Celebrating 75 years of being in the cattle business, Copeland and Sons Hereford, LLC is a solid foundation of what the hereford breed represents. Located in Naravisa, New Mexico, the Copeland’s run roughly 800 head of cattle.They are now a 4th generation cattle family who takes pride on being solely a family run operation that has stayed in one place, raising the breed that they truly love and started out with.
Copeland and Sons Herefords is an operation that bases themselves purely on the cow. They work to have sound, functional, good uttered cattle with good feet and legs. Everything they do is driven towards cattle that work in their southwestern environment with the people of their area. One of the Copeland’s goals is to try to raise good quality cattle that fits what their current and future customers are looking to do with their programs. Copeland’s program is not solely based off of just range bulls or just maternal cows and show cattle. They continue to work to excel their genetics in both areas of the hereford industry. Looking at EPDs, high weaning weights, and focusing on carcass EPDs the Copelands are determined to produce the best for their customers and they work to raise more pounds per calf for the producers. When Copeland’s ask their customers what they want in a female, they hope to have them answer that they want the female to make a cow in order to build their own herd. The family is very dedicated to their customers especially those that are juniors in the hereford industry. Matt Copeland commented “We are fortunate enough to raise cattle with a good look that also supports our junior program to make show heifers with.” They strive to have their show cattle be very competitive in the show ring as well as to go on and make functional and maternal cows.
The family operation sells nearly 150 head of cattle a year and have an Annual Bull Sale every April, in Clayton, NM. During the annual sale, Copeland sells around 100 head of bulls and commercial F1 baldies.
Copeland’s have been attending the National Western Stock Show for the last 30 years. The atmosphere and the people are their favorite parts of the stock show. The National Western is the “Super Bowl” for most breeds, especially the hereford breed and Copeland’s say that it is the best way to see everyone from the United States and Canada and to look at those operations stock as well. Matt believes the National Western is also a great place for marketing cattle and to get the chance to see the progress and success of other programs as well as showing off their own program and success. When asked, Matt says that his favorite memory of the NWSS is being selected as Premier Herdsman in 2011. “You can have 50 National Champions and it still does not mean anymore than the people who you know and trust giving you that honor – it is the greatest honor there is” stated Matt.
The Copeland Family has a passion for the hereford breed and their main goal, as an operation, is to make the hereford breed, in its entirety, better, the best that they can. Copeland’s want customers who invest in their program, to be investing in something that they need to have in order to make their own programs better.