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Homer Herring: Beefmaster Breeders United Hall of Fame Inductee (1986)

Homer Herring was inducted into the Beefmaster Breeders United Hall of Fame in 1986, honored for contributions to a breed born on a Texas ranch.

Who is Homer Herring?

Homer Herring is a 1986 inductee in the Beefmaster Breeders United Hall of Fame, according to the association's list. No biography, ranch name or herd history accompanies the entry, and we did not find one elsewhere.

Herring was one of three inductees listed for 1986, and the hall page offers no further description.

How the Beefmaster breed began

To understand why a Beefmaster hall of fame exists, start with the cattle. Per the Oklahoma State breed summary, Ed C. Lasater put Brahman bulls on his Hereford and Shorthorn herd from 1908 and brought in Guzerat blood in 1925. Tom Lasater carried the work on after 1930, crossing Brahman with Hereford, using Shorthorn bulls, and naming the new cattle Beefmaster.

What did breeders actually look for? Six things: weight, conformation, milk production, fertility, hardiness and disposition, the Six Essentials. Oklahoma State describes multiple-sire herds and strict culling on those traits, and says selection favored beef production over horns, hide or color. Today the Lasater Ranch estimates a modern Beefmaster carries slightly less than half Brahman blood and slightly more than a quarter each Hereford and Shorthorn influence.

The association and the early years

Two dates frame the breed's organization. BBU's own history reports USDA recognition of Beefmasters as a pure breed in 1954 and the founding of Beefmaster Breeders United in 1961. The cross itself began in the early 1930s, when Tom Lasater mixed Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle to build animals that could earn money in hard economic times in South Texas.

From there the numbers climbed. BBU says the breed began rapid expansion out of South Texas in the early 1970s, with membership growing from 300 in 1974 to nearly 7,000 in 1998. Current membership is listed at about 3,000, still enough for a top-five ranking among U.S. beef registries by members.

What the Hall of Fame says

A BBU post on honoring inductees explains that the hall recognizes exceptional, visionary men and women for outstanding contributions to Beefmasters. It says nothing about how the choice is made and nothing about this inductee. The facts that can be stated are the name and the year.

Homer Herring, Wallace Harrell and Jack Dunn were all inducted in 1986, the first year listed on the hall page. Over on farm.FM, the ranching section follows the same kind of cattle history across breeds and regions.

Why It Mattered

A hall of fame entry is a short record, but it points to a long one. The documented parts of this story are the breed's origin, its selection standards, the creation of a breed association, and the recognition BBU later gave to people like Homer Herring.

Because the available pages do not detail this inductee's own work, the lessons below come from the documented history of the breed that the hall honors.

  • Start with a clear purpose: the breed was built for cattle that earn money in hard economic times.
  • Measure what pays: weight, conformation, milk, fertility, hardiness and disposition.
  • Cull on those traits, not on color, hide or horns.
  • Use many sires and keep records so the herd improves in a visible way.
  • Organize breeders: BBU was founded in 1961 and grew from 300 members in 1974 to nearly 7,000 by 1998.

What we still do not know

The official hall page lists Homer Herring and a 1986 induction year, and nothing more. Birth and death dates, home ranch, herd size and the specific contributions behind the honor are not given there, and we found no other source that documents them. We have chosen to leave those blanks rather than guess.

If you have family records, a ranch history or an old BBU publication that covers this inductee, it would make a better profile than context can. In the meantime, a farm.FM story about Beefmaster cattle gives a feel for the cattle and the people who raise them.

Timeline

  1. 1908Ed C. Lasater begins adding Brahman bulls to his Hereford and Shorthorn herd
  2. 1925Guzerat blood introduced to the herd
  3. 1930Ed C. Lasater dies; son Tom Lasater continues the program
  4. Early 1930sTom Lasater crosses Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle
  5. 1954USDA recognizes Beefmasters as a pure breed
  6. 1961Beefmaster Breeders United is founded
  7. 1986Homer Herring is inducted into the BBU Hall of Fame
  8. 1998BBU membership reaches nearly 7,000

Frequently asked questions

Who is Homer Herring?

Homer Herring is a Beefmaster Breeders United Hall of Fame inductee, listed on the association's hall of fame page with a 1986 induction. The page gives no biography, so personal details are not documented in the sources we reviewed.

When was Homer Herring inducted into the Beefmaster Hall of Fame?

The BBU hall of fame page lists Homer Herring among its inductees for 1986.

What is a Beefmaster?

Beefmaster is a beef breed developed by the Lasater family in Texas from Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle. USDA recognized it as a pure breed in 1954, and it is selected on the Six Essentials.

Who founded Beefmaster Breeders United?

BBU was founded in 1961, according to its About page. The breed itself was founded by Tom Lasater, who began crossing Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle in the early 1930s.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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