About Us
Hilltop Hereford Ranch was started in December 2022 when LB Cal Ranch acquired ranch land from the Estergard family. Knowing Hilltop Hereford Ranch needed to maintain the property, Richard Estergard suggested owning Hereford cattle. The cattle would be used to graze on the ranch to maintain the grass and help control weeds and cedar trees. If not controlled, the weeds and cedar trees would naturally overwhelm the land.
LB Cal Ranch LLC had been heavily involved in row crop farming and adding Hereford cattle was also a natural way to diversify the overall farming operation.
Richard’s passion was in Line 1 Hereford’s so the Hilltop Hereford Ranch partnership was formed. Given the size of the ranch, we decided to focus on quality rather than quantity when we started developing our herd in early 2023.
We were able to acquire some great Meitler & McClayland bulls in Kansas and also bulls from the Cooper, Fort Keogh and Holden Ranches in Montana. We also bought back some of the legacy Estergard cows and cows from Churchill, Cooper, Fort Keogh, Holden, Ridder, Rutt, & McClayland herds all with quality Line1 cattle.
Our goal is to continue Richard’s passion for developing registered Line 1 Hereford’s that have balanced traits that equal or exceed AHA published EPD’s. We are proud of the progress we have made and look forward to working with other Hereford breeders. We want to continue moving the Hereford industry forward as well as working with area Angus breeders in expanding the number of Line 1 sired Baldy calves that are available in the market each year. With over 40 years of experience behind us, we are committed to raising, breeding and culling quality Line 1 Herefords.
Our Team
Richard Estergard manages the Hilltop Hereford Ranch (HHR) and has been working in the Hereford industry for over 40 years with the majority of his time spent with Line 1 Herefords. Richard is responsible for herd management including breeding, replacement and culling. Rich Labenz, Milo Butzke, Chris Labenz & Corey Labenz of Lincoln, Nebraska help manage LB Cal Ranch LLC including communicating with the various investors who are involved. Rich, Chris & Corey have extensive experience managing farm & ranch finances, having spent combined over 55 years in public accounting. Rich & Milo have years of experience managing other row crop farming operations. Hilltop Hereford Ranch recently hired Kaden Purviance to assist Richard in handling the day-to-day operations of the ranch. Kaden and his wife MaKenzie have three children Kiley, Karter & Kason who just recently attended their first day of school in Broken Bow, Nebraska.
We have farming operations in east and central Nebraska as well as in western Kansas but have never had operations in the sandhills of Nebraska. The sandhills area a special place and we enjoy working with various businesses and people in Custer County. The cattle industry is not an easy industry to enter & everyone we work with including Dave our well man, Shane our fence & other ranch necessity suppliers, McKenzie our Vet, our C0Op, our feed supplier and others have all been very helpful to HHR.
Richard Estergard
Ranch Manager
Richard brings decades of experience in Hereford breeding and ranch management. His expertise ensures the highest standards for our cattle.
