World Agriculture Directory: the home of the world's largest agriculture database. Fastest way to find events, farms and agribusiness that suit your needs. Agriculture Event Directory

Cattlemen Hall of FameBeef cattle barons, cowboys, breeders and builders from around the world

Cattle Breeders and Breed Pioneers

Arnold Sheriff: Third-Generation Hereford Breeder From Orient, Iowa

On the farm where his grandfather started the herd, Sheriff built a Polled Hereford program known for performance records and breed service.

Who Is Arnold Sheriff?

Arnold Sheriff raises Polled Herefords near Orient, Iowa, on the same farm where his grandfather started the family herd. A Farm Progress report on the Iowa Hereford Hall of Fame induction describes him as the third generation of Hereford breeders on that farm, with the herd beginning under Harry Sheriff more than 90 years before the 2016 ceremony.

This profile covers only his public record as a breeder and association leader, drawn from that report. Little else is published about his career in sources reviewed for this entry, so the sections below add context about the breed and the Iowa hall that honored him.

Showing Cattle From Boyhood

Sheriff showed in 4-H and in open-class shows. In 1953 he and his steer Shorty won grand champion steer at the Iowa State Fair, an early mark of the family's eye for cattle.

For breeders of his generation the show ring served as a classroom. A young exhibitor learned to judge structure, finish and temperament, lessons that later guided bull and heifer selection in a seedstock herd.

A Hall of Fame Family

Sheriff was inducted into the Iowa Hereford Hall of Fame in 2016. He is the second generation of his family in the hall: his parents, Wayne and Isal Sheriff, were inducted in 2000.

He and his wife Melissa, who had been married 55 years at the time of the report, have two children, Cindy and Brad. The induction coverage makes clear that the herd's story is a family story, with each generation adding its own sires, cow families and customers.

Leading the Hereford Associations

Sheriff served two terms as a director of the Iowa Hereford Association and two terms as a director of the Iowa Polled Hereford Association. He was president of the Four State Hereford Association, which held sales in Maryville, Missouri, and he co-managed the Hereford Beef Expo Sale.

He also hosted three separate annual Hereford tours on his farm. Tours let commercial cattlemen see breeding cattle in their own pastures, which is how many seedstock herds win repeat customers.

The Key to Sheriff's Success

The documented record points to continuity and measurement. Sheriff kept a herd going across three generations and used performance programs to show buyers what the cattle could do.

He also took on committee work, which breed associations depend on.

  • He stayed on the family farm and built on his grandfather's herd, not a new start.
  • He took part in the Certified Hereford Beef program for 20 years.
  • He consigned regularly to the Hereford sale at the Iowa Beef Expo.
  • He earned Gold Whole Herd Total Performance Records designation in each of the two years before the report.
  • Nearly every year, at least one Sheriff cow appears on the national Dams of Distinction list.
  • Limit: the report gives no herd size, acreage or sale averages, so the scale of the operation is not documented here.

Polled Herefords and Performance Records

Polled Herefords are naturally hornless cattle, a trait many commercial buyers value for handling and safety. The Sheriff herd is a Polled Hereford herd, and Sheriff served on the Polled association's board, as the Farm Progress article notes.

Total Performance Records, the program behind the Gold designation, collect weights and other data from a herd for the breed association. A designation in the Gold tier two years running shows the herd was measured and reported consistently, though the report does not list the numbers.

Learn More About Iowa's Hereford Hall

The same induction class included Lester Galbraith of Montezuma, who started his own Polled Hereford herd in 1940. Readers can also browse the American Hereford Association's national Hereford Hall of Fame page for the breed's wider honors. Readers interested in the Iowa breed story can read the ranching section of farm.FM, or a related piece, a farm.FM story about Hereford breeders.

Because Sheriff is living, this entry is limited to public professional records.

Timeline

  1. 1953Wins grand champion steer at the Iowa State Fair with Shorty
  2. 1920sGrandfather Harry Sheriff starts the Hereford herd (reported as over 90 years before 2016)
  3. 2000Parents Wayne and Isal Sheriff inducted into the Iowa Hereford Hall of Fame
  4. 2016Arnold Sheriff inducted into the Iowa Hereford Hall of Fame
  5. 2016Lester Galbraith inducted posthumously in the same class

Frequently asked questions

Who is Arnold Sheriff?

Arnold Sheriff is a third-generation Hereford breeder from Orient, Iowa, who runs Sheriff Herefords and was inducted into the Iowa Hereford Hall of Fame in 2016.

When was Arnold Sheriff inducted into the Iowa Hereford Hall of Fame?

He was inducted in 2016, joining his parents, Wayne and Isal Sheriff, who entered the hall in 2000.

What breed does Sheriff Herefords raise?

The Sheriff herd is a Polled Hereford herd on a farm near Orient, Iowa, started by Harry Sheriff, Arnold's grandfather, more than 90 years before the 2016 induction.

What associations has Arnold Sheriff led?

He served two terms as director of both the Iowa Hereford Association and the Iowa Polled Hereford Association, and served as president of the Four State Hereford Association.

Sources and further reading

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

More from the hall