During the dinner meeting at the Brass Rail, Neer’s achievements in the cattle industry and his commitment to excellence in the improvement of Horned Hereford genetic stock were noted.

Neer was reared in Modoc County and graduated from local schools. He attended Stanford University, earning a BA in economics and an MBA in business administration.

During his youth, he helped his father, John Neer, on the family ranch and journeyed with him to the Midwest selecting, buying, and importing high quality bulls into Modoc county. As a result, local cattlemen had access to some of the nation’s best breeding stock.

In the 1960s Neer launched his own registered Horned Hereford business, which is in its present form today as Neer Hereford Ranch. In early days of the business Neer partnered with Ken and Duane McGarva, and then John McGarva. For a short time, Neer also raised registered Shorthorns along with G. Martin Young.

After Neer’s marriage to Marie, the two embarked upon their own trips to Texas, Montana, and Colorado, where they found herd sires to improve their stock. With criteria of superior confirmation, production achievement, and disposition, they continued to select herd sires from championship stock.

When trips became more difficult, they entered into an A. I. program. Marie received her training and became the ranch’s technician. One of the first bulls they used was WSHR Duke 8430 from Wiese and Sons in Iowa. This bull added frame and thickness and put, as Wiese said, "puppy gentle disposition" into the herd.

Neer states that good disposition is essential, and many repeat customers comment not only on production improvement, but also on the gentleness of Neer bulls and their offspring. Neer spends months researching before purchasing semen, poring into pedigree and performance history and interviewing owners.

Neer insists that confirmation, disposition, efficiency and high production are as important as frame. He selects for maternal and milking qualities, fertility, and thickness. His cows have frequently been on the American Hereford Association’s Dams of Distinction list, based on their production records. At the University of Nevada Efficiency of Gain trial, his bull calves had the top feed efficiency of bulls from eight different breeds entered: they gained the most weight on the least amount of feed. One of these bulls was henceforth used in the Neer herd as their own herd sire.

Although they have seldom ventured into the show ring, their showings have been successful. In the 1970s, with the help of Tom Alford, they showed several heifers and bulls throughout county fairs in central and northern California. The calves ribboned in a number of fairs, including the Fresno, Madera and Lassen County Fairs, and the Tulelake fair; one heifer Grace Builder 123 was awarded a blue ribbon in every fair entered and won two Best of Show ribbons. In November 2003, Neer’s first entry into the Shasta Bull Sale earned a Reserve Champion rating.

Neer Hereford Ranch’s returning customers range from Petaluma and Sacramento areas to southern Oregon and western Nevada. A local rancher, Pinky Anklin, has bought 76 bulls from Neer Hereford Ranch over recent years. Since 1936, the Neer family has sold over 3,000 head of bulls.

Neer said that he was "grateful for the award, because of where it comes from: from people who have put food on the table for over 70 years--our friends and neighbors in the cow business."