Author Archive

Posted on July 20, 2010 - by Russell

Longhorn Round-Up Sale Preview

The preview page for consignments to the Longhorn Round-Up Sale is now available for viewing. Simply click on the Longhorn Round-Up Sale Catalog button on the right-hand side of the webpage. This will open the PDF file with photos, pedigrees and information about the early consignments to the sale. I will be updating the preview page as consignments come in. The official catalog will be posted on September 1, 2010 but will be updated weekly until the week after consignments close on October 18, 2010. The interest in this sale is high from both sellers and prospective buyers. The sale offering is going to contain something for everyone. There will be Top Quality seed stock as well as recreational and commercial cattle. If you have ever thought about getting into the Longhorn Breed, now is the time and the Longhorn Round-Up Sale is the place to get started. Don’t forget to join us on Friday afternoon for the free educational seminars. Longhorns are an enjoyable and easy breed to raise. Hope everyone will make plans to join us on October 29 and 30^th in West, Texas at the West Livestock Auction.     

Posted on July 15, 2010 - by Russell

Warts and Ringworm

by Dr. Carla Chenette, Beef Cattle Breeding Extension Specialist
Dr. Duane Miksch, Extension Veterinarian, University of Kentucky, Princeton, KY

            While the economic impact of warts and ringworm in your herd may not be great compared to a disease like brucellosis, these two skin problems are prevalent and persistent in many herds of cattle.  Both certainly detract from the appearance of cattle and both are difficult to eliminate once established in a herd.
            Cattle with warts or ringworm are often not eligible for entry in shows, fairs or other places cattle are brought together, such as central bull test stations, because of their contagious nature.  Both spread rapidly through direct and indirect contact.  Both have fairly long incubation periods, prolonging the problems.  These diseases are easily transferred from one animal to another by simple management practices such as ear tagging and tattooing.  For example, if a calf with ringworm is clipped and the clipper blades are not disinfected prior to use on the next calf, the disease may be transmitted.  We will take a closer look at these two persistent cattle problems, explaining mode of action, some possible treatments and preventive procedures.
           
WARTS SPREAD QUICKLY 
            First, let’s consider warts.  Warts are caused by an infectious virus that is host specific, or in other words, is not passed from cows to pigs to humans under natural conditions.  On cattle, warts appear as large cauliflower-like lesions or small, horny bumps.  Most of the infective virus lives at the surface of the warts, explaining why they spread so quickly on an animal or through a herd of cattle.  The virus is spread through direct animal-to-animal contact or through indirect sources such as animal to feed bunk to next animal.  Skin wounds frequently lead to infections in “clean” animals if the wart virus is present.  Susceptible skin “wounds” are produced by routine management practices such as tattoos, ear tags or injections.  If an infected animal is tattooed, for example, the next animals that are tattooed with the same instrument are exposed to the virus and have a good chance of developing warts.
            Once warts are established, they can last on an individual animal for over a year and may become a total herd problem.  Usually it takes about two months for cattle that are infected to show warts after initial exposure to the virus.  So, although isolation of cattle with warts is recommended, they have probably already infected other animals before their disease was diagnosed.  Warts are a self-limiting disease as infected cattle build up natural immunity to re-exposure, but this immunity may be lost in time.
            Unfortunately, there is no simple treatment for warts that is always effective.  Surgical removal is one option, but be careful in the early growing stages, additional wart growth may be stimulated.  Conversely, when a few warts are surgically removed from an animal with extensive lesions, sometimes recovery seems to be hastened.  Therefore, remove warts only in totally developed or regressing stages.  Commercial vaccines are sometimes used, but they have had limited success.  A herd vaccine (autogenous vaccine) made from material collected from your cattle can be obtained through your veterinarian.  The vaccine is made from a suspension of ground wart tissue in which the virus has been killed with formalin.  Regular use of the vaccine as prescribed should continue for at least one year after the last wart has disappeared.  In addition to directly treating and vaccinating the cattle, the problem of contaminated fences, feeders, etc. should be addressed.  Formaldehyde fumigation at high humidity and high temperature will help to disinfect these indirect sources of wart infection.  Brushes, combs, clippers, tattoo instruments, etc. must be adequately cleaned and disinfected before reusing.

RINGWORM USUALLY WORSE
            If warts are a problem, it seems ringworm is usually worse.  Anyone who has treated ringworm on cattle knows it can be a never-ending chore, plus you may end up treating yourself as well since people can get this disease from cattle.  Ringworm is not host specific.  
            Ringworm is not associated with any kind of worm at all, but is a skin infection due to a fungus (aerobic actinomycete is the fancy name).  It is a worldwide problem affecting not only domestic animals, but wild animals as well.  In cattle, younger calves seem to be more susceptible, but all ages may be affected.  Ringworm takes two to four weeks to appear after exposure.  Then the hair falls out or breaks off in the affected area.  By two or three months, scaly, round asbestos-like plaques form.  The head and neck areas are most often affected on cattle, but if left untreated no area on the body is immune.  Ringworm seems to be at its worst during the winter, especially for cattle in confinement.  The summer sun appears to help clear up infections.
            Ringworm is tough as it can survive up to four years in the dry scabs and scales shed by cattle, plus it is easily transmitted by direct and indirect contact.  It is contagious from cattle to most other animals, including people.
            Several different treatments are recommended, but from experience, none is 100 percent effective.  Any treatments must be persistently applied to control ringworm and all are time consuming.
            For local treatment of ringworm, first remove the thick scabs with a brush and mild soap.  The infected areas should bleed slightly when the scales are removed.
            A few of the several recommended treatments for ringworm are:
            (1)  daily application of equal parts of tincture of iodine and glycerin,
            (2)  daily application of a 20 percent solution of sodium caprylate (for these remedies to be effective, all lesions must be soaked thoroughly each treatment),
            (3)  tincture of iodine or Lugol’s Solution applied every other day and
            (4)  thiabendazole (TBZ) applied directly to the infected area at least three times over a period of seven to nine days.
            Disinfection of equipment to prevent spread of ringworm is equally as important as it is in control of warts.  At times ringworm infections become widespread and seem to get out of hand.  Your veterinarian may prescribe systemic treatment, such as an intravenous solution of sodium iodine in water or oral griserofulvin.  Griserofulvin, by the way, is an expensive treatment to use in cattle.
            Ringworm is most severe and persistent in cattle under nutritional stress.  While poor nutrition is a contributing factor in this disease, sunlight seems to be nature’s treatment.
            Ringworm and warts are both common, irritating cattle problems that constantly try the patience of many a producer.  It takes determination, patience and persistence to control either.  Just be thankful they are seldom severe or fatal.

 

Source: 1997 TLBAA Breeders Handbook, article first printed in 1995. 
           

           

 

Posted on July 8, 2010 - by Russell

Longhorn Beef in Healthy Diet

“Heart Surgeon Claims”

By Steve Cubbage

            The man is a heart surgeon and cattleman.  Dr. Joe Graham is at home on the range at a time when doctors and cattlemen aren’t exactly on the same side of the fence when it comes to the subject of beef. 
            Graham is a cardiovascular surgeon at St. Johns Medical Center and he raises Longhorns on his ranch outside of Joplin, MO.
            “I know that at first glance it might look hypocritical for a heart surgeon to be raising beef.  But those pointing the finger at beef don’t know all the facts,” says Graham.  He believes that the beef industry has been unfairly targeted as the scapegoat for Americans’ health problems.
            “Having dealt with cardiovascular patients during my training as a surgeon I knew that heart disease wasn’t caused by just one thing you eat.  It became obvious to me that this country’s dietary problems are not much what people eat, but that people simply eat too much,” notes Graham.
            The doctor is vehemently anti-fat – in cattle and even more so in humans. 
            “I don’t know anyone in the medical profession who isn’t,” he says.  “The problem in this country isn’t a red meat problem rather a volume problem – too much food in every category – we’re just too blooming fat.  Nobody likes to be called obese, but, the sorry fact is that obesity in this country is just rampant – and it’s killing us.
            “Food is just too cheap.  It is so cheap that farmers are going broke.  Fast food joints line the streets and highways.  It’s two for one and all you can eat.  We are a nation of people crowded into the feedlots and encouraged by every advertisement and every inducement to walk into a restaurant and gorge ourselves.”
            As a cardiovascular surgeon, Graham feels he can use his position to reeducate people about the place of beef in their diet.  “I knew if I was going to raise cattle I had better choose the type of cattle that would send the right kind of message to people about the place of beef in their diet.
            That’s why he chose Longhorns.  “Lean beef is good for you and that’s what the Longhorn produces,” says Graham.
            Groomed by the evolutionary forces of Mother Nature, the Longhorn breed is not as high in saturated fat as other breeds.   According to Graham, Longhorn meat, on average, contains 10 percent less saturated fat than that of other cattle.  “That puts lean Longhorn beef on par with the skinned boneless white meat of chicken.  And that fact may come as a surprise to many dieticians,” he says.
            Old habits die hard – even for well-educated doctors and dieticians.  “Red meat was labeled as one of the bad guys several years ago because of the medical community’s zeal to reduce fat in the American diet,” says Graham. “Lean beef is good for you – and the key word is lean.  A heart patient can eat steak every meal if it is in the right proportions.  Beef is nutrient rich – containing several of the B vitamins and dense in such dietary essentials as iron and protein.  So you see, beef is one of the good guys.”
            While many Americans need to work on losing weight, Graham feels cattlemen, packers and retailers need to work on raising, feeding, butchering and supplying beef in a form that’s leaner and healthier.  “If the beef industry doesn’t start providing what people want, and need, the market will go to the birds.”
            The first step toward leaner beef begins at conception. “Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to breeding cattle.  Just because it fits the box doesn’t mean it’s the best product for the consumer,” emphasizes Graham.
            Enter the Texas Longhorn.  “There is a genetic treasure in the Longhorn breed yet to be discovered by the cattle industry,” believes Graham.

 

Source: 1997 TLBAA Breeders Handbook, article first printed in December 1989.

Posted on July 5, 2010 - by Russell

Butler TLBAA AI Certified Bulls

In the Texas Longhorn breed there are 7 families or bloodlines.  These bloodlines are the result of the individuals who were breeding and preserving the Longhorn in the early years when the Longhorn was almost extinct.

One of these bloodlines is the Butler line named after Milby Butler who was dedicated to preserving his idea of a true Texas Longhorn.  For more information about Milby Butler and his cattle visit the Butler Breeders website at www.butlertexaslonghorns.com  

Unlike the other bloodlines, which have lost some of their popularity, the Butler Bloodline has grown in esteem over the last ten years.  There are several reasons for the increase in value and high regard for Butler genetics.  One of these reasons is a dedicated group of breeders and another is the Butler Breeders Invitational Sale. 

When it comes to evaluating the quality of a Butler animal one must first look at the pedigree and then the animal.  With straight Butler cattle it is not all about horn — it is important — but so is the pedigree.

Artificial Insemination is a good way to add great old Butler genetics to a program.  I have attached PDF files with information on the straight Butler bulls that are AI certified with the TLBAA.  The bulls’ pedigrees and photos were published in the July 2008 Trails Herd Sire Directory.  I have added additional comments, reference photos and placed the bulls in sections based on the Butler sub-family they represent. butler-ai-sires-pg-1-181 , butler-ai-sires-pg-19-36       

Posted on June 25, 2010 - by Russell

What Makes a Breed Succeed?

           

                         Did you ever wonder how or what makes a breed like the Texas Longhorn succeed?  I certainly have; in fact, I have given a lot of thought to that intriguing question.  We have seen a tremendous array of beef cattle breeds in the United States during my lifetime.  Some breeds succeed and earn a permanent niche in our beef industry; others seem to merely hang on; while others falter, fail and practically disappear from the American livestock scene.  This has fascinated me over my forty years of active work in the livestock field.  No doubt, each of us could compile an impressive list of items related to the success of a breed.  I would like to share my list of thirteen considerations with you.
            First, if a breed is to truly succeed on a long-term economic basis, it must possess one or more unique traits that are needed by the commercial beef industry.  It must be more than just a “me too” breed!  It must differ some in economically important traits than the rest of the breeds.  Otherwise, why bother to consider it if there are a dozen other breeds that can do the same thing?  At Berry College in northwest Georgia, we maintain registered herds of seven beef breeds: Angus, Brahman, Brangus, Chianina, Devon, Simmental and Texas Longhorn.  Visitors to the campus sometimes voice the opinion that some of these varied breeds must have been selected because of fad or fancy!  Each of the breeds, however, was selected specifically because our crystal ball tells me that they possess certain traits that will be needed to meet the demands and emerging changes in our beef industry.  For example, the Texas Longhorn was selected for its high fertility, browsing ability and lean meat production.  Doesn’t it make good sense that private breeders should place considerable emphasis on unique economically important traits also? 
            Secondly, to fully succeed a breed should be loaded with traits needed by the commercial beef industry.  In my inventory of such economically important traits are: fertility, calving ease, calf survivability, milking ability, temperament, conformation (beef where beef counts), maximum lean meat, carcass quality, hardiness (including heat and parasite resistance for the South), disease resistance, longevity, rustling ability, fast rate of gain and efficiency of feed conversion.  This list reads almost like an inventory of traits of the Texas Longhorn breed!  How does your “breed of choice” rate on these traits?  How many of these traits can it contribute as complementary traits in a crossbreeding program?
            An important third factor would be for the breed to have a genetic make-up pure enough (genetic stability) to pass the desired traits to their offspring.  If a breeder wants to help his breed succeed, he must make sure that the performance of the cattle that he offers for sale as seed stock is due to additive genes and not to heterosis or hybrid vigor.  In other words, the cattle must possess purity (homozygosity) in their desired genes.  Breed purity will help maximize the returns from crossbreeding. 
            As a fourth criteria for success, a breed must meet trends (present and anticipated) in the beef industry.  In other words, it will be essential that the breed can be used to produce cattle that will have the greatest advantage throughout the production, feeding, processing and merchandising system.  Admittedly, it is difficult to plan today’s production for tomorrow’s markets!  However, I strongly believe that there are two “demands” that a breed must be ready to meet.  First, my personal crystal ball tells me that the stress will be on cattle that will utilize pastures, rangeland, forage, crop residues and by-products most effectively and efficiently.  Texas Longhorns score high on this point!  Second, most everyone’s crystal ball should now tell them that our cattle must produce a maximum of low calorie lean meat, preferably with quality bred in for juiciness and palatability.  This would mean a breed must transmit lots of lean muscle with a minimum of subcutaneous and intermuscular fat but with a modest amount of intramuscular fat (marbling) for flavor and juiciness.  This second trend is readily apparent with the increased merchandising of lower calorie beef under such labels as “Longhorn Lean” and “Key-lite”.  For the foreseeable future, our breeds must fill the role of efficiently producing the maximum muscle with a minimum of marbling included to assure quality.
            As a fifth consideration, it is important that breeders not get “hung up” on a single trait selection – like for size alone.  Granted, such selection will give the most rapid rate of genetic change in that one trait.  However, it is important that a balance be kept among economically important traits if a breed is to make the greatest genetic contributions to the profitability of our total beef industry.  Unfortunately, some breeds have glorified frame size to the extent that such economically important traits as reproductive efficiency and mothering ability have been almost completely overlooked.
            As a sixth point, if breeders want to help their breeds succeed, they must void chasing fads!  Some breeds have been seriously handicapped by breeders placing too much emphasis on a fancy or non-economically important trait.  Let me draw upon the sheep industry to illustrate this point.  At one time Shropshire breeders were breeding for maximum wool coverage on their animals.  They like to advertise “wooled from their nose to their toes!”  They were so successful in putting wool over the entire face that many animals became practically wool blind.  It took quite a while for progressive breeders to undo this mistake.  This delay in genetic progress permitted other sheep breeds to surge to the front.  Cattle breeds are not immune to such an error by their breeders.  Too rigid color restrictions for registration is one example.  Texas Longhorn breeders can do the same thing also as they blindly chase the longest tip-to-tip horn measurements.  One should pause and ask, “What does this contribute to the profitable production of beef?”  The larger the number of traits selected for, the slower will be the progress in any one of them.  Thus, the traits under selection should be the ones that are of greatest economic value which have high enough heritabilities to respond to selection pressure.
            As a seventh consideration, it helps to have a breed represented at Land-Grant universities and other agricultural colleges, especially where the faculty understand and are thoroughly familiar with the breed.  The Brahman herd at Louisiana State University and the Barzona herd at Mississippi State University are good examples.  Hopefully, Texas Longhorns at Berry will become another!  Among the advantages that this offers the breed are:  (1) Breed research becomes more meaningful; (2) Students become familiar with the breed, and they will be our next generation of cattlemen; and (3) When used in field days, short courses, and judging contests, a college herd becomes a good “display window” for the breed.  The presence of a breed on a college campus is especially important in a relatively new marketing area for that breed.  As indicated previously, Berry College has breeding herds of seven breeds of beef cattle and, in addition, is establishing small demonstration units of two additional breed – Barzona and Senepol.  These breeds have created considerable interest on the part of many cattlemen throughout the Southeast, and many visitors come from outside the region.  Granted, it is difficult to get a breed accepted into a Land-Grant university due to the political implications involved related to federal and state funding.  It is a bit easier to get a breed accepted into a private college, such as Berry, since those colleges do not have to “play politics.”  The main handicap with a private college is finding one that has adequate land, facilities, and funds to take on an additional breed.
            An eighth item of great importance is the expertise of the breeders in producing “quality control” animals for the commercial industry.  Remember, the purebred breeder is the “tool maker” for our multibillion dollar cattle industry.  Accordingly, purebred breeders must intensify their efforts to produce superior breeding stock to continue meeting the exacting specifications demanded by our beef industry.  For a breed to succeed, its breeders must recognize and be the first to use new selection and breeding techniques that show merit for advancing efficiency and economy of beef production. 
            Although I have listed it as ninth, the integrity of the breeders plays a more important role in the success of a breed than this late listing might indicate!  A high standard of ethics and integrity on the part of its major breeders proves to be one of a breed’s very best advertisements.  Remember, the purebred breeder is the guardian of the genetic material needed to advance the progress of the commercial beef producer.  Every effort should be made to rid the breed of undesirable genes and to pass such genetic material on in an improved status through the use of sire summaries and by strict performance in progeny testing, judicious selection, and carefully planned corrective matings.  It has been rightfully said that purebred breeders should exercise every effort “to sell cattle that won’t come back to breeders who will!”  That’s a major ingredient of success for the breed as well as the breeder.
            A tenth consideration of great importance is to have the breed represented by a sound, progressive registry association.  Most of the positive work done toward improving a breed’s merit will be accomplished by able, energetic, and persevering individual breeders.  However, a registry association can help hold the existing merit of the breed and can help acquaint “beginners” with what is considered ideal by the majority of the breeders of that breed.  Many registry associations are now giving their breeders a strong helping hand toward genetic improvement through the annual release of sire summaries, which publish the results of national sire evaluation programs. 
            An eleventh aid to help a breed succeed is to have a number of the top sires of the breed represented in the beef sire directories of artificial insemination companies like American Breeders Service; Select Sires, Inc.; and Elgin Breeding Service.  The availability of semen gives added “recognition” of the breed; and if truly genetically superior bulls are included, it will accelerate genetic progress for the breed.
            A twelfth consideration is to see that the breed is accurately represented in the USDA Farmer’s Bulletin Beef Cattle Breeds.  If the breed is not included and a registry association exists for the breed, strong effort should be made to get it into the next revision.  This publication is widely read by prospective cattlemen and by 4-H and F.F.A. members who should know about your breed as they consider the choice of a breed or breeds.
            My thirteenth factor for success of a breed is sound merchandising – not just mere selling.  For if a breed is to avoid the “boom and burst” syndrome, its breeders must exercise care about extreme ballyhoo, rigged bids, and “trading off” among themselves.  Such practices tend to create a false image of the breed being a “plaything for the wealthy” in the minds of sound commercial cattlemen to the point that they feel that they cannot compete for the good bulls of the breed.  The day is rapidly approaching when production records and carcass cutout values will replace showing winnings and sale prices as measures of a breed’s accomplishments and success.  Commercial producers will insist on seeing official performance records before purchasing purebreds of a given breed for use in their production programs whether it be grading-up or, more likely, crossbreeding. 
            How do these points compare with what you see in your crystal ball?  I am sure that I have overlooked some that you feel are important and perhaps have included some that you feel are not significant.  On some, you may totally disagree.  However, if I were to single out one of the thirteen as most important, it would be my very first one:  If a breed is to truly succeed on a long-term economic basis, it must possess one or more unique traits that are needed by the commercial beef industry.  If I am partially correct, the Texas Longhorn has a long and promising economic future that will eclipse the breed’s historical claim to fame!

By Stewart H. Fowler

 

 

Source:  The Longhorn Scene, June 1987.
           

By Stewart H. Fowler

Posted on June 19, 2010 - by Russell

Anatomy Of A Texas Longhorn And Breed Guidelines

I have attached two PDF files. They contain a photo of a Longhorn cow and bull with their basic body parts identified. anatomy-of-a-texas-longhorn-bull, anatomy-of-a-texas-longhorn-cow . Below is a list of the Breed Guidelines with brief description of each trait.   

1)      General Type: Good length with moderate depth and thickness. Top of hips slightly higher than top of shoulders. Angular shaped body. Strong legs with free movement. Bulls thicker and more muscled than cows, exhibiting masculine crest development on neck at maturity.

2)      Ears: Small to medium, short round ears, fitted horizontally under horns, or sloping slightly upward.

3)      Head: Showing masculinity or femininity according to sex; moderate width with pronounced length. Straight profile from poll to muzzle. Pigmented around eyes. Symmetrical eyes and nose alignment.

4)      Muzzle: Mealy-mouthed, wide and symmetrical. Pigmented to prevent sunburn.

5)      Neck: Trim on cows, muscular on bulls. Long with minimal dewlap skin.

6)      Shoulders: Free moving, smooth. Well muscled on bulls. Should blend smoothly into neck and ribs.

7)      Brisket: Trim and free from excessive fleshiness or fat.

8 )      Tail: Long with full switch.

9)      Back: Strong topline but with a slight dip in it when the animal is on the move. Maximum length between the shoulders and hooks. The animal’s topline should not hump up when the animal is walking.

10)  Loin: Broad with full rib eye area.

11)  Ribs: Well sprung, elliptical.

12)  Hooks & Pins: Reasonably prominent with good length between. The distance between them should not be level but with a slight slop from hooks to pins. This helps with calving ease.

13)  Hindquarters: Long, moderately sloping from hooks to pins. Full and well-developed.

14)  Heart Girth: Full on bulls, angular on cows.

15)  Legs and Feet: Squarely set, sound feet, legs, hocks and joints with adequate bone. Hard hooves.

16)  Size & Flesh: Easy fleshing. Adequate size for age and environment to show good gain and health.

17)  Hide: Pliable and healthy.

18)  Hair (will vary depending on environment): Cows short, straight, slick coat. Bulls coarse wire-type hair on head and neck.

19)  Sheath: Retractable prepuce, small orifice, flat small-sized navel flap.

20)  Udder & Teats: Well attached udder, equally balanced quarters, pigmented, small teats, abundant milk production.  

21)  Disposition: Mild, tractable.

22)  Reproduction: Early maturity, longevity. Cows regular calving, breeding back at about 3 months after calving and early puberty. Bulls masculine, virile, high libido, high quality semen in volume.

23)  Color: Colors and mixes are so various that no two appear exactly alike. Wild, flamboyant, loud colors, paints, spotted, solids and many variations.

24)  Horn Growth: Smooth, waxy appearance. Cows — wide, twisted outward, measuring 40 inches or more, tip-to-tip at maturity. Bulls — horns with lateral length and a slight forward upward sweep of 46 inches or more, tip-to-tip on mature bulls and a base circumference of 12 inches or more.

 

These are the basic Breed Guidelines established back in the late 1970’s to early ‘80’s.

 

Today I would say a good, acceptable horn measurement on a mature cow or bull would be in the 50 inch range tip-to-tip. 

 

Some believe that a weanling calf should have straight out horn that has grown to the end of its ears by 6 months of age.  Because of this belief a lot of calves are being culled that probably would have matured into a nice twisty horned animal any breeder would have been proud to own.  Because of a misconception and a lack of patience on the breeder’s part these “twist horn” genetics are being lost. 

 

I believe this is one of the main reasons we are losing the breed’s twisty horn genetics. Twisty horns do not seem to grow fast and they generally do not come straight out of the animal’s head.  If you are only looking for tip-to-tip horn genetics this theory is still flawed.  

 

In my thirty plus years in this business I have found that certain bloodlines will produce early and quick horn growth and the growth tends to slow dramatically as they mature.  Other bloodlines tend to start out slow and have growth spurts at a later age, but continue to grow steadily throughout their lives with some of these animals eventually reaching tip-to-tip measurements of over 70 inches. 

 

This is just something to think about as you review the Breed Guidelines and evaluate your Longhorn herd.  

Posted on June 15, 2010 - by Russell

. . . for Horns and Color

By Jim Warren 

            Let me tell you about a nightmare I had the other night.  I found myself at a big Texas Longhorn cattle sale.  This in itself is not strange, but I bought a heifer for $20,000 – now you know I was dreaming!  Well, I bought her because she had enormous horns (46 inches as a yearling) and flashy color – she was a three-color paint with a gruella head and roan tail.
            Well, I loaded her up and l took her home, jumped her out in her own special padded trap and went to my bull pasture to bring over the $10,000 bull I had bought last year.  (He had enormous horns and flashy color.)  I jumped him out in the trap with her and sat back to wait.  Well, that was the longest thirteen months I have ever spent – usually I had to wait only nine months, but for some reason it took thirteen this time.  (I figured it was just my nerves.)
            Anyway, one morning I drove up to the trap fully expecting to see a bright new calf and there was my new heifer lying on her side looking like a grounded blimp.  Well, you can imagine – I thought she was dead!  I ran across the trap and just before I got to her she raised up her head and looked at me as much to say, “You sure took your time, where have you been?”  Boy was I relieved to see her move!  So I got a hold of her horns and tried to neck her up – but she wouldn’t budge.  About the time I stepped back to wipe the sweat out of my eyes I noticed her straining and it finally dawned on me that she must be fixing to have her calf.  Well, I waited and the heifer strained, and I waited and she strained and this went on for about half an hour with no results.  (By this time I was about to have a calf.)

Call the Vet!

          Finally it dawned on me that something was happening to my twenty thousand dollar heifer that I wasn’t used to – she was having trouble calving!  So needless to say I tripped over my ace cow dog who was asleep behind me, leaped the wire gap in a single bound, nearly tore the door handle off my pickup to get to the mobile phone and do something else I wasn’t use to – call the vet!  I didn’t even know the number.  I just got the operator and she seemed to be used to vet emergencies so she got him right away.  Well, I told him to get out to my padded pens as quick as he could – one of my cows was sick (I didn’t want to tell him what she was sick of, but I knew he always carried his calf-puller with him.)
            Then I whizzed back to my heifer to see if there had been any further developments – and there hadn’t.  I started waiting again – I couldn’t sit down though – I was pacing up and down wearing out the grass when the Doc roared up in a cloud of dust.  I didn’t know if I could tell him what was wrong, but I finally kind of hung my head and mumbled in a low voice.  “She’s having little trouble calving.” 

            The Doc went over and rolled back her eyelids and looked in her eye.  I said, “No, Doc that’s not where the trouble is.”  What he said was unintelligible – I was glad of that.  Then he squatted down at the other end and went to feeling around and saying “Uhhuh, ah hah,” and other professional words while I wrung my hands and got back in the groove I had worn earlier pacing up and down.  Finally I couldn’t stand it any longer so I ran over to his truck and said, “Doc, can I bring you this uh – this uh calf puller?”  He had gotten up about that time and came over to wash his hands (and arm).  He said, “No, Jim, we won’t need that.”  The tone of his voice told me more than the words and all I could say was, “What is it, Doc?”    
            “Well,” he said, “that calf is too big for your heifer to have naturally.  She’d never make it – puller or no puller.” 
            “Then do something Doc!  That’s an expensive heifer.”  I didn’t want to tell him how expensive.
            He said, “We can take it with a C-section and should have good results.”  I said, “Well then let’s get on with the program Doc, I can’t take much more of this waiting.”

One-Hundred Pounder

     So to make a long story somewhat shorter the operation was a great success.  Doc pulled out the best looking one-hundred pound, three-colored heifer calf I had ever seen. 
      The next day the cow was up grazing around the trap and the calf was nursing away when I got there to check on them.  I still watched them pretty close for three or four days though and everything looked fine for a couple of weeks.  Then I began to notice that the calf spent a lot of time laying around and didn’t look like it was keeping up with the size of my calves in the pasture right next door.  I made all kinds of excuses for this occurrence – young cow, first calf, hard delivery, full moon on the tenth, wind out of the west – you know, all those things which usually cause calves to do poorly.
      After a couple more days I couldn’t stand it any longer – that was my prize calf from my $20,000 cow sired by a $10,000 bull.  I had to see what was the matter.  So I called Ol’ Doc again (I had his number on the sun visor of my pickup now) and he came right out.  First, he checked the calf over real good, said “uh huh and ah hah” again and went to look at the cow.  After he followed her around the pen a couple of times he went over and sat down.
      “Well Doc,” I said, “should I sit down too or what?”
      “No,” he said, “it’s not that bad.  I run into it all the time in other herds.  Let’s analyze this thing and you’ll see it clear.  What is that between that cow’s hind legs?”
      “Doc, you’re not teaching Anatomy 101 – that’s her udder, that’s what it is.”
      “Alright,” he said, “but look at those heifers right next to her in that pasture.”
      Well, it finally hit me.  Those heifers had bags that looked like basketballs compared to this one.  Doc saw me sorta leaning over the fence sobbing and said, “Don’t take is so hard.  You won’t have any trouble finding a nurse cow.  All your neighbors have been using them for years.”  Needless to say I got a nurse cow and raised that calf because I had too much invested in her and besides she had the potential to have bigger horns than her mama.
      So, time rocked long, like it does, and I bred the cow to a $20,000 bull this time – on the third try.  (He had tremendous horns and great color.)  I figured the trouble must have been that the first bull wasn’t her equal.  The next summer, she had another heifer calf with me and Doc just pulling this one.  The nurse cow didn’t seem to mind raising her own calf and somebody else’s at the same time, so I didn’t feel too bad about the whole deal.  After all I had managed to raise two heifer calves out of my $20,000 cow in just short of three years.  They both had tremendous horn and great color and should bring a fortune at the sales; and Wade and T.E. didn’t mind (too much) learning to use a calf-puller to help with future problems – and just think, in a few more years I’d have a whole herd of cows with tremendous horns and great color plus another herd of great nurse cows.  I could open up a Holstein dairy to make a little money to help pay the feed bill.

“Tongue in Cheek”

 

      Well, I hope this hasn’t offended anyone because I never intentionally offend anyone.  You all know that this is written sort of tongue-in-cheek, but at the same time it is a story that has a few points in it that I don’t want to lose sight of.  I hope you can see them too.

 

Editor’s note: This short story was written back in 1982 but the point it is making is still an issue today…Single Trait Selection. When we as breeders focus on breeding for one or two traits we are in danger of losing other traits that are in many cases more important than the traits we are breeding. For every action (increase in a trait) there is a reaction (decrease in another trait) there fore we need to find a balance. As true Texas Longhorn Cattle Breeders we should be focused on breeding and producing cattle that are a ”total package” of ALL the great traits that have allowed the Longhorn to survive the test of time.   

 

Source:  Texas Longhorn Journal, July/August 1982, Guest Editorial, page 20.

Posted on June 11, 2010 - by Russell

Longhorn Crosses Mean Profit in the Pocket

By Carolyn Hunter 

 

            Today’s cattle producers face the constant challenge of producing high-quality lean beef as economically as possible.  In 1991, Texas A&M University began a valuable program to show cow-calf and stocker operators how their cattle fit the needs of the beef industry.
            The A&M “Ranch to Rail” program is designed to measure feedlot performance, carcass traits and net dollar return for individual cattle on feed.  Cattlemen delivered their calves in the fall to one of two feedlots in Texas where they were tagged, processed, and followed all the way through the feeding phase to slaughter.
            The first year, 74 producers from Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma entered 666 steers in the program.  Among them were several who sent Texas Longhorn crosses.  Gerry Shudde was one of those.
            The Sabinal rancher took seven Texas Longhorn/Salers cross calves.  Of the seven, five graded choice or select, and carcass percentages were good.  However, profits varied widely on the steers, so Shudde went home to make some adjustments in his breeding program – the purpose of “Ranch to Rail”.
            He entered five Texas Longhorn/Limousin cross steers in the 1992-93 program.  When payday came, Shudde’s steers brought him a return of $91.71 above the average for the “Ranch to Rail” Program.  This income was helped by the fact that the Texas Longhorn cross steers had zero medicine costs while the program had an average of $3.44.  Death loss was also zero compared to the average $4.74.  Carcass value/cwt was $4.30 above the average.
            Four of the five steers quality graded choice and one select with yield grades of 1 or 2.  The carcasses dressed out at an average of 65.38%, with ribeye area averaging 15 sq.in., ideal for packer boxes.  Outside fat came in at an excellent .26” average.  Excess fat lowers dressing weight and lowers yield grade, and means more trimming at the packing house.
            “The steers returned $733 after feed cost, and ranch expenses came out of that,” says Shudde.  “Putting your cattle into feedlots takes a planned system of grazing until they hit 600-700 lbs., but beats the $350-400 they would bring at weaning through an auction.”
            Bob Bachman, with Agri Ventures Corporation, Graham, TX, ranches in Texas and New Mexico.  He runs mostly Brangus-cross type cows, and uses Longhorn bulls on all his heifers.  Bachman sent 19 Longhorn X calves off his first-calf Brangus heifers to the Randall County Feedyards in the Texas Panhandle.  His net profit per steer was $17.18 above the “Ranch to Rail North” average.  All 19 graded choice or select.  Carcass dressing percentages ranged from 62.5% to 71.09%.
            Bachman has kept some of his Longhorn-cross heifers as replacement females.  His Longhorn-cross cows run on some of his rougher country.  He usually keeps a cow as long as her teeth are good and she’s raising a good calf.  “Generally, their mouth kinda peters out when they’re somewhere around 10-12 years old.  I think the longevity of these Longhorn crosses will be better,” said Bachman in an article in the New Mexico Stockman.  “I think we’ll find these half-blood cows might get on out to 14 years.  It costs a lot of money to get a calf into production, so if you get two or three years more, it’s just that much money saved.”
            Shudde and his wife can’t say enough about their registered Texas Longhorn cows and the cross-calves.  “They’re ideal for this brush country,” says Shudde.  “They’re small cows that can browse efficiently.  Right now, they’ve quit the dry grass and are licking on Huajillo brush.  They’re also easier to work than Brahman crosses.”
            Janelle Shudde chimes in.  “What seems the strongest about our Longhorn crossbreeding program is being able to utilize this breed that has developed such strong ‘survivor’ characteristics such as few birthing problems, range and brush grazing and effective mothering; combine those things to come up with something, not just preserving history, but effective in the production arena of the real world we have to make a living in.”
            “I’ve eaten beef all my life, and those Longhorn cross steaks are the best I’ve ever eaten,” says Shudde.  “That and the dollars are the bottom line, as far as I’m concerned!”

 

Source:  1996 TLBAA Breeders Handbook, page 85.

Posted on June 10, 2010 - by Russell

Selling in the High School Senior Select Heifer Sale

My name is Kevin Rubel.  I am a senior at Vista Ridge High School in Cedar Park, Texas.  I will graduate on June 5, 2010 and will be attending Lincoln College of Technology to become a Certified Welder.

 

For the past three years, my grandparents Bob and Louann Rubel, my parents Brian and Karen Rubel and I have traveled over 84,000 miles and have exhibited in 80 shows.  For the 2007-2008 season, the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America presented me the Newcomer of the Year Award and I was the Teen division Hall of Fame Champion.  For the 2008-2009 season, I was awarded the Senior division Hall of Fame Champion.  During the 2009-2010 season I have accumulated over 15,000 points for exhibiting Texas Longhorn cattle.  I believe this is more than any other youth exhibitor has ever been able to accomplish.  I love to show Texas Longhorn cattle.  Texas Longhorns have been the center of our lives.

 

I have been selected by the TLBAA to be a part of the First Annual High School Senior Heifer Sale at the 2010 World Show.  This is the first year for the program, which allows a senior the opportunity to sell a heifer at the World Show to help with their college or technical school expenses.  The program requires the senior to market their animal along with a speech to be given at the World Show sale.

 

The heifer that I have chosen to sell is DRL Fear’s Classy Lassie.  She was born on April 22, 2009.

 

Lassie is the progeny of MBL Lib’s Fear This and SD Classy Girl.  Her sire, MBL Lib’s Fear This was the 2007-2008 Hall of Fame Champion.  Her dam, SD Classy Girl was purchased from Sand Dollar Ranch in 2006.  Both have many champions in their bloodlines.  Her full sister DRL Fear’s Classy Girl is currently competing in the Hall of Fame Championship for 2009-2010.

 

Lassie is an outstanding brown and white heifer.  She was OCV’d in January 2010.  Lassie has a great disposition, a very feminine face with small ears and good lateral horn growth.  She is structurally sound, with good legs and feet, strong level topline, and clean lines underneath.  Lassie comes from a great family of milk producers.  She is halter broke and can be shown for two more years in the TLBAA Youth program and for years to come in the open show.  Lassie will sell open, giving her new owner an opportunity to breed her to the bull of their choice.

 

DRL Fear’s Classy Lassie would be an asset to anyone’s herd, - a new beginner or an established breeder.  Come by and take a look.  She will be available in the Select Senior Marketing Sale on June 18, starting Friday at 3:00 P.M.    If you are not able to attend the sale in person but would like to bid, you may do so by phone by calling Mr. Brent Bolen during the sale at (602) 769-0900.  Pre-sale bidding is also available by mailing your bid to:  TLBAA, C/O Brent Bolen, P. O. Box 4430, Fort Worth, Texas  76164.  If you have any questions please feel free to call or email me, or my grandfather, Bob Rubel.  We will be happy to send additional information. 

 

Thank you for your consideration and for your participation in the First Annual Senior Heifer Sale.

 

Sincerely,

 

Kevin Rubel

 

Kevin Rubel

Cell:  512-233-9132, Email: coolone1992@yahoo.com

 

Bob Rubel

Cell:  817-929-5576, Email: diamondrlonghorns@iglide.net

Posted on June 10, 2010 - by Russell

Selling in the High School Senior Select Heifer Sale

To all of my Fellow TLBAA Members,

My name is Kyle Tanner. I have been an active TLBT member for almost seven years. I have recently been selected by the TLBAA to be a part of the first High School Senior Heifer Sale at the 2010 World Show. They selected four seniors to sell heifers at the sale to help them be a little more financially ready to attend college. One of the requirements was to send letters to members and to market your heifer to the best of your ability.

I am selling a heifer that was born March 3, of 2009. Her name is HL Lady Raider.

 

        I purchased her using the money I won from catching at the Houston Livestock Show calf scramble in 2009. She comes from Pete and Stacie Hood’s herd in Indiahoma, Oklahoma. Her pedigree speaks for itself. She was sired by ML Howitzer and her dam is HR Emperor’s Lace and her Grand sires are Country Liberator and Emperor. She is a very traditional red and white heifer with a long body. She has adequate horn growth for a heifer her age and she has an exceptional spring of rib. She won Junior Reserve Champion at her first three shows. I believe she is capable of improving anyone’s herd. Her conformation is not her only attribute. She has a great disposition. She is a perfect animal to have penned up when kids or grand-kids come for a visit because she loves to be around people and she does not throw her head around like some cattle. She still has two more years that she can be shown in the youth show and I think she will only place better as she matures. I plan on breeding her to my bull out of another cow that I own. He won Grand Champion Youth Bull at the Fort Worth Stock Show and the Autobahn Sweepstakes show in February. He is a black and white bull and is put together wonderfully. He is a complete package with adequate horn growth, spring of rib, good legs, and a lot of natural muscle. I have not bred them yet because I want to give you the option of breeding her to your herd sire or another bull you might have in mind if my bull does not sound like what you are looking for. I plan to breed her for a March calf, so if you are interested in her and would like to breed her to your bull instead of mine, please contact me before May 25th.

 

       

 

           I hope after reading about my heifer and looking at the attached pictures, you are interested in her. I hate to see her go because like all the animals I own, I am very attached to her. I know she has the capabilities of improving any herd, including mine. If you have any questions please feel free to call or e-mail me or my mom. I will be happy to send other pictures to help you make a decision. Thank you for your time and consideration of my heifer.

           Sincerely,

           Kyle Tanner

Kyle Tanner’s cell: 254-592-8982

Beth Tanner’s cell: 817-798-3940

Kyle’s email: cowdudek@embarqmail.com

Beth’s  email: cowmom1@embarqmail.com