When Matt Harting, and his father Dan, visited Lenth Herefords for the first time in December, 2015, they were considering adding Hereford bulls to their primarily black angus cow herd, to bring some heterosis into the picture. When they left that day, they not only had picked out two coming yearling bulls, but also four heifer calves to be kept and bred at the Lenth’s that they would pick up the following fall as bred heifers. Since then, Matt has been so happy with the results of both the bulls and females, that he has added bred females each spring & fall calving season ever since, as well as more Hereford bulls. While he continues to maintain a number of straight angus cows, he has added his own BWF females and more purebred Herefords so that he has flexibility with his herd. As of summer 2019, he is currently running 4 registered Hereford bulls and 30 registered Hereford cows, as well as his black and BWF cows, and has never second guessed his decision to bring Herefords into his herd. Matt will tell you that he thinks “Herefords are the best breed you can have. I don’t care if you like black cattle, but the docility of the Herefords is the best. They are quiet to work with, and they gain faster because they are so efficient and calm. Hereford cows milk better than any angus ever will, and I love the BWF females that I’ve kept too. My Hereford and BWF feeder calves grow great, you can see the difference as you look through the pen.”
Since Matt finishes out his own cattle, the hybrid vigor and extra growth is important, and he sees it in every group. He also has begun selling a select number of Hereford bulls and has rented some out locally, with excellent satisfaction from his own clients. When it comes to satisfaction and customer service, Matt says “Lenths are the only supplier I have bought cattle from that I haven’t ever had issues with. Short of losing one calf from a bred heifer at no fault of the heifer’s, we have never had a problem over the past three years with any of the cattle we’ve purchased. That says a lot!” When asked what the Lenth’s do to help them with their decisions and cattle operation, his answer was “Everything! Customer service is first rate, they’re always available to answer questions and help give ideas and information on any animal or management process I’m thinking about.” Matt Harting remembers the day he first visited the Lenth operation, and he’s eager to be at the front of the line for each calf crop looking over the new offerings, as he evaluates his own progress and makes plans for how to keep moving his own operation forward. He recommends anyone looking to add Hereford bulls or females to their herd, to consider Lenth Herefords and what they have to offer.
Dennis & Vicki Salow, along with son Andy, operate Walnut Valley Angus near Colesburg, Iowa. With a purebred black angus herd of 120 cows, they have built a reputation for selling top-notch feeder calves. About 5 years ago, their “repeat buyer” asked Dennis to consider bringing a Hereford bull into the herd, to bring some heterosis and more frame to the calf crop. Dennis and Vicki visited with Doug & Marilyn, and selected “LH 027X Paymaster 412B” to be added as a new herd sire. Paymaster (or Curly, as Dennis refers to him), was selected for his high growth, large frame, pigmentation (lots of dark red with 2 goggle eyes), and his calm disposition. He was used heavily in 2015, breeding 25 cows as a yearling. “I pushed him hard, but he got the job done,” said Dennis. In the spring of 2016, the Salow’s were very impressed with their first crop of calves. Many had pigment around their eyes, they were deep bodied and grew extremely well. As the summer went on, the successful results were more and more evident. Dennis explained, “I love their docility. The baldie heifers and steers are the ones that just stand around calmly. You almost have to push them out of the way, they are so quiet.” The straight black calves will retreat to the corner or fenceline. It’s easy to see the differences between their straight angus calves, and the Hereford sired baldie calves, even without seeing their faces. Dennis explained that he could go across the back of the calves while they were eating at the bunk. He could pick out the baldies just by looking across their hind quarters and backs. Vicki would be at the front of the bunk, seeing the faces, and confirming his picks. The Salow’s have become strong believers that heterosis pays off in big ways, and they have the figures to prove it. Paymaster’s first calf crop was weaned in the Fall of 2016. The Salow’s compared the first (oldest) 12 baldies to the 12 oldest angus when they were sold. Even with the strong angus program that the Salow’s have built, the first draft of baldie steers weighed an average 108 lbs. heavier than their angus counterparts! In the second draft, the baldie calves weighed an average of 66 lbs. heavier. Overall, their baldie calves averaged 87 lbs. heavier than their angus counterparts of the same age! The baldie calves also brought $8/cwt more than the straight angus calves. Dennis explained that when his buyer took delivery of the first baldie calves this past fall, he tapped Dennis on the shoulder and said, “Now that’s what I was talking about!” He was extremely happy with the additional frame of the calves. As most finishing operators would agree, he has a better opportunity to make money with calves that have the frame to finish out at 1400 lbs., versus calves that only have the frame for 1200 lbs.
In the 2016 breeding season, Paymaster was used on 35 angus cows. As of February, 2017, Dennis was pleased to report that 32 of those cows had already calved, which was in just the first 30 days. They only ‘negative’ is that they’ve only had 4 heifer calves so far, and were hoping for more that they could use as replacement females! They are looking forward to continuing to use Paymaster during 2017, and they’ll be bringing in a second Lenth Hereford bull to use on more of their cows. They’ll be looking at half of their calves being Hereford sired for the 2018 calf crop. They couldn’t be happier with bringing Paymaster and his Hereford influence into their herd. As Dennis says, “I think we’ve got something pretty special going here.”
As a customer and friend, I would like to express my complete gratitude to Doug & Marilyn Lenth over the last 4 years in helping us build our herd of registered Hereford cattle. This was my husband’s dream and I wanted to see it come true! As I was searching thru the internet, I came across Lenth Hereford Cattle. I soon called, and this sweet voice came over the phone! It was Mrs. Marilyn. I told her my husband’s dream and asked if she could help me. Without a doubt she graciously stepped up to the plate. We bought 6 heifers and an amazing bull to get started. We then added two more heifers the following year. We have had a very successful calving season the last 3 years in a row. We have now built our herd to 12 heifers and 6 bulls. Doug and Marilyn are amazing people to work with. There has never been a time in the day or night when I have called to ask a question about calving or registrations that a friendly voice hasn’t picked up the phone with all the willingness to answer our questions or find out an answer as quickly as possible. I would strongly recommend that if you are looking to buy any Hereford cattle, Lenth Hereford Cattle is the place to call!
In the spring of 2013, I purchased bull 167Y from Lenth Herefords, and he is one of the best breeders I have ever had. I put him on 22 angus cows (by himself) the 1st year. The cows he bred were done calving within 30 days, with 18 bull calves and 4 heifers. The 2nd year he was with 25 cows (by himself), and those cows were done calving in 45 days (20 were in the 1st 30 days!). That crop was 20 bulls to just 5 heifer calves. I bought 167Y so that I could raise heifers (like the one pictured), but he threw mainly bull calves. The 3rd year he was used on 35 head, along with a yearling angus bull. Of those cows, 167Y bred 31 – the yearling angus only sired 4 calves. The 31 calves that year were 26 bulls and only 5 heifers. The tally is not in yet this year, but he is running more bulls again. He is really an easy calving sire – not even one was assisted! I don’t have any statistics on his calves, but I would say that 95% of his steers are in the top end of the weight class. Bull 167Y is one of the best breeding bulls I have owned.
My son and I recently purchased 2 bred heifers from Lenth Herefords. Our goal was to get him a 4H project and to start a production herd. Marilyn helped us to choose the best animals for the purpose. They went out of their way to meet us for delivery to cut down our drive since we live several miles away. We are very satisfied with the quality of the animals we purchased as well as the calves that were born. The thing that impresses me the most, though, is how willing they are to help with information and advice even months after the sale. It has truly been a pleasure dealing with the Lenth's.
My goal was to buy a few cattle for my retirement, have years of enjoyment with my grandchildren and their 4H calf projects, and to have peace of mind for the beef that my family eats. During my search for the right match, one of my sons and I visited the Lenth’s farm. What a wonderful experience. Their cattle were so calm in the pastures with their calves, even with total strangers like us. I bought 4 heifers that day in May, 2016, and selected a bull to have them bred to. Delivery would be December of 2016. Along this process, I decided that I would also need a bull of my own. During the months between purchase and delivery, Marilyn kept me well informed of the progress of the heifers and the bull that I chose. Once they were delivered, it took very little time for these cattle to adjust to their new home. Just recently the heifers have started to calve. I was given a due date for each heifer, and the calves have been born within 48 hours of that date. I am happy to say that the calves are extremely healthy, the mothers are as calm as could ever be expected, and there has been no problems with birthing what so ever. The Bull was young and is maturing very well. I’m looking forward to seeing his calves in 2018. Thank You so much Marilyn and Doug for your time and caring, you are the best. I could not have asked for a better experience. Lenth Herefords was the right choice!