the Texas Longhorn Cattle Association. With the change in direction of our organization helping all breeders with their Longhorn needs, we have witnessed increased membership, increased enthusiasm, and increased support. Registrations have been pouring in. Sales have reached all-time highs. And most importantly, everyone is having fun!
T
So, we thought it would be good to express our gratitude – to our supporters and to our Longhorns. We are grateful for:
The So-Called Small Breeder
There is nothing small about any breeder in this industry. Everyone has a significant role, and we are grateful for even the breeders who are starting out with only a few head of cattle. The small breeder has been the bedrock of every breed association. The term small breeder is a relative term, so for this article’s sake, a small breeder will be defined as an individual who has 30 head or less and has been involved in the industry for less than five years. The sale of high dollar animals like 3S Danica
his has been a great year for
and Cowboy Tuff Chex directly affects these breeders in three ways: increased bloodline value, extensive knowledge of breeding strategies, as well as the ability to bring new breeders into the industry.
Living daily in close contact with the Longhorns, small breeders are able to obtain an in-depth knowledge of the cattle, which sometimes a larger producer will not have. Decisions to cull and replace an individual animal will affect 1/3 of the herd, so making the right decisions are more crucial to the operation. With limited facility, a small breeder is more apt to cull severely than the man who is expanding his herd. With not as many calves as a larger producer, the calves need to be superior. So with limited offspring from which to select, small breeders are more likely to carefully study the genetic makeup of a bull before use. Small breeders are playing for keeps every time.
We have all seen the excitement a big sale causes in the industry and have taken part in it as well. Facebook videos with thousands of views and shares, countless phone calls and text messages after the hammer drops on that particular animal, as well as bragging
rights to our Angus buddies about how the Texas Longhorn once again trumps the “boring black animals”.
What many people do not see on social media, or hear about at the events, and what is not discussed are the phone calls received by the TLCA from breeders about these high dollar sales of elite animals. The common thing heard is, “That will never be me selling an animal like that,” or “That is great for the consignor, but how does it help those who can’t necessarily afford an animal like that.” The evidence is all around us as to what exactly a record breaking sale does for the smaller Texas Longhorn breeder. Besides the popularity of the animal, smaller breeders have the opportunity to research the pedigree and animals that seemed to help make it click to aide in the direction of any program.
To breed for specialized traits is a common practice aimed at improving bloodlines. The fewer traits strived for, the better the chances of reaching the goals. Some like to breed superior individuals to other top animals possessing the same qualities to concentrate genetic consistency. This
2017 NOVEMBER i TEXAS LONGHORN JOURNAL 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
