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HISTORY
The Cross's are one of the three founding families of Alberta. This area will be continually developed to tell the story of the family, and how J.B. Cross began the Bar Pipe tradition of raising some of the best Horned Hereford cattle in the country.

PUREBRED HERD FOUNDER - J.B. CROSS
The Bar Pipe Farms Hereford breeding program was founded by J.B. (Jim) Cross in the 1930' s at theRanche, a large, commercial cattle operation near Nanton, Alberta. In 1953, most of the purebred Horned Hereford cows were moved to Okotoks, and the ranch we now know today as Bar Pipe Farms was established.

HERD HISTORY
In the early days, much of our purebred Horned Hereford herd was sired by two sons of the immortal SILVER STANDARD. They were followed by WHR LORD VERN 23rd, by VERN DIAMOND, who sired some very excellent sons including the noteworthy BAR PIPE VERN STANDARD 39M.  Later, we used several bulls of BRITISHER breeding.

1973 Calgary Bull Sale Champion Silver Standard 55C from Jim Hole, sold to Bar Pipe Farms for a then record price of $51,000. He became one of Bar Pipe's foundation sires.The 55C daughters left at Bar Pipe Farms are a type that are hard to reproduce and, because of him, the job to be done by future herd sires was much easier. 55C had to be put down at 9 years old. Shrunken from a battle with a severe stifle injury, he still weighed 2340 lbs. and measured 58" at the hip. His influence began a new era at Bar Pipe.

Photo Credit: Alberta Hereford Heritage