A legacy you cannot buy.
Generations of cattle, country, and people shaped the Berry program—and the responsibility to carry it forward.
The Berry family’s place in the Hereford business reaches back to J.C. Berry, Marvin Berry, and the generations who followed. Their eye for useful cattle, perseverance, and respect for customers built a reputation that cannot be purchased or manufactured.
In 1910, J.C. Berry homesteaded near Cheyenne, Wyoming. His future wife, Mary Bevan, also filed a homestead claim. That land remains part of the ranch today. Together they raised four children: Jim, D.C., Marvin, and Mary.
The family’s Hereford program began in 1935, when the boys used their 4-H steer money to buy registered heifers from Cuykendall’s in Roggen, Colorado, for $60 each. The heifers were granddaughters of Wilton Domino. At the first sale in 1939, 33 bulls averaged about $200. Early sales were held in an old straw shed, then in a tent, before the current sale barn was built in 1951.
The ranch and the families grew over the following decades. The herd made its mark with sale averages at or near the top of its category, and in some years the family sold more than 100 bulls. In 1980, the entire herd was sold in a large private treaty sale to Ron Sondrup of Yoder, Colorado.
Marvin and Margaret bought back 50 heifers to begin a new herd. With their son Jay and his wife Janice, they resumed the Annual Bull Sale in 1986 as The Berry’s.
Today, Jay and Janice Berry and their family carry that work forward northeast of Cheyenne. The setting remains much the same, though the tools have improved, and the data has grown more precise. The standard is still practical: cattle must earn their place.
Over the years, the family has welcomed many visitors and formed lasting friendships. Jay and Janice remain proud to raise Herefords and carry on a way of life that has allowed them to make a living and raise their family.
The program has endured dry years, long trails, mountain leases, and Wyoming weather. Those conditions do more than test cattle. They reveal which genetics can adapt, breed back, travel, and remain productive.
Each annual sale is an invitation to evaluate that progress. The offering represents a whole calf crop, reflecting the family’s commitment to honest cattle and long-term improvement.
J.C. Berry may have said it best: “This business means hard work and lots of it. But when you are done, wind up the year and look back at what you have done...your satisfaction can't be measured by dollar and cents.”