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theTLCA.com Go online for the continuation of Heather’s “Getting Started” article and for more helpful tips.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Chase Vasut’s advice is to talk to as many breeders as you can, and look at as many websites as you can. “For the most part, everyone in the Longhorn industry loves to talk about their cows. Tey will be happy to answer your questions and give you advice. Tere is no such thing as a stupid question.”
calves. It’s always a gamble with a heifer. She might justify spending more money on her because she’ll have a longer life ahead of her to give you a return on your investment, but if she doesn’t pan out, you are out of luck,” he explains. There are many different options and each breeder has to make those decisions before purchasing.
“As you get started, however, you’ll make friends in the industry and find people who can give you advice. It varies from person to person, however, and sometimes you need to just make your own decisions. I have two very good friends who raise Longhorns, but if you ask all of us the same question, you might get three different answers!” However, getting that trustworthy individual to be a type of mentor will help in the long run.
“It also depends on what you want to do with your herd. What’s your plan? Your goals? Do you want just a hobby herd, or do you want to get serious about breeding top-end cattle, or show cattle? There are many choices, and decisions to make. My advice is to breed for what you like, because at the end of the day, you are the one who is looking at them.”
Purchasing for personal likes is always best – color patterns, body types, etc. “I have a friend on the East Coast who likes a big, tall cow that weighs 1000 to 1200 pounds. I like the smaller cow - a really petite, feminine cow that weighs 700-800 pounds. Your
climate may need to be a factor in the body type you select. The larger cow may handle extremely cold winter weather better than a smaller cow,” he explains.
“There is nothing cheap about starting in the Longhorn business. The cheapest part about owning a Longhorn is the initial purchase. That’s the easy part. Like owning a horse, the day-to-day costs of feed and care are the ongoing expense from that point on,” he explains.
Doing homework in advance will better prepare any start-up. Know the costs of the land (whether buying, leasing, or using what you already have), the costs of the necessary facilities, costs for feed, vaccinations, health care, etc. Prepare for the worst-case scenario.
“A lot of the new people breeding Longhorns come into this from the business world, without a lot of prior background with cattle. And while Longhorns are fun, they are still an investment, and you need to take care of them,” he says.
It always pays to get some advice. Don’t risk the future of any Longhorn investment.
2018 MAR/APR i TEXAS LONGHORN JOURNAL 55
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