Archive for March, 2009

Posted on March 30, 2009 - by Russell

North Texas Affiliate Show

On March 13-15, 2009 the North Texas Longhorn Affiliate hosted their Annual Spring Show in Glen Rose, Texas. I was able to attend the show and dinner on Saturday. Hats off to the entire North Texas group for hosting and organizing such a wonderful event. The North Texas Show continues to be one of the largest TLBAA qualifying shows which made for some heated competition in the show ring.  After the show ring dust of the competition had settled everyone enjoyed fellowshipping with their fellow breeders.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the fundraising adult showmanship class. It has been a long time since I have laughed that hard at a Longhorn Show. There were exhibitors leading weenie dogs, baby calves and even wooden rocking Longhorns. It was a sight to behold. The TLBT members were the judges for the adult showmanship classes. It was rumored that some of the judges were paid off with money and candy but that’s just a rumor. The winners of the adult showmanship “competition” were crowned at Saturday night’s dinner. The Adult Showmanship Fundraiser brought in $460 for the TLBAA World Show.

Below are a few snapshots of some of the show champions.       

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 30, 2009 - by Russell

Breed Guidelines - Back

In this issue of Breed Guidelines we will be reviewing the back or top-lines of Longhorn cattle. A desirable back or top-line should be strong with a slope upward from the shoulders to hook bones. The back should show some flex or dip as the animal walks. This helps the animal to be able to travel to water and greener grasses. An animal with an extreme swayback is considered objectionable.

 

 

Posted on March 25, 2009 - by Russell

Dr. Joseph Graham’s - Answers to She’s A 10 Survey

Editors Note: Dr. Graham’s survey answers were origianly print in The Longhorn Round-Up Newspaper several years ago. We would now like to share his answers with our online readers. Dr. Graham is a well respected Longhorn breed who has breed and raised numerous World Show Champions.  

Dr. Joseph & Cynthia Graham – In 1982 the Graham’s started Mi Tierra Ranch and their Longhorn breeding program. Mi Tierra Ranch has two locations one in Diamond, Missouri and the other in Joplin, Missouri were they raise cattle with pedigrees that are a blend of the seven Longhorns families, with little or no Butler influence. The Mi Tierra program has produced a long list of show champions which includes several TLBAA World Show Grand Champions. Currently the herd numbers approximately 350 head and is utilizing 8 herd sires for breeding.

 

 

1) What type of conformation do you look for in a brood cow? Does conformation affect the birth canal and calving ease?

Longhorns are beef cattle with horns, and relatively unpredictable expression of other physical traits. Without their horns and spots they should still look like cows (feminine head, neck, angular body, sound udder and teats, good depth of body and spring of rib). Color and horns are personal preferences not to be valued over the functional purpose of the cow. I’ve never seen a Longhorn need assistance with calving. Their pelvic dimensions and outlet would allow much larger calves than most usually have. Thus I haven’t seen much correlation between good or bad conformation and calving ease.

2) What is the most important trait you look for, horn, conformation, or functional efficiency? Would you over look a genetic defect if the cow had record setting horn?   Functional efficiency, conformation and then horn in that order. No, I would not over look a genetic defect.

3) How important is frame size when selecting a brood cow, and why?

For me it is important and I want mature cows weighing 1100 to 1400lbs. which I don’t see with fine boned low frame score cows.

4) What is the ideal age for a heifer to have her first calf?

2 years

5) Are there any advantages in waiting to breed a heifer?  

No

6) What is the ideal weight range for a newborn calf?

Bulls 60-70 lbs., heifers 55-65 lbs.

7) Do you think the sire or the dam affects the birth weight more?

I believe the sire has more effect.

8 ) How important is milk production? How do you determine whether a brood cow’s milk production is sufficient?

Productivity is what a cow is all about. A calf every year, enough good milk to consistently raise a healthy heavy calf.

9) When you select a young heifer for your herd, how important is udder development?

It is very important.

10) What do you look for in the udder of a mature brood cow?

A good level bag, good but not excessive volume and four small to medium teats that don’t balloon at calving.

11) In your opinion, are udder defects a result of improper management, genetic imperfection or in some cases a combination of both?

I believe that is a combination of both.

12) How many years should a good brood cow produce? Do you think modern day breeding practices are improving or harming the longevity trait?

To the age of 15 to 20 years. Single trait breeding or obsessions (horn) will hurt longevity and other Longhorn traits.

13) What do you believe is the ideal number of days between calving and rebreeding? 

Sixty days or two months.

14) What are your standards for culling? What characteristics in a brood cow are justifications for immediate culling? How does disposition affect a brood cow?

Inability to breed, consistent late breeding, light weight calves (poor production). After these I cull against white color, lack of horn development and any evolving physical defect that become apparent.

15) How important is femininity to you when you select a heifer for a brood cow? Why is it important, and how is it expressed?

Feminine heifers make feminine cows with a better chance of good productivity and a long productive life.

16) How important is horn size in selecting a heifer for a brood cow? Do you like for a heifer to show a lot of growth early, or are you satisfied with a cow which gets her horn growth gradually over the years?

Horn growth is desirable but not to the exclusion of characteristics that make a good brood cow. If anything it is my impression that exceptional horn growth can be a sign of infertility, deceased production and a less feminine conformation. Not always though. After all, steers don’t get the biggest horns by being such great bulls or cows.

17) What other factors do you consider when selecting a brood cow, and which is most important to you? 

Other than the factors noted before, disposition and ease of handling are additional factors to make you want to keep a cow or send her down the road.

Editor:

We would like to thank these breeders for taking the time to participant in this survey. They all have been successful with their breeding programs and I appreciate their willingness to share their ideas and that thoughts about what makes a great brood cow. We hope that you found this information from about your fellow breeders both interesting and informative.     

Posted on March 24, 2009 - by Russell

Legacy Sale V Sale Results

 

These prices were submitted by Craig Perez of Arrowhead Cattle Company who attended the sale. www.arrowheadcattlecompany.com

Editor’s Note: Lot 23 sold for $97,000 during the sale to Mike McClanahan but by the end of the sale it was being reported that she had been sold by McClanahan to Bill & Judy Meridith. For the fith year in a row the Meridith’s purchased the High-Selling Lot at the Legacy Sale.

H1	LLL Showstopper	Larry Stewart	$4,600.00	155
H2	Ghost Dreamgirl	Moore’s Longhorn Ranch	$4,500.00	150	Jim Hutchinson
H3	BS Bandits Beauty	Bow & Sylvia Carpenter	$10,000.00	102	John & Ursula Allen
H4	DP Marley	Danny & Carole Phillips	$4,900.00	190	Robert Guenther
H5	RRR Miss Kendra J 702	Craig Perez	$9,200.00	146	Lynn Struthoff
H6	Iron Chic ST	Hudson Longhorns	$6,000.00	110	Wes & Carol Chancey
H7	Pacific Lottie Jane	Mike & Jeanie Casey	$4,500.00	115	Richard Filip
H8	DML Blaze	Mike & Felecia McClanahan	$6,000.00	151	Bob Loomis
H9	LLL Gunsmoke’s Sweetie	Larry Stewart	$8,000.00	164	Steve Day
H10	BH Boomerang’s Phenomena	Buck & Sharon Adams	$17,500.00	115	Richard Filip
H11	TX W Miss Italy	Joe & Becca Munsch	$4,500.00	165
H12	Wiregrass Rehobeth	Joe Graddy	$5,200.00	149	George Whilhite
H13	Shamrock Texas Star	Jim & Barb Steffler	$5,500.00	123	Bill Hudson
H14	Carolina On My Mind	Wes & Carol Chancey	$4,800.00	108	Mike Casey
H15	Awesome Oprah	Mountain Creek Longhorns	$15,000.00	119	Gravett
H16	JP Grand Kaitlyn 5	Johnnie & Pat Robinson	$14,000.00	110	Wes & Carol Chancey
H17	Sunhaven Galaxy	Rob & Marcy Fenza	$4,400.00	155
H18	XP Francesca	Ben & Ann Gravett	$4,500.00	165
H19	7LS Miss Mikey	Troy & Brenda Kingsbury	$10,000.00	132	Red McCombs
H20	D/O Grand Rita	Oren & Dianna O’Dell	$5,700.00	102	John & Ursula Allen
H21	Clover	Jim & Justin Rombeck	$8,000.00	204	Rick Friedrich
H22	SDR Amy Jo	Dave & Sheila Hovingh	$18,500.00	135	Joe & Becca Munsch
SP1	Boomeriffic	Richard & Jeanne Filip	$7,200.00	114	Rob Fenza
SP2	J.R. Grand Slam semen	Johnnie & Pat Robinson
SP3	BL Jim Chex	Justin & Julie Hansen	$5,500.00	182
D-1	Sanddollar Caroline	John & Diann Chase
1	B’s Pandora	Stan & Lorna Searle	$14,500.00	160	George Gennin
2	LLL Nini	George & Peggy Wilhite	$6,000.00	123	Bill Hudson
3	Stylish Player 131	Bow & Sylvia Carpenter	$9,000.00	148	Joe & Lorinda Valentine
4	BC Beauty	Hudson Longhorns	$33,000.00	240	Rick Carol
5	RRR Haley’s Diamond 526	Dick & Peg Lowe	$12,500.00	184	Doug & Sandy Stotts
6	ZD Delta Carolyn	Tom & Judy Christopher	$6,700.00	180	Lomax
7	Bucket	Ben & Ann Gravett	$21,000.00	160	George Gennin
8	Remarkable Guest SF	Joe Graddy	$6,000.00	123	Bill Hudson
9	LLL Karen	Richard & Jeanne Filip	$4,400.00	182	Chris Herring
10	Awesome Amber	Mountain Creek Longhorns	$8,200.00	184	Doug & Sandy Stotts
11	LLL Prairie Rose	Larry Stewart	$4,300.00	101	Buck & Sharon Adams
12	Pecosa’s Patricia	Teresa Castillo	$30,000.00	104	Mike & Debbie Bowman
13	Wiregrass Ribbon	Mike & Jeanie Casey	P.O.	P.O.
14	Tari’s Sweet Thing	Zech Dameron III	$27,000.00	184	Doug & Sandy Stotts
15	Doherty 7PC	Jean Brown	$8,200.00	238	Stan Searle
16	Awesome Angel	Hudson Longhorns	$33,000.00	148	Joe & Lorinda Valentine
17	T&T’s Angel	Lynn Struthoff	$12,000.00	104	Mike & Debbie Bowman
18	Crown Princess	Joe & Lorinda Valentine	$6,000.00	106	Bow Carpenter
19	BW Declaration	Steve Gaskill	$6,400.00	103	Kent Bladen
20	Unshy	Wes & Carol Chancey	$10,000.00	117	Butch & Kelly Guerin
21	Texana Tan	Hudson Longhorns	$5,500.00	135	Joe & Becca Munsch
22	J.R. Osage	Joe & Lorinda Valentine	$10,500.00	104	Mike & Debbie Bowman
23	EOT Outback Cherry	Mike & Debbie Bowman	$97,000.00		Bill & Judy Meridith
24	HL Rita	Bow & Sylvia Carpenter	$16,000.00	120	Justin & Julie Hansen
25	Khan Du Strawberry Fizz	Lonnie & Glenn Clinard	$4,300.00	165
26	Wiregrass Experience	John & Ursula Allen	$13,000.00	224	Diamond D Ranch
27	CK 698 Signal	Joe & Lorinda Valentine	$9,200.00	206	Tomas Pryer
28	T.Y. Gun Frost	Rex Mosser	$20,000.00	178
29	Bayou Majesty 344	Red & Charline McCombs	$28,000.00	106	Bow Carpenter
30	PC Sweet Pea	Rob & Marcy Fenza	$4,400.00	115	Richard Filip
31	WS Rainbow	Tom & Michele Smith	$46,000.00	115	Richard Filip
32	RRR Miss Annie Z 543	Joe & Becca Munsch	$7,500.00	210	Gregory Williams
33	Gunfire 368	Johnnie & Pat Robinson	$7,500.00		Dick & Peg Lowe
34	Allen’s Doherty 6/06 CF11	John & Ursula Allen	$20,000.00	119	Ben Gravett
35	T-X Dorthy Of Oz	John & Christy Randolph	$10,700.00	199
36	JP Grand Dottie	Joe & Lorinda Valentine	$16,500.00	132	Red McCombs
37	BH Treasure’s Gold	Hudson Longhorns	$13,000.00	119	Ben Gravett
38	Awesome Xena	Mountain Creek Longhorns	$6,500.00	171	William Smith
39	Shamrock Commencement	Jim & Barb Steffler	$25,000.00	240	Richard Carol
40	Dipsy Doll	Bow & Sylvia Carpenter	$7,000.00	222
41	HL Sue’s Charmer	Hudson Longhorns	$11,000.00	182	Chris Herring
42	Awesome Spice	Mountain Creek Longhorns	$17,500.00	140	Johnnie & Pat Robinson
43	EOT Outback Rangerette	H.C. & Lynnda Carter	$22,000.00	123	Bill Hudson
44	CK Libs Shadow	Joe & Lorinda Valentine	$24,000.00	240	Richard Carol
45	BHR Boomerang Beauty	Hudson Longhorns	$29,000.00	132	Red McCombs
46	K.C. Hershey’s Kiss	Kent & Christine Bladen	$65,000.00		Bill & Judy Meridith
47	Rio Rose ST	Jim & Barb Steffler	$8,000.00	132	Red McCombs
48	Alberta	Joe Graddy	$16,500.00	223
49	Rumba	Johnnie & Pat Robinson	$8,500.00	150	Jim Hutchinson
50	HL Serena’s Face	Hudson Longhorns	$20,000.00	240	Richard Carol
51	GC Rose Petal	Ben & Ann Gravett	$15,000.00	128	Mike Luce
52	BH Alice	Danny & Carole Phillips	$8,000.00	137
53	Southern Heritage	Rob & Marcy Fenza	$4,200.00	165
54	Watson 452	Zech Dameron III	$4,900.00	180
55	Silent H Carla	Joe Graddy	$15,000.00	240	Richard Carol
56	Phenomenal Lively Deigo	Ron & Barbara Marquess	$14,000.00	236
57	ECR Cinnamon Gem 218	Mike & Kim MacLeod	P.O.	P.O.	P.O.
58	Admirable Blondie	Jean Brown	Scratch	Scratch	Scratch
59	Awesome Jackie	Jim & Barb Steffler	$7,700.00	113	Zech Dameron
60	PCC Jiggles	Larry Stewart	$16,000.00	240	Richard Carol
61	Idas Gowgirl	Joe & Lorinda Valentine	$20,000.00	149	George Whilhite
62	Teepee Top	Ben & Ann Gravett	$8,500.00		Tom Smith
63	Spool	Todd Johnson	$7,000.00	174	El Coyote Ranch
64	EOT Outback Mary	H.C. & Lynnda Carter	$23,000.00	117	Butch & Kelly Guerin
65	RM super Carmela 350	Red & Charline McCombs	$8,500.00	239	Steven Zinger
66	Little Ace Screamin Carla	Jim Hutchinson	$4,200.00	121	H&H Cattle
67	LLL Phazer	John & Ursula Allen	$4,900.00	181
68	B.C. Miss Field	Michael & Catherine Luce	$5,700.00	139	John & Christy Randolph
69	BL Kandy Kane	Rex Mosser	$7,500.00	126	Troy Kingsbury
70	Hubbell’s 1 Special Kay	Joe & Lorinda Valentine	$9,000.00	114	Rob Fenza
71	C9 Sparkle Dust	Roger & Carol Hutton	P.O.	P.O.	P.O.
72	BH Merlot	HH Cattle Company	$4,700.00	191	Robert Moore
73	LTL Luminary’s Lady	Rob & Marcy Fenza	$5,000.00	140
74	Texana Tax Evasion	Todd & Geary Taylor	Scratch	Scratch	Scratch
75	J.R. Black Satin	Joe & Lorinda Valentine	$10,500.00	128	Mike Luce

Posted on March 24, 2009 - by Russell

Selecting Sires For Horn and More

By Russell Hooks

 

 

In an earlier article we discussed selecting for more than just horn in Longhorn females. Now let’s talk about Longhorn bulls. Some breeders think the tape measure is the answer to selecting the best bull. Once again that is not the case. There are numerous bulls in the industry that are in the 70” horn club; they are the “hot sires” of the day.  These young bulls have tons of horn and you cannot open up a Longhorn magazine without seeing an ad about one of these “great sires”.  But what actually makes a great sire?  PRODUCTION!  CONSISTENCY!  PREDICTABLE GENETICS!  Most of these hot ticket sires are so young that their only offspring are still babies.  Before I load my program (and the programs I consult for) down with these “popular and highly promoted genetics” I want to see some mature offspring.  Will some of these “hot sires” of today make a lasting positive mark on the industry?  Yes they will, but history has shown us that the percentage is very small.  I have seen too many “fad bulls” come and go in this industry during my thirty years in Longhorns.  As breeders, we need to develop a breeding plan that utilizes proven genetics instead of chasing fads.  If you chase the fads you will more than likely always find yourself one step behind.  Think about it, bull X is the bull of the moment – the one everyone is talking about. You AI your cows to him, it takes about 1-2 months to AI the cows, then nine months for the calves to hit the ground and they turn out pretty nice.  Now six to seven months later the calves are weaning age; you could sell some of them now but we all know that weanlings do not sell as well as two year olds.  So you hold these calves until they are twenty four months old.  The time frame is a total of approximately 35 months and the chances are good that by now there is another “hot ticket” bull. You have missed that small window of market opportunity.  I have observed that most of the “fad” bulls are only able to ride that popularity trailer for about 3-4 years and then they start to lose traction.  This is usually about the time their offspring are reaching maturity and they can now be fully evaluated on traits such as long term horn growth, fertility and milking ability.  I have seen “super sires” that have put offspring on the ground that show rapid early horn growth, but when they reach three to four years of age it slows dramatically and other sires’ calves that where showing less horn growth at a young age have caught up with the “super” sires’ calves.  In some cases the “super” sire is inconsistent in his offspring, some have great horn and some are average or even below average.  Now the “super” sire’s offspring are no different than any other good sire. When you are searching for a sire always ask yourself “how will his genetics benefit my herd, is it just his popularity I am interested in or can he help improve the overall quality of my herd in the long term”.   

I have found this to be the case more often than not.  Not only are his daughters going to look similar to the females in his pedigree, but they will inherit a lot of their traits such as udder and teat size, fertility and femininity. While checking these female lines of a sire’s pedigree, I will study the pedigree several generations back looking for as many great females as possible in the sire’s pedigree.  Next I look at what other good animals, both males and females have come from these genetics or similar genetics. After I have studied the prospective sire’s pedigree I will then compare it with the pedigrees of the females that he will be mated to in order to check to see if there will be too much line breeding or inbreeding in the resulting offspring.  I also look to see if the genetics of the prospective sire have been used with the female genetics that I am planning to mate him with.  In other words, have these genetics worked together successfully or unsuccessfully in past matings for other breeders.  It is more productive and less costly to learn from what has or has not worked in the past.  One last important step is to visually inspect the females and note their faults…poor frame score, poor conformation, poor horn growth, etc.  This is done so that you can select a sire that will help improve these weaknesses in your cow herd.  

When you are selecting a sire for AI or natural service there are several things to keep in mind. The first thing I look at is a sire’s overall conformation, frame size and breed characteristics. Then I want to see what his dam and maternal grand dam look like. Years ago legendary Longhorn breeder J.W. Isaacs told me that “you better like the dam and grand dam of your herd sire because more than likely that is what his heifers are going to look like”.I have found this to be the case more often than not.  Not only are his daughters going to look similar to the females in his pedigree, but they will inherit a lot of their traits such as udder and teat size, fertility and femininity. While checking these female lines of a sire’s pedigree, I will study the pedigree several generations back looking for as many great females as possible in the sire’s pedigree.  Next I look at what other good animals, both males and females have come from these genetics or similar genetics. After I have studied the prospective sire’s pedigree I will then compare it with the pedigrees of the females that he will be mated to in order to check to see if there will be too much line breeding or inbreeding in the resulting offspring.  I also look to see if the genetics of the prospective sire have been used with the female genetics that I am planning to mate him with.  In other words, have these genetics worked together successfully or unsuccessfully in past matings for other breeders.  It is more productive and less costly to learn from what has or has not worked in the past.  One last important step is to visually inspect the females and note their faults…poor frame score, poor conformation, poor horn growth, etc.  This is done so that you can select a sire that will help improve these weaknesses in your cow herd.  

The selection of a herd sire is a very important part of a seed stock breeding program. It is correctly said that the sire has a genetic impact on 50% of every calf he sires. So basically, he is 50% of your herd. However, if you think a little more about it, the impact of a sire is even greater than 50%.  He only has a 50% effect on your herd through each calf crop.  If you don’t retain any of his offspring then his effect ends there.  If you retain his heifers he is 50% of them and 25% of their offspring; so if you retain these calves he is now 75% of your herd.  The effect goes on and on if you are keeping heifers and bulls from your own herd as replacements.  As you can see, the selection of a herd sire can have a major long term impact, good or bad, on your herd.  Take the time and effort to study all prospective sires before adding their genetics to your herd.  It will save you time and money in the long run.

I have often wondered why breeders in our industry will purchase a cow for a large sum of money, but when it comes to purchasing a bull the philosophy seems to be the cheaper the better. This is the opposite of what it should be and of what happens in other cattle breeds.  As I stated earlier the females are important and especially the dams of your herd sires, but it is the sires that have a larger impact on your herd and at a faster rate.  A breeder should consider spending the largest portion of his purchasing budget on his herd sire.  It takes only a short time for that investment to payoff.  The late Gene Day used this example when I was looking at purchasing a top notch two year old herd sire prospect from him that he had priced at $10,000.  He said “you are going to take this young bull and breed him to 30-40 head this first year.  If he produces only ropers and you sell 40 ropers for $250 to $300 each…that’s $10,000 to $12,000…the bull is paid for.  Now let’s say he turns out to be as good of a herd sire as you thought so you only have 20 ropers to sell ($6,000) and you’re going to have 20 heifers that should be worth $800 to $1,200 at weaning.  Some of these you’re not going to want to sell, but keep as replacements.  Now he is not only paying for himself, he’s making you money.”  I have never forgotten these words of wisdom and I think about them every time I look at purchasing a bull regardless of whether the price is $1,000 or $100,000.  The money invested in a good herd sire is money well spent and will pay off in the long term.          

Most of the 65-80” horn cattle in our industry are sired by bulls with 50-60” horns and most of these bulls have done this more than once or twice.  Phenomenon measured a little over 60” and is one of the leading sires and grandsires of 65-80” horn animals.  His sire Superior measured 50” and shows up as sire or grandsire of numerous animals that are in that 70-80” Club.  Proven genetics are one of the keys to long term success in this industry.            

 

 

 

The point behind all this is, it is best to stick with proven genetics from bloodlines that have passed the test of time and invest wisely in your herd sires.  If you are going to use an unproven bull make sure he comes from predictable and proven genetics.  Do your homework and do not take sire selection lightly. Work towards producing offspring that are a total package of proven genetics: good horns (55-70”) with shape and style, correct and functional conformation, milking ability, adequate body size and eye appeal. It will make you more money in the long run.     

 

 

 

Posted on March 21, 2009 - by Russell

Trichomoniasis Regulations In Louisiana

I received this in an email from the Texas Animal Health Commission.

 

Good morning:  I am forwarding the following release regarding trichomoniasis regulations in Louisiana.
Carla Everett, Texas Animal Health Commission

From the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry:

March 19, 2009

Strain initiates emergency rules for cattle industry

Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., said he is initiating emergency rules to prevent the spread of bovine trichomoniasis in state cattle herds.

Trichomoniasis or “trich” in layman’s terms, is a bovine venereal disease that can cause substantial reproductive and economic losses in cow-calf operations.

Strain said the emergency rules went into effect March 18.  State Veterinarian Henry Moreau said bovine trichomoniasis has been found in at least four herds in Louisiana.  Cattle trichomoniasis is not a human health issue.

State cattlemen have already lost more than $1 million during the last 12 months due to the disease

Moreau said bulls can become chronic carriers of the disease and pass the Tritrichomonas foetus (T. foetus) protozoan to heifers or cows during natural breeding.

Generally, the disease is asymptomatic in bulls.

Infections in female cattle can result in early embryonic death, abortion, pyometra (pus-filled uterus) or infertility.

Tritrichomonas foetus is transmitted when an infected bull breeds a susceptible cow or heifer, or when a susceptible bull breeds an infected cow or heifer. Very rarely is T. foetus ever transmitted by contaminated semen or artificial insemination (AI) equipment, especially if semen is purchased from reputable AI studs and used with hygienic AI techniques.

Moreau said the emergency rules require all non-virgin out of state bulls to be tested and disease-free before entry to Louisiana is allowed.

The emergency rules also stipulate that all Louisiana veterinarians must report the diagnosis of bovine trichomoniasis to the state veterinarian. Bulls diagnosed with the infection are to be taken out of breeding service and sold for slaughter.

Moreau said trichomoniasis has been reported in Texas and other states but it’s the first time he has encountered verified reports of the disease in Louisiana.

Texas will institute rules on April 1, Moreau said.

A special training seminar to teach state and private veterinarians how to recognize trichomoniasis symptoms in herds and develop sampling techniques will be held at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine on March 27.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and LSU AgCenter will be co-hosting the event.

The emergency rules are in effect for four months and will be renewed until they can be put into the permanent rules governing cattle operations in the state, Strain said.

“The cattle industry is very important to Louisiana’s agricultural and overall economy,” Strain said. “I will do everything I can to make sure our herds are kept safe.”

More information about bovine trichomoniasis may be found at the LDAF website at www.ldaf.state.la.us.

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Posted on March 19, 2009 - by Russell

Breed Guidelines - Conformation

In this issue of Breed Guidelines we are going to be looking at the general conformation of Texas Longhorn cattle. The general type or form should exhibit good length of body with moderate depth and thickness of body. The top of the hips should be higher than the top of the shoulders. The body should have an elliptical shape for heat adaptation. Bulls should be slightly thicker and heavier muscled than cows. Bulls should exhibit crest development on the neck, not over the shoulders. The bones of both cows and bulls should be sound and dense. The feet and legs should be strong with free movement, squarely set, sound feet and joints. The front legs and shoulders of both cows and bulls should form a V shape, not square or rectangular. This helps with calving ease. Very short legs, sickle hocks, post legged, mule-footed and weak hocks are all objectionable traits that should be avoided.

Posted on March 18, 2009 - by Russell

My Favorite Cow Fundraising Project

TLBAA Members, Kim & Robert Richey have launched a TLBAA Fundraising Project called “MY FAVORITE COW”. The goal of the project is to help raise money for the TLBAA and the World Show by creating a Longhorn Photo Album of the members “favorite” cows. The photos will be published in the May Issue of the Longhorn Trails Magazine in an old time photo album layout. For a $100 you get a 1/8 of a page which includes a color photo of your favorite cow, name of cow and name of owners. If you would like to tell the story of why she is your favorite cow then you will want the 1/4 page space at $200 which includes a color photo of your favorite cow, name of cow, owners name and up to 50 words about your favorite cow. All the proceeds will go to the TLBAA.

The second part of this fundraising project is a handcrafted leather photo album that will be placed in the TLBAA Office and will display the “My Favorite Cow” photos. At select Longhorn sales and events the TLBAA will be auctioning off brand spaces on the album. If you would like to have your brand on this one of a kind photo album contact the Richey’s to find out where the brand spaces will be put up for auction. See detailed information below…

DEADLINE: APRIL 2, 2009

 

Posted on March 18, 2009 - by Russell

Photo Contest Entries

Here are some of the early entries in the photo contest. The Deadline is June 1, 2009 so keep those photos coming. First prize is $100.

Posted on March 12, 2009 - by Russell

She’s a 10-Julie Pack’s answers to our survey questions.

I would like to thank Julie Pack of Lazy JP Ranch for taking the time to answers the survey questions. If you have not completed the survey questions you still have time to do so. Your answers can be short or as detailed as you would like. I will be posting the answers from several other breeders over the next few weeks.  

1) What type of conformation do you look for in a brood cow? Does conformation affect the birth canal and calving ease? 

Part a) When evaluating replacement females for my own herd, or offering my opinion on other breeders females as a judge, the first thing I look at is structural soundness.  The longhorn was bred to be a self-sufficient, long lived productive breed of cattle.  With this in mind here are a few of the most important things for a female in my book. 

First, a female should have four uniform, well attached quarters with evenly spaced small teats.  Many people don’t consider the udder to be at the top of the list for conformation but when you think about it what good is a female with all the genetic potential in the world if she can’t raise the calf to pass on those genes? 

Second, females should have sound feet and legs.  The front legs should be straight with the toes neither pointing in or out.  Her shoulders should slope about 45 degrees to give extension and reach to the front legs.  The rear legs should be angled so that a line can be passed straight from the pin bones through the hocks and down through the rear dewclaw.  The hip should show a slight to moderate downward slope from the hook bones to the pin bones to allow for proper motion of the hind legs as well as calving ease.  Pasterns on all four feet should be at approximately 45 degree angles to the ground to properly absorb shock, and should not pop or click when the animal is in motion.  When the female is in motion viewed from the side the back feet should land in the track the front foot just made.  When viewed from the front the feet should land square with out “paddling out” or swinging around.  When viewed from the back the hocks should not twist sharply in or out when in motion or when at rest.

Third, females should have body capacity.  What I mean by this is that the animal should be deep in the heart girth and flank when viewed from the side, have a good spring of rib when viewed from the rear or front, and have a wide natural stance indicating a wide body floor.        

Part b) Conformation most defiantly affects the birth canal and the calving ease of a female.  As I stated before females should have a slight slope from the hooks to the pins, this allows for the widest possible configuration of the birth canal.  The pin bones should also be spaced decently wide apart for maximum calf clearance during birth.  When the calf is delivered in a normal presentation the head and front legs come first with the widest part of the calf’s body coming next, the shoulders.  If a calf is going to get in trouble it is at this time, when the calf’s head is starting to emerge and the shoulders are in the pelvis of the dam.  The umbilical cord is now constricted between the calf’s chest and the dam’s pelvis and is no longer supplying oxygen to the calf.  The calf must then be delivered quickly to avoid this problem, thus the slightly sloping conformation is ideal for calf delivery.

 

2) What is the most important trait you look for, horn, conformation, or functional efficiency? Would you over look a genetic defect if the cow had record setting horn?  

Part a) Because of what the longhorn is I feel that there is no one trait that supersedes any other.  With that said I will say that conformation/functionality and horn are the two most important traits in the breed.

Part b) In regards to my previous statement I offer the following opinion on genetic defects and faults.  According to our Official Handbook cattle exhibiting genetic defects are not eligible for registry.  However, if a horn record setting cow can not raise a healthy calf on her own or has trouble maintaining herself in the pasture under good conditions (this is assuming that there are no management caused reductions in fertility or natural causes of less than optimum nutrition) she is worthless and should also not be making genetic contributions to the next generation.  Converlsy, cattle that exhibit outstanding conformation and show ring titles but do not meet the minimum standards for acceptable horn growth set forth in the breed guidelines should also not be contributing the gene pool.

 

3) How important is frame size when selecting a brood cow, and why?

            Cattle should be of a moderate frame size, 900-1,000 lbs. in pasture condition.  This type of female will be more profitable in the long run than smaller or larger framed individuals.  Small framed type cattle typically have more calving issues and wean off smaller calves.  Larger framed cattle require more nutrition than they are able to produce in terms of calf weight.  A good rule of thumb is that females should wean off a calf that is about half of their weight.  A 450 to 500lb calf is a reasonable goal for any producer and will translate to more profit per cow in the long run.

 

4) What is the ideal age for a heifer to have her first calf?

            This question can be affected by location, but for many breeders the ideal age is two years.  Females should be bred for the first time when they have reached 65% of their mature body weight.  If a female is to weigh 1,000lbs at maturity then she should weigh 650lbs at breeding.  If the same heifer weighed 500 lbs at weaning at 6-7mo old, she only needs to gain approximately 0.8lbs/day to reach her target weight of 650 lbs.  It is a long time scientifically proven fact that females that calve at two and rebreed to calve at three are more productive throughout their lifetime.  No matter what you are breeding for in your herd all breeders should be striving for production.

 

5) Are there any advantages in waiting to breed a heifer?

            If the heifer does not meet the requirements for frame size and weight during the breeding season it would be more advantageous to wait and breed her for the next season than to have calves born out of season.  Also many people believe that longhorns should be bred to calve as three year olds to facilitate horn growth.  I feel that this negates the value of having an early maturing easy calving breed of cattle such as the Longhorn, but that is once again a management decision.  I do acknowledge though that it can be necessary to modify the calving at two guideline to accommodate for regional weather.

 

6) What is the ideal weight range for a newborn calf?

            Longhorn calves should be relatively small but vigorous.  A good range on heifers is 55-65lbs, and bulls is 65-70 lbs.  Some individuals will of course lie on the extremes but to wean at 450 to 500lbs a heifer that weighs 60 lbs at birth needs to gain 1.9 to 2.1 lbs/day, which is well within the bounds of what a baby calf can gain on good pasture with a good producing mother.

 

7) Do you think the sire or the dam affects the birth weight more?

            It is a well documented scientific fact that neither the sire nor the dam has a significant genetic impact on birth weight, and it is only a mildly heritable trait.  There is however an impact of dam age on calf birth weight.

 

8 ) How important is milk production? How do you determine whether a brood cow’s milk production is sufficient? 

Milk production is very important, without milk a cow’s calf would starve.  Females should produce enough milk for their calf so that the calf thrives and can be observed to grow and maintain a good standard of health.  It should be noted that udder size is perhaps the poorest indicator of milk production.

 

9) When you select a young heifer for your herd, how important is udder development? 

As stated previously a good udder is a must for a female in any productive setting.  Good udder development and strong genetic background are very important.

 

10) What do you look for in the udder of a mature brood cow?

            As a female has more calves she will of course be expected to loose some udder conformation.   Never the less, all females should have an udder that attaches high in the back and forward in the front.  The udder should not look like a ball between the back legs, but rather it should fill out the flank and the area between the rear legs.  The teats should be small, but proportionate to age.  The quarters should be even and well defined with the teat placed squarely in each quarter.  Extra teats do not bother me as long as they are not large and do not interfere with the calf nursing.  I would also like to see a female with color on her udder to avoid problems with sunburn.  The udder should have some hair for protection, but should not be excessively hairy as this can be an indication of lower fertility. (This holds true except in females in colder northern climates or in those females that have been used in embryo transfer as both of these situations can lead to hairy udders.)

  

11) In your opinion, are udder defects a result of improper management, genetic imperfection or in some cases a combination of both? 

Udder conformation can be affected by both environmental and genetic factors.  Intensively managed cattle, such as show cattle, tend to deposit fat in the udder which will lead to eventual udder problems in most cases.  A female that has been fed intensively for several years and that develops bad suspension or large teats, but which has paternal sisters and a mother with  good udders most likely has problems due to management.  Udder conformation however, is defiantly an inheritable trait and comes most strongly from the sires side.  Bulls from mothers with bad udders should be evaluated extremely critically before they are kept as herd sires as they will pass on udder defects.

 

12) How many years should a good brood cow produce? Do you think modern day breeding practices are improving or harming the longevity trait? 

Ideally the longhorn should calve into the early 20’s or the late teens at least.  Traditionally the Longhorn was the longest producing, most fertile breed of cattle in America.  Over the years, however, other breeds of cattle have been doing great things with EPDs and genetic selection for productivity whereby increasing their productive years.  The Longhorn, on the other hand, has been moving in the opposite direction in that our cattle are not living as long nor are they producing as long as they used to.

 

13) What do you believe is the ideal number of days between calving and rebreeding? 

In order to maintain a 12 mo calving interval a female needs to breed back between 60 and 80 days post-calving.

 

14) What are your standards for culling? What characteristics in a brood cow are justifications for immediate culling? How does disposition affect a brood cow?

Part a) (Note:  We are a small ranch and while this question does not necessarily apply directly to us the following are guidelines that we follow and recommend to other breeders.) For yearly culling females that no longer meet ranch goals need to be culled to make room for replacements that will advance the genetic goals of their respective ranches.

Part b) Cause for immediate removal from the herd include:  inability to nurse a calf due to enlarged teats, failure to become pregnant under optimal conditions, dangerous dispositions, and fence jumping.  Fence jumping makes it on to the list because if you have good fences that keep the rest of your cattle in the one who leaves may do any of the following: visit the neighbors bull, get hung in a fence, get hit by a car (in some states the livestock owner is responsible for damages), teach other livestock to leave with her and, finally, go missing for good in which case you have lost your investment in her as well as wasted time and resources looking for her.

Part c) In short, life’s too short to deal with dangerous or crazy cattle.  We won’t keep a female that is dangerous or aggressive towards humans and we won’t sell her to a fellow breeder.  Cattle that constantly show the potential to seriously injure someone go straight to the local barn or packer.  Protective mothers are tolerated until the calf is older and wandering off on its own as long as the aggression subsides as the calf ages.

  

15) How important is femininity to you when you select a heifer for a brood cow? Why is it important, and how is it expressed? 

Females should obviously look like females.  When calves enter puberty, just like any other mammal, they begin to exhibit secondary sex characteristics due to a change in hormone levels.  Females that show a broody appearance, refined heads, udder folds and overall just “look like a girl” will be more productive throughout their lifetime.  You wouldn’t pick a replacement female that looked like a steer would you?  Obviously not.  Females that look more like males generally have hormonal problems resulting in reduced fertility.

 

16) How important is horn size in selecting a heifer for a brood cow? Do you like for a heifer to show a lot of growth early, or are you satisfied with a cow which gets her horn growth gradually over the years? 

Horn is very important in selecting replacement females.  We are after all breeding Longhorns.  Early horn growth brings a premium in the market place, but as a breeder retaining my own heifers the end result is what is most important to me.  Early growth is nice but the final result is shat matters, especially when you consider that animals with more shape to their horns have a tendency to grow in spurts.

 

17) What other factors do you consider when selecting a brood cow, and which is most important to you? 

The pedigree is very important to me when looking at replacement females.  If an individual does not have the genetic backing to be a great female they most likely won’t be.  60 and 70 inch horned females don’t come from 50 inch sires and dams.  When I find an animal I like phenotypically, I like to look at her sisters, her mother, her sire’s mother and her sire’s sisters.  When a female has the traits you are looking for, a family that possesses the same traits and the genetic makeup to back it up you are making an investment in a heifer with a future, not taking a chance on a heifer that comes from a long line of illustrious nobodies. 

A good brood cow should raise a good calf, carry a good sound udder, be of medium build, be able to travel well, have good relatives, have an impeccable pedigree and of course have beautiful long twisty horns and a traffic stopping coat.