AS SPRING VALLEY FARMS HAS GROWN

W.T. James (Billie) first observed the good temperament and easy keeping qualities of the Herefords in the early 1900's.  In 1915, he selected and purchased his first registered female, Nellie, from Christy Armstrong, Kinburn, and the first herd sire, Look Again, from Bill Hunter, Orangeville.

Billie James, originally from Hyndford, Ontario, and his wife, Florence, moved to Lanark County near the town of Almonte. That farm name was Spring Valley. The Canadian Hereford Association had earlier allotted him the tattoo of WTJ.  The farm name and tattoo have continued to be used on this Hereford herd to the present day. One of Billie's themes concerning his Herefords was "Quality enough to top the market and pounds enough to make it pay".

After Billie had acquired a small herd of Herefords, he was encouraged to show them at local fairs. This was no mean feat, since the cattle and one or two men had to walk the fifteen or twenty miles to some of these fairs. Very different than present day cattle showing!  Soon the young family members were old enough to participate in calf clubs and later 4-H with Herefords often placing very successfully.

After working with Herefords for twenty-five years, Billie found there was a great demand for Hereford bulls, and he was in a position to meet that demand. It was in 1946 that the Hereford breed was registering more cattle than any other beef breed.

By 1950, his son, Mack,  followed his father's footsteps and became a part of the Spring Valley operation. At about this time, the commercial cattlemen showed a preference for Polled Herefords (no horns), so the Spring Valley herd moved to Polled Herefords with careful selections.

In the next twenty-five years Mack and his wife, Lois, located near Carleton Place, continued showing and merchandising quality Herefords.  Their children, Glenn, Sheila, and Steve, all participated in 4-H, distinguishing themselves with Spring Valley Herefords.

As important as eyeballing our Herefords for quality has been, as in showing at fairs, different tools have been used in the herd to recognize the superior qualities of individuals, namely: record of performance, and the Total Herd Evaluation (THE) which gives individual EPD's in several areas. AI (artificial insemination) sires are selected diligently for use in the herd, as has embryo transfer been used. The ultra sound can indicate carcass quality on live animals, and considering it a heritable trait, it is an advantage for both the pure bred breeder and the commercial cattleman. This should ensure proof of the rightful place of Herefords in the market place.

Now that 2005 has ended, the Spring Valley herd has been in continuous operation for ninety years and Mack thinks he could trace some of the present day cattle as descendants of the original Nellie cow from 1915! And what of the future? Glenn has worked with Mack and Lois for some time, Steve and Sue are actively supportive, and fourth generation, Samantha and Brody have/and will participate in 4-H with Hereford calves, and now that Sheila is home,  the future looks really exciting at Spring Valley.