History

Charles M. (C.M.) Harvey arrived in El Paso, Texas in 1911 from Oklahoma and began buying ranches in New Mexico soon after. His first New Mexico ranch was in Ancho and was followed by land purchase in Carrizozo, Cloudcroft, Hill, and Alamogordo. In 1924, he purchased his first large herd of Herefords along with the TR brand from Thomas Ryan of Three Rivers, NM, and soon followed with several other livestock purchases. By1938, C.M. along with Paul Harvey, and C. M. Harvey Jr. formed the Harvey Hereford Ranches and purchased a membership in the American Hereford Association. After the death of C.M. Harvey in 1952, his youngest son, Phil Harvey Sr. assumed management of the family farming and ranching operations. Phil Sr., and his ranch manager Mozaun Calentine, focused on bull production for the commercial market. They worked hard to improve range and water management and ranch infrastructure.

In the early 1970s, Phil Harvey Jr. began building the registered cow herd and began an upgrade of the breeding program to more modern bloodlines. By the mid-1980s, the Harvey operation had more than 200 cows and was selling more than 100 bulls annually. In 1996, the Harvey family had grown to include several generations and they made the decision to disperse the Harvey Hereford Ranches herd and sell all the ranches. The dispersion sale took place on May 11, 1996 at Roswell, New Mexico. At the time of the sale, Phil Jr. and Jim Bob Burnett, who had worked for Harvey Herefords as a herdsman for 13 years, formed a new partnership and purchased 24 cows and 20 bred heifers from the Harvey Hereford bloodlines. The men called their new operation B & H Herefords and they moved the herd to ranches owned by Burnett’s family in Lovington, NM. They later leased land in Hope and more recently, Piñon, New Mexico. B & H Herefords is also involved in a partnership with Dr. Mark Cox of the San Augustine Ranch at Organ, NM.

The B & H Hereford cow operation is operated on sound, conservative ranching practices. Bulls are developed for soundness and the ability to perform under harsh southwestern range conditions and are marketed at leading consignment sales in the Southwest. Harvey and Burnett have been able to continue the superior breeding program that began more than 70 years ago.

Phil Harvey Jr. followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather when he began working with the family’s herd of registered Hereford cattle in 1973.  In 1996, Harvey and Jim Bob Burnett purchased several cows and heifers from the Harvey Hereford Ranch dispersion sale and formed B & H Herefords. Throughout his career, he has served on the American Hereford Association’s Board of Directors from 1989 to 1995, and served as president in 1994. One of the major achievements of the Board during his tenure was the foundation of the Certified Hereford Beef Program.

Jim Bob Burnett grew up in Lovington, New Mexico. After graduating from NMSU he worked for Harvey Herefords as a herdsman. In 1996, Burnett and Phil Harvey Jr. purchased 44 cows and heifers from the Harvey Hereford Ranches’ dispersion sale and a new formed a new partnership they called B & H Herefords.  Burnett has served as president of the New Mexico Hereford Association, on the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, and as the Chairman of the New Mexico Beef Council.