
raising elite Horned & Polled Hereford cattle. Their bloodlines can be seen throughout
Hereford pedigrees worldwide and their cattle excel for both seed stock producers and
commercial cattlemen.
For 112 years the ranch has been owned and operated by just one family. It
began as a primarily commercial Hereford ranch and farming operation started by Mary
Barber’s grandfather, James Benjamin Brown. Although there had been registered
Herefords since the beginning, the cowherd transitioned entirely to a registered
operation in 1950. Dale Barber also grew up on a commercial Hereford ranch before
graduating from veterinarian school at Texas A&M University in 1967. From there he
served as an officer in the Air Force at which time he met and fell in love with Mary.
Dale and Mary got married in the late ‘60s and moved back to the ranch and took over
in the ‘70s eventually building one of the most renowned registered Hereford ranches
anywhere.
Raising Hereford cattle that offer exceptional phenotype and performance while
maintaining strong maternal traits has always been a focus at Barber Ranch. The cow
herd was comprised entirely of Horned Hereford genetics until the late 1990’s. In 1995
the American Hereford Association and the American Polled Hereford Association
merged. At that time the vast majority of breeders did not cross horned and polled
genetics. However, Barber Ranch was one of the true pioneers in the industry as they
crossed the two and did it with great popularity.
Barber Ranch’s goal is two-fold. They strive to produce bulls that perform for the
commercial cattleman while at the same time producing females that advance Hereford
genetics for other seed stock producers. Although they hold an annual bull sale in
November aimed at commercial cattlemen and then an annual female sale in December
targeting other Hereford seed stock producers – you can still find the same great
matings in both sales – and both sales consist of a large proportion of embryo transfer
calves.
Dale and Mary have built a foundation for the future that will be continued for
years at the ranch. Children: Brett, Terri, Jason & Justin will ensure that the Barber
legacy continues to flourish in the future and that registered red and white face cattle
will always be a staple north of Channing. The entire family is honored to see the hard
work and lifetime dedication to the Hereford breed that Dale and Mary are receiving.