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FEED AND FEEDING


Feeding the cattle is one of the important considerations – with adequate pasture or in terms of supplements, minerals, hay, etc. Some of this advice should come from people in your own geographic area, in terms of climate, growing season, the feeds available in the area, mineral profiles in the soil, etc. Talk to someone locally for some of this advice.


“What works for Bear Davidson up in Virginia, for instance, or for a breeder in the Northwest, won’t work for me, here in Texas. Some people need to feed a lot more hay in the winter. I suggest talking to your county Extension Agent, because he/she can give you the best advice on certain feeds or how many head per acre you can run on your own pastures.” It might be helpful to have a knowledgeable person like the Extension Agent look at the pastures in order to receive specific advice.


“There is also a college in every state that can do soil testing with soil samples, and labs that can test feed samples. You can find out if your soil is acidic or what it might need in terms of fertilizer, what will grow best, etc.” says Chase.


“Here in central Texas grass grows year- round, but farther West in the hill country there’s a lot of rock and caliche and it’s a lot


different,” he explains. The cattle may need a supplement in some areas and the type of supplement may be different.


“Whether we like to admit it or not, the Longhorns we are raising today are not the same as they were 150 years ago when they fended for themselves and ranchers were trailing them hundreds of miles to market. None of the cattle we have today - beef or dairy breeds included - are quite like they were 150 years ago. New breeders, and sometimes even some older ones, have the attitude that, ‘Hey, these are Longhorns and they can handle it; they are hardy and tough.’ But if you want top-quality animals and exceptional horns, you need to provide optimum conditions for them. You have to take care of these cattle,” he says.


“Also, it costs just as much to feed and raise a poor-quality cow as a good one. You need to figure out what it is going to cost you per head per day and know your costs for the year. You can’t just pamper your top cows and not feed the lower-end animals as much. If you are going to make the investment to breed and raise these animals, you need to take care of them.”


FINANCES


“When it comes to purchasing the cattle, do your homework. Figure out what kind of Longhorns you like, but accept the fact that


54 TEXAS LONGHORN JOURNAL i MAR/APR 2018


the first cow you buy probably won’t be the cow you keep forever and dies on your place. She’ll usually be a starter cow, to get you going. You will learn as you go. Maybe if you are lucky, that first cow might produce what you want, year after year. Usually though, in the first five years, every new Longhorn breeder has turned their herd over at least once,” says Chase.


Some people start with a pregnant mature cow (maybe with calf at side, for a three- in-one package) or a bred heifer, or some heifer calves. “The most value, starting out, will be in the bred cows, especially if you don’t have a bull right away. It all depends on where you want to go with your program, however. Some people argue that you should buy the older cow that has already produced, because you know what she’ll do - and know what she works with or doesn’t work with. She’s a little more predictable and dependable than a heifer. I would rather take a chance on a good 12-year-old cow (that I know what she’s produced) than an 18-month old pregnant heifer,” he says.


The heifer may have great genetics, but she’s still an unknown - what she produces is unknown and whether she will be a good mother. “She looks great right now, but she’s still immature and you don’t know what her horns will be like. They could turn up, or not grow as you expected. She may not milk very well and might not raise good


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