Hebbert’s Inducted into the American International Charolais Association Hall of Fame
The Hebbert ranch is located in the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills. James Wright, Dave Hebbert’s great-great grandfather, came to Grant County, Nebraska in 1886 and made his first purchase of land the following year. Through the years, more land was acquired and the ranch has remained family owned and operated to date. In 1976, Dave and Mickie Hebbert were married and became the fifth generation to live and work on the ranch. Together they raised three sons, Matthew, Jake and Joshua. Matt and his wife, Lacy, currently reside on the ranch with their boys, Dillon and Waylon.
What began as a Hereford based commercial cow-calf ranch transitioned into a purebred operation with the purchase of the first registered Charolais cows in 1978. The last of the commercial cows were sold in 1982 and the Hebbert Charolais partnership was formed between Dave and Mickie and Dave’s parents, Mose and Merla Hebbert. Matt and Lacy Hebbert have since joined in the partnership. The Hebbert Charolais mission is to “produce top-quality genetics while preserving and enhancing the land and natural resources entrusted to our care.”
Functional cows are the backbone of the operation. The cowherd is not pampered, but expected to utilize the grass native to the area. The cows are supplemented with salt and mineral. Protein and hay are provided during the winter months as needed. Hebberts make every effort to select only the best sires and dams to produce the most functional offspring they can. Every cow in the herd has been born, bred and raised on the ranch enabling them to stack generations of pedigrees high in maternal traits and qualities consistent with problem free cows – particularly udder structure, fertility, calving ease, structural soundness and disposition.
The Hebberts are grateful to be in a business that connects them with cattle producers from all across the country and beyond the borders. They acknowledge and respect the diversity of each producer’s operation in its approach towards beef production. They value the long-lasting friendships they have made with both the commercial and purebred cattlemen they have been associated with.
Throughout the years, Dave and Mickie have committed their support to a number of cattle organizations, including the American International Charolais Association (AICA) and the Nebraska Charolais Association. As a member of the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association, Dave was on the Seedstock Council when they formed the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic at Kearney, Nebraska in 1992.
Dave’s involvement in the AICA included serving on the Board of Directors in 1997-2002, and 2012-2014. He was also a breed representative on the Breed Improvement Committee and Foreign Marketing Committee. Mickie has been an AICA committee representative and served on the board of directors of the Sandhills Cattle Association. Dave was also a member of the Sandhills Task Force, an environmental stewardship organization.
In 1995, Hebbert Charolais was a Beef Improvement Federation Seedstock Producer nominee and were awarded the 1996 American International Charolais Association Seedstock Producer of the Year. They were the recipient of the Nebraska Charolais Outstanding Producer Award in 2010
“With Dave’s passing in October of 2017, he left our family with a legacy that we will honor in the years to come….a love for ranching, riding good horses, raising good cattle and being a faithful steward of the land. He had a keen eye for cattle and a passion for their genetics. We are thankful for the knowledge he shared and are proud to continue on with the values our program was built on.”
Credit: December 2018 Charolais Journal
