Welcome!
Nickerson Herefords is a small first-generation cattle ranch located in the heart of the central valley in California. Justin and Whitney always dreamed of owning their own cattle and in 2017 that dream became a reality with the purchase of five commercial Hereford heifers! Since then, they have branched out into registered cattle and direct to consumer meat sales, showcasing their 100% wholesome Hereford beef.
For Whitney, her dream of owning cattle was started by her late father Tim Etcheverry. Growing up the son of a Basque sheep herder, it was his dream to one day own a small ranch of black baldy cattle where he could practice holistic management through rotational grazing. Tim’s dream of owning cattle was kindled by his sister-in-law, Whitney’s Aunt Shari. She started her own ranch in northern California in the 70s with Simmental cattle and later introduced some angus into the herd. Today, her daughter Jessica runs the ranch and is a constant source of encouragement and wisdom for both Justin and Whitney. Although Whitney was always indirectly involved in agriculture, she didn’t really get involved in agriculture until she attended Fresno State Where she worked at the schools farm market as well as the schools dairy. Although her schooling and career were focused on dairy cattle, her dream was always owning beef cattle.
For Justin, his love of livestock came first through horses as he traveled across the country playing polo; going so far as to compete at a national high school tournament in Pennsylvania where his team took 1st! It wasn’t until he attended Modesto Jr. College, where he took an animal science course, that he realized his love for dairy cattle! From there he transferred to Fresno State and competed on the schools Dairy Challenge team, a collegiate public speaking contest where participants show their knowledge of business management and dairy cattle physiology and are judged by industry professionals. Justin and his teammates would eventually win nationals against several other universities. Justin was also the herdsman and breeding technician at the schools dairy; he loved taking care of dairy cattle so much he pursued a career as a dairy herdsman and continues to utilize his knowledge of cattle physiology on a daily basis.
Justin and Whitney met at Fresno State where they both majored in Animal Science and specialized in Dairy science. There, they worked together at the universities dairy unit taking care of the school’s dairy cattle. After getting married in 2014, both perused careers in the dairy industry and started a family. In 2017 they were able to save up enough money to buy five commercial bred heifers; the foundation of their herd today! A year later they bought their first registered cow to start their registered herd.
It is our goal to provide wholesome, ethically raised meat to our community as well as quality breeding stock to our fellow cattle ranchers. We are proud of our cattle and can’t wait to provide you with all your beef needs!