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COVER STORIES
12 If It Looks Like a Bull...
Important first impression clues and deeper digging to do to assess potential herd sires. By Myra Basham
FEBRUARY 2022 Vol. 33 • No. 11
DEPARTMENTS 6
Editor’s Note
10
Feed for Young Bulls 18 Pre-weaning Affects Future Fertility
Amount and timing of extra nutrition can set up a young bull for success. By Heather Smith Thomas
Codes Can Bring New Dynamics to 26 QR Your Longhorn Marketing Take advantage of this tool to interactively draw in potential buyers. By Myra Basham
Board of Directors
32
New Members
34
TLBT Pages
38
Affiliate News
FEATURES 40
40
Kit & Josh Dinwiddie: South central Oklahoma family, a working model of natural farming practices Take advantage of this tool to interactively draw in potential buyers. By Bryan Painter, Communications Director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission
44
Are You Ready For The 35th TLBAA World Expo? Learn what, where and when it is and why you want to be a part of it.
46
If you Own An A.I. Sire, Buy Semen, or Fill Out Registrations Then July 2022 Trails Is For You!
News On The Trail
48
Breeders Guide
51
Index/Just For Grins
52
Calendar
About the Cover: Hubbells 20 Gauge is a familiar name in the Longhorn industry and for good reason. His consistent
and outstanding production is evidenced in his many successful progeny, both male and female. You can see a sampling of his progeny on pgs 2-3 of this issue or by visiting the websites of one of the partners. hubbelllonghorns.net | bullcreeklonghorns. com | fhrlonghorns.com The Texas Longhorn Trails (ISSN-10988432, USPS 016469) is published monthly by the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, 221 W. Exchange, Ste. 210, Fort Worth, TX 76164. Periodical Postage Paid at Fort Worth, TX. Subscription rates: $105 per year; foreign per year $180. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Texas Longhorn Trails, 221 W. Exchange, Ste. 210, Fort Worth, TX 76164. Phone (817) 625-6241. Fax (817) 625-1388. Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for all content of advertisements printed and also assume responsibility for any claims arising from such advertisements made against the publisher. Publisher reserves exclusive rights to accept or reject advertising or editorial material submitted for publication in the Texas Longhorn Trails magazine. Articles and photos from this publication may be reprinted only with permission of the publisher.
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EDITOR’S NOTES A LOT TO CONSIDER Herd sires are a hot topic and for good reason. The sire contributes to a large percentage of the genetic makeup of your herd. A cow has one offspring a year naturally and a bull can sire many. There are many things to consider before raising or purchasing a sire, and we take a look at a few that may help you quickly decide whether to investigate a prospect further or not. While we only scratch the surface of things to investigate, there may be something there you have not considered seriously before. At the lower right of this page you notice a QR code. If you hover over it with a smart phone it will ask if you want to visit www.tlbaa.org. While the technology has been around for a while, it is just now gaining traction as more of the population were forced to use them to read menus during the past year at restaurant. Take a look at our marketing story this month to learn how to utilize QR codes in your marketing and give it a try! A lot of our breeders are also serious conservators of the land their cattle live on. Our “News on the Trail” article this month features the Dinwiddies and recognizes their efforts with every aspect of Plain Dirt Farm’s natural approach to the land and the livestock. The good news about Google and Facebook marketing, they work. As a result we have more new members and more inquiries about cattle, increases in registrations and a growing interest in having a beef program as another revenue stream. More traffic is hitting our website and we direct poeple to breeders guide ads in Trails and the online breeders directory regularly to help them find Longhorns in their area. Will they find you in either place? Sometimes I’m afraid people are stuck in the “we’re preaching to the choir” rut and not realizing that the magazine, which is also free online, is looked at by prospective breeders. The number of website visitors and inquiries to the office has greatly increased over the past year and if you want to be the one a prospective new breeder reaches out to, you need to be in one or both breeders listings. Individually they are $365 for the Trails Breeders Guide and $240 for the online directory. Purchased together it is $555 for both (a $50 savings.) If you’re interested, or want to price it packaged with ad or e-blasts, simply contact me. I’m not a great salesperson when it comes to applying pressure or hounding people, but I am a person who wants to see people succeed. If you ever want to talk over possibilities for making the most of your marketing dollars, give me a call or shoot me an email Until next month,
DEADLINE: April 2022 Issue:
Blessings,
Myra Basham Myra Basham Editor-in-Chief
February 28th
(817) 625-6241 • (817) 625-1388 (FAX) P.O. Box 4430 • Fort Worth, TX 76164 trails@tlbaa.org • www.tlbaa.org
Editor-in-Chief: Myra Basham Ext. 104 • myra@tlbaa.org trailseditor@tlbaa.org Advertising: Myra Basham • (817) 625-6241 x 104 myra@tlbaa.org Graphic Design & Production: Trace Neal • Ext. 103 trace@tlbaa.org Marketing Coordinator: Mason Runyon mason@tlbaa.org
Registrations/Office Manager Rick Fritsche • Ext. 101 rick@tlbaa.org Registrations/Administrative Assistant Shannon Gordon • Ext. 102 shannon@tlbaa.org Special Events Pam Robison • Ext. 106 pam@tlbaa.org Accounting Theresa Jorgenson • Ext. 105 theresa@tlbaa.org Office Assistant/Receptionist Megan Smith • Ext. 100 megan@tlbaa.org
Beef Edition Printed in the U.S.A. 6 | February 2022
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Frank Anderson Jr. and III 828 S. Rosemary Dr. • Bryan, TX 77802 (979) 846-8020 • (713) 502-5224 edie.wakefield@gmail.com Bo Baker & Kellsey Gallagher Mount Airy, MD 21771 (301) 806-6493 Beadle Land & Cattle Ray & Bonnie Beadle Los Gatos & Hollister, CA 95032 (408) 834-0110 raybeadle@comcast.net Bennett Longhorn Cattle Co. Michael Bennett 2159 Country Club RD • Lucas, TX 75002 (214) 385-6789 bennett@lucasfence.com BPT Longhorns Ben & Phyllis Termin Weatherford, TX (817) 374-2635 luvmylonghorns@gmail.com Butler Texas Longhorns Buster & Thalia Butler
Jennings, OK 936-577-6129 buster@butlertxlonghorns.com www.butlertxlonghorns.com C4 Longhorns Bill & Molly Crozier 208 CR 4145 • Woodville, TX 75979 (409) 200-9720 www.c4longhorns.com Christa Cattle Co. Jason & Louis Christa 2577 FM 1107 • Stockdale, TX 78160 christacattleco@msn.com www.christacattleco.com (210) 232-1818 Dalgood Longhorns Malcolm & Connie Goodman 6260 Inwood Dr. • Houston, TX 77057 (713) 782-8422 dalgood@comcast.net www.dalgoodlonghorns.com Falls Creek Longhorns Stan & Sandi Tidwell 2330 W. FM 875 • Midlothian, TX 76065 (972) 989-8939 www.fallscreeklonghorns.com Hicks Texas Longhorns Johnny & Missy Hicks 1518 E. Britol Rd. • Dowling, MI 49050 (269) 721-3473 hicksamericanbulldogs@yahoo.com www.michiganmafialonghorns.com/Hicks
JKG Longhorns Jeff, Kristi, Kacie & Jodie Ging 2908 CR 438 • Yoakum, TX 77995 (361) 781-4347 • (361) 781-4348 jkglonghorns@gmail.com www.jkglonghorns.com Jane’s Land & Cattle Co. John & Jane Thate 418 W. Margaret St. • Fairmont, MN 56031 (507) 235-3467 Kaso, Lisa & Jake Kety Little Ace Cattle Co. P.O. Box 386 • Folsom, LA 70437 (985) 796-3918 ketyfolsom@aol.com McLeod Ranch Michael, Jackie, Mike & Makayla McLeod 355 CR 3031 • Edna, TX 77957 (361) 782-0155 Brennan & Michele Potts Rocking P Longhorns P.O. Box 579 • Emory, TX 75440 (903) 473-2430 Cell: (903) 348-5400 www.rockingplonghorns.com bpotts1@verizon.net Rio Vista Ranch Elmer & Susan Rosenberger 3208 Fall Creek Estates Dr • Spicewood, TX 78669 Cell: (512) 422-8336 elmer@riovistaranch.com www.riovistaranch.com Spring Creek Farms Bradley & Heather Wachsmuth 2749 FM 555 • Gilmer, TX 75645 (337) 241-6882, 337-366-2060 bh1028726@gmail.com www.springcreekfarmstx.com Triple R Ranch Robert & Kim Richey 21000 Dry Creek Rd. • San Angelo, TX 76901 (325) 942-1198 r3ranch@aol.com www.butlertexaslonghorns.com Wynfaul Acres James & Helen Cloakey 408 County Road 2200. • Cleveland, TX 77327 (713) 677-1473 hgbedford@hotmail.com www.WynFaulAcres.com Butler Breeder’s Futurity (936) 689-1914 butlerfuturity@yahoo.com www.butlerbreedersfuturity.com Butler Longhorn Museum (281) 332-1393 info@butlerlonghornmuseum.com www.butlerlonghornmuseum.com
Alaska
17 13 18
2 3
16
14 15 NORTH WEST
Hawaii
9
8
CENTRAL
EAST
12
6
5
7
10
SOUTH
4
11
SOUTHEAST
TLBAA Regions
DIVISION A ~ REGIONS 1-6
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1
Canada, New Zealand, Australia
Chairman of the Board: Keith Du Bose • (979) 277-2161
Treasurer: Kevin Rooker • (817) 692-7843
Vice Chairman: Johnny Hicks • (269) 721-3473
Parliamentarian: David Wars • (936) 404-2116
Secretary: Stephen Head • (979) 549-5270
DIVISION B ~ REGIONS 7-12
DIVISION C ~ REGIONS 13-18
Region 1/2 - Director
At-Large Director
Region 13/14 - Director
Deb Lesyk
Keith Du Bose
Justin Georges
(306) 867-9427 halters.buckets@yahoo.com
(979) 277-2161 kwdubose@gmail.com
(402) 580-0209 justin.georges@yahoo.com
At-Large Director Region 3/4 - Director
Johnny Hicks
(269) 721-3473 hicksamericanbulldogs@yahoo.com
Ross Ohlendorf
(512) 791-7118 rockingolonghorns@gmail.com
Dora Thompson
(318) 872-6329 echoofambush@aol.com
(936) 404-2116 w5longhorns@yahoo.com Region 8 - Director (817) 692-7843 krooker61@gmail.com
Vacant
Division A now has a total of 3 Directors
Future Phase-Ins: Division B: Elections take place in 2022 Charles Schreiner III* 1964-1967 Walter G. Riedel, Jr.* 1967-1969 J.G. Phillips, Jr.* 1969-1971 Walter B. Scott* 1971-1973 James Warren 1973-1975 J.W. Isaacs* 1975-1977 J.T. “Happy” Shahan* 1977-1978 John R. Ball* 1979-1980
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Bill Anthony* 1981-1982 Dr. L.V. Baker 1982-1984 Dr. W.D. “Bill” Clark 1984-1986 Richard D. Carlson 1986-1988 John T. Baker 1988-1990 Riemer Calhoun, Jr. 1990-1992
Region 16 - Director
Kris Johnson
(307) 751-8867 kristopherjohnson1995@gmail.com
Kevin Rooker
Region 9 - Director
Regions 1/2 combined has one representative 3/4 combined has one representative 5/6 combined has one representative
(918) 557-0364 dledwards.texaslonghorncattle@gmail.com
Region 7 - Director
David Wars
Region 5/6 - Director
Region 15 Director
David Edwards
Region 10 - Director
Sandi Nordhausen
Region 17/18 - Director
Mike Lucas
(661) 805-3074 mike@lucasranch.net
Division C now has a total of 4 Directors
(979) 549-5270 headshorns@hotmail.com
Regions 13/14 combined has one representative 15 has one representative 16 has one representative 17/18 combined has one representative
Region 12 - Director
Future Phase-Ins:
(512) 750-1350 sandi.nordhausen@gmail.com Region 11 - Director
Stephen Head
Mike McLeod (361) 771-5355
Glen W. Lewis 1992-1995 Tim Miller* 1995-1998 Sherman Boyles 1998-2003 Bob Moore* 2003-2005 Joel Lemley 2006-2007 Ben Gravett* 2007
Dr. Fritz Moeller* 2007-2009 Maurice Ladnier 2009-2010 Robert Richey 2010 Steven Scott Zunker 2010-2011 Brent Bolen 2011-2012 Bernard Lankford 2012-2013 Todd McKnight 2013-2016 Tom Matott 2016-2019
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Division B: Elections take place in 2022
TLBAA EDUCATIONAL/RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE Matt McGuire - (405) 742-4351 semkinlonghorns@mindspring.com Mark Hubbell – (269) 838-3083 hubbelllonghorns@aol.com Dr. David Hillis – (512) 789-6659 doublehelix@att.net Felix Serna – (361) 294-5331 fserna@elcoyote.com John T. Baker – (512) 515-6730 jtb2@earthlink.net
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Feature
If It Looks Like A bull...
Is It A Herd Sire?
This bull passes the initial visual inspection for physical Longhorn bull characteristics. Photo by Justin Rombeck
While there are many things to consider before making the decision to raise or own a bull on property, there are even more factors to keep in mind when choosing to keep or purchase a particular bull to turn into your next herd sire. First impressions are important, and while there are other factors to consider, the first visual inspection can really allow you to narrow down the field of possibilities.
DOES HE LOOK LIKE A BULL? Beyond simply seeing the srcotum and sheath, a Texas Longhorn bull should exhibit even more visible traits to distinguish him from the rest of the herd. According to David Wars of W5 Texas Longhorns in Trinity Texas, “There should be no doubt it’s a bull when looking at the head. When looking at the neck of a bull there should be a crest between the head and shoulders sitting on the neck. There should not be evidence of a hump on the shoulders 12 | February 2022
as in Brahman influence. The crest and top of the head in a mature bull will generally have coarser and curlier hair than the rest of the body. A bull may have more throat flap and dewlap than a cow but again should never appear pendulous (excessive skin).” Picking out bulls among new calves is not as easy without up close inspection, but as those calves develop a bull calf should become easily distinguishable from heifers as one becomes accustomed to viewing the characteristics of both. If you’re looking at a group of yearlings and you immediately hone in on one thinking “Now HE looks like a bull”, you have taken the first step towards narrowing the field. Why does head shape and body appearance
TEXAS LONGHORN TRAILS
By Myra Basham
matter in a young bull? Isn’t it ok if he’s not as underline not having a pendulous sheath. The masculine as a youngster? In a world where Texas Longhorn bull should have a sheath there are so many young bulls to choose from that is tight against the belly and does not any evidence of testosterone and fertility is hang down and appear floppy. The pendulous important, including sheath seen on some the outward appearTexas Longhorn bulls ance of masculinity. today can lead to fertilWars continues, “In ity problems especially bulls we expect a masin thorny and cactus culine look when obfilled country. serving the head and “Taking all this into neck. He should look consideration it is very like a bull at first glance. important to evaluThat is a good indicaate each calf (even full seeing the heads, it is immediately apparent which tion that the hormon- Simply siblings) as they can animal is the bull .Photo courtesy of David Wars al system is in good turn out very different shape. Many of you may know that the crest from year to year. Case in point: Measles Sufound in bulls is due to Testosterone levels per Ranger and his full brother Texas Measles in the bull’s system. The same thing goes for (many differences between the two old bulls)” the curly, coarse hair on the crest and top of Another important aspect of the visual inthe head. These things are a good indicator of spection is basic structural soundness. Beyond fertility and reproductive health in a bull. If a the desire to not pass bad structure forward in bull possesses a feminine look it is a good sign offspring, correct structure in his back, legs that his hormonal system is out of balance and his libido or sex drive may be low.” Now to the obvious visible characteristics, the scrotum and the sheath. Size does matter. And when it comes to scrotal circumference, bigger is better. Amanda and Todd Danley of Danley Cattle, Inc, in Seminole, Historic sires Measles Super Ranger (left) and Texas Measles show how incredibly different full sibling can be. TX raise Longhorns that compete in shows, futurities and horn measuring and feet means a bull will be ale to effectively competition. Scrotal circumference is an area do his job for a long productive life. that many Longhorn owners fail to address. Covering females is hard work and strength “Too many times walking in pastures, show to travel pastures constantly, and physically rings, and futurities we have seen bulls that are mounting females requires sound feet, proper inadequate in this department. Bulls over 18 bone and muscle and a healthy libido. months of age should have a minimum scroThe Danleys expound on this, “Proper bone tal circumference of 32-35 cm. A little larger structure is key. These bulls need to have a is better. Bulls that are over 18 months should good foundation in their bone structure. If be able to go out and cover 20 females. By the they are pigeon toed, cow hocked, or falling time they are 24-30 months they should be off hard in their hooks and pens we just walk able to take on 30-40 cows in a 90 day breed- away and don’t give the animal a second look. ing window.” Bad feet can also be very inheritable so study Wars adds, “In bulls there will be a touch each individual in detail. Ease of conditionmore dewlap but they should be clean in the ing is also key for us. We want animals to hold TEXAS LONGHORN TRAILS
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up in different situations and maintain a good frame score. We like animals that utilize their feed intake well and maintain a 5 score on the body conditioning score chart. Individuals that are more raw in type can be more difficult to breed or fall apart half way through the breeding season and then you have open females.” While horn and color are important to many, the size and shape of horns and the preferred coloring varies greatly from person to person. If you have preferences make sure the bull you are considering can deliver those characteristics you desire in his offspring. (See “Who’s His Mama?”)
a representation of the ranch it is coming off of. You need to grade your livestock as hard as you do other herds you visit prior to taking on new stock.” Some bulls have a drive to breed so strong that they will continually seek other females to breed even if it means going to the neighbors to find cows in heat. They may spend hours pacing and calling to challenge other bulls. While this is a natural, there are plenty of bulls content to take care of their own females and rest in between. The opposite is as bad. Some bulls have low libidos and no interest in breeding females. If you have cows open constantly, pay attention to the bulls behavior. While it could be a ferDOES HE ACT LIKE A (NICE) BULL? tility issue, it may also be a lack of interest or If you are told a bull is calm and tractable, sheer laziness on the part of the bull. make sure that doesn’t mean lazy in his job. There are two aspects to bull behavior, his in- WHO’S HIS MAMA? teraction with humans and his reaction to feA bull’s family tree, aka pedigree, is impormales or neighboring bulls. tant far beyond names on paper. If you are “We are very involved with all of our live- serious about improving the breed, try to see stock from our show herd to our horn bred in person or photos, what the bull’s dam and herd. Our kids are involved with every aspect,” granddams look like and how they produced. explains Danley. “We never want to worry that The females progeny of a bull are a reflection an animal, especially a bull, is going to be ag- of the females in their pedigree. gressive toward us or visitors to the ranch. It “A sire needs to be out of a powerful female is a huge liability for our own personal safety line. It doesn’t matter if you are breeding for as well as financially. Individuals with a poor horn or conformation. The offspring that this demeanor go to the meat pen and are not bull produces as replacement females will resold to other breeders. Each animal you sell is semble the maternal side of this pedigree. It is key that their genetics and functionality are going to complement the goals of the ranch. He needs to be able to fix flaws within the cow herd that he is breeding and not exacerbate any issues.,” explains Danley. Try to see a bull’s dam and/or granddam in person. When that is not possible check online for photos on breeder websites. At the very least look at the dam’s other progeny online or check in 14 | February 2022
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the TLBAA HORNS System to verify that the dam and grandddam had offspring that were worthy of registration. In the female side pedigree animals look for flaws such as wry nose, bad udders, structural defects, or poor milk production. Keep in mind that not everything is an absolute, so it is best to study the breed guidelines and talk to breeders who have watched several generations be born to learn more about what may
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be passed on to his progeny. Some flaws could have been created by environmental factors.
WHAT’S HE THROWING? Progeny is the absolute strongest indicator of the worth of a herd sire. If he is not putting progeny on the ground that are correct, productive and desirable to buyers then he’s not earning his keep. While bulls that have been around a while are easy to check via production output, with young bulls you can only look back to his sire’s production and his female ancestors and wait until the first calf crop to see if he’s promising. Buying a proven bull in his young years is an ideal way to improve your program, the price tag can be cost prohibitive. A good way to snag proven bulls at a better price is to find an older bull that has already earned his keep with a breeder (or two) and that price could be a bit more reasonable. If you are raising up a bull born in your breeding program, you should be very critical of the things mentioned earlier as he develops. You should already be familiar with his pedigree, so study his development, behavior and as soon as he is old enough, put him with a few females and see what happens. The number of prospects you should try is totally dependent on your abilities to maintain multiple bulls on your property and your willingness to invest in the upkeep of the bulls until they have calf crops on the ground.
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Health
By Heather Smith Thomas
Pre-Weaning Feed For Young Bulls Affects Future Fertility Young bulls should be adequately fed for proper growth and development, and future fertility, but we are still learning about the best way to feed them. Dr. John P. Kastelic, University of Calgary, has done a lot of research and studies on nutrition in bulls. “We started many years ago with research on beef bulls, and more recently with dairy bulls. In beef bulls historically people focused on nutrition after weaning. There has been a lot of study, going back to the 1970’s when Dr. Glenn Coulter (my former colleague at the Lethbridge Research Centre) and others worked on that,” says Kastelic. “Back then, seedstock producers fed their young bulls practically a feedlot ration, to achieve fast growth. Photo 81667297 © William Wise | Dreamstime.com There is good evidence to show that if you feed bulls high energy diets after weaning, you get the bulls with genetic potential for rapid and efficient very rapid weight gain but also create a lot of problems gain will still gain the fastest although the difference with excessive fat in the scrotum, reduction in semen between the top and bottom is smaller. You can still quality, more risk for laminitis/founder, liver abscesses, identify the top-performing bulls. There is no excuse rumenitis, etc. Feeding this much is counterproducto push them with a feedlot ration, because you can do tive.” Producers are recognizing this and realize that a permanent damage,” says Kastelic. bull should be fed for a long life of breeding rather than The second important thing breeders need to unbeing fed like a steer destined for slaughter. A bull needs derstand is the importance of the pre-weaning phase of to be athletic, not fat. the young bull’s life. “There was some work done in the 1950’s in dairy bulls and then almost nothing until we started our studies nearly 20 years verfeeding young bulls can lead ago. For most beef bulls, that’s when they are still on their mothers. We just assumed that to damage that can be permanent she is going to look after him and feed him adequately,” Kastelic says. “It is very detrimental to feed bulls high energy ra“Some work in the 1970’s at Colorado State Univertions post-weaning for rapid gains. People used to sity, looking at scrotal circumference in yearling bulls, think that if a bull is not fat he must be a hard keeper/ came up with an adjustment formula. If the bull had a poor doer. Sale bulls were always fat but producers heifer for a mother you added about 1.5 centimeters to thought they could just take them home and put them the yearling scrotal circumference (since heifers’ calves on a diet before they put them out with cows and then tend to be smaller as yearlings and catch up later in they would be in breeding shape. Unfortunately, howgrowth) and for a mature cow there was no adjustment, ever, some of the damage in overfat young bull can be and if he had a really old dam you also added a small permanent,” says Kastelic. amount of correction—for maternal nutrition,” he says. These bulls can end up with liver abscesses, damaged “The work in dairy bulls showed clearly that bulls that claws and feet, and in some cases permanent reduction were really well fed early in life reached puberty quicker, in number of sperm produced and often poor semen had larger testes and produced more sperm. This was quality. “There is no justification in overfeeding bulls also our finding with beef bulls; if we fed them very well in the post-weaning period,” he says. Yet many people prior to about 25 weeks of age (roughly 6 months) we feed too much during feed trials to see which bulls have could hasten puberty a little, but more importantly we the best rate of gain and feed efficiency. could increase testis size and increase the number of “If bulls are fed post-weaning on a mostly forage diet, sperm produced.”
“O
”
– continued on pg. 22
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Health – continued from pg. 18 To prove this, they used a feeding trial with several groups of young bulls. One group received 100% of protein and energy requirements as a baseline. Another group of young bulls received just 70% of those requirements and third group about 130% of requirements. The 3 groups for comparison were thus getting 70, 100 and 130% of the necessary energy and protein, but all bulls had adequate minerals and vitamins. “We fed that ration from about 6 weeks of age to about 25 weeks. We found that the bulls on the 130% ration— compared to the bulls that were on 70% – reached puberty about a month earlier and had testes that were about 20 to 30% bigger and produced 20 to 30% more sperm than the bulls on the 70% ration. The number of sperm produced per ounce of testes is within a fairly narrow range. In general, when the testes are bigger, those bulls produce more sperm,” he explains. “We found no difference in semen quality, so there was no indication that feeding the bulls extra at an early age in any way harmed sperm quality. If we feed bulls really well prior to 25 weeks of age they might reach puberty a month or so earlier than they would otherwise, with testes 20 to 30% bigger, with 20 to 30% more epididymal sperm reserve. Quality seems to be fine, and quantity increases,” he says. Looking at what might be changing due to the extra feed, the researchers found that it involved the hormone
called LH (luteinizing hormone). “This hormone is released from the pituitary, a small gland at the base of the brain, and goes to the testes and causes release of testosterone. What happens in a bull’s life, starting at about 6 to 8 weeks of age, is an increase in this hormone, and it stays relatively high until about 20 to 25 weeks and then it decreases. The nature of that increase, how high it gets, and how often it is released has a big impact on what happens later in the bull’s life,” says Kastelic. “We found that when we fed the bulls really well (the group receiving 130% of their requirements, versus the group receiving 70%) we could substantially increase the amount of LH. There were profound differences in those bulls in that very early phase of growth. At that age, testosterone levels are really quite low, but what happens at that time actually sets the bull up for the rest of his life. So by feeding really well during those weeks, we bumped that LH up, and saw all the other changes thereafter.” What was interesting was that if the bulls were fed really well for the first 25 weeks and then were backed off on the feed, this changed. “We put the profile of testicular development—measured either as scrotal circumference or testicular volume—on a completely different trajectory. By feeding young bulls very well until about 25 weeks of age and then backing off, their testes continued to grow rapidly, even though they were on a normal diet of 100% of requirements (no extra). The other thing that – continued on pg. 18
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Health – continued from pg. 22 was really interesting was that if we held them back in growth through the first 25 weeks (with only 70% of their requirements for energy and protein) and then supplemented them, giving them 130% of their nutrients, we had different results. This would be like having a heifer for a mother (not as much milk as an older cow) and then getting a lot of protein and energy after weaning,” he explains. “We found that even with the additional supplement we could not rescue those bulls. The future course of testes development was already set; they were on a trajectory to be underachievers. That bull cannot reach his genetic potential for testes development. Thus the key to optimizing a bull’s future fertility is to provide extra nutrition early in life (from about 6 weeks of age to about 25 weeks) and then from that point on we can just feed them a nice balanced diet for growth,” he says. On a practical basis for beef cattle, however, bull producers would need to do some sort of creep feeding, especially for young bulls out of first-calf heifers. “This would help all bulls that have the potential to become breeding bulls, but especially for any young bull that might not have a high-milking dam.” This is the opposite of what we’ve learned about heifer development; the young heifer with a high-milking dam or eating creep feed may put too much fat in her young udder and never milk as well in adulthood as a heifer that was not allowed to get so bloomy fat as a calf.
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All of the work with beef bulls was done with early weaning, so the exact amount of protein and energy in their diets could be calculated for the various groups in the studies. “The bulls with heifer dams were weaned at about 6 weeks of age, for instance, and we were a bit worried about taking them off their mothers that early and putting them on dry feed. But we didn’t lose any calves during that early weaning and transition phase, and this was over a 4-year period with more than 150 calves,” he says. The early-weaned calves were put on a silage-based diet, adding various amounts of grain and canola or soy meal to bump up the energy and protein. “That was the easiest way for us to have complete control over what the various groups of bulls were eating and we could modulate it. A practical method would be to just leave the calves on their mothers and supplement with both energy and protein—not just straight energy—and boost their growth prior to about 25 weeks of age (weaning) and then back off,” he says. “You probably want to have them gaining close to about 3 pounds per day during that time frame, and then just back off at weaning, and then the bulls are fine. That’s the key, but you don’t want to feed your heifer calves that same way—so you’d have to separate them and their mothers into a different pasture,” says Kastelic. This would allow breeders to achieve full genetic potential for testes development in the young bulls.
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Marketing
By Myra Basham
QR Codes Can Bring New Dynamics To Your Longhorn Marketing QR or “quick response” codes have become familiar to most of the population in the past two years due to their widespread use in restaurants to view menus without touching them. The beauty of the QR code is the ease with which it is read by a smartphone and the ability to quickly connect a printed ad to digital content such as a website or video. While the concept is in effect the same as a barcode, QR codes can contain much more data and are far more versatile. So how can this benefit your marketing program? It is a way to make it easy for people to find your content quickly and with minimal effort. Also, it is a doorway through which people can enter your ranch by way of a print ad without typing a single keystroke. Hover over Photo 186382651 © Keechuan | Dreamstime.com the code with your phone and tap open web page or video link and voila, they are viewing progeny, seeing video clips of your bull or simply learning more about your breeding program. look a the printed page, many others revel in the ability Today QR Codes can be created free online and be to instantly get more information or see video of what modified in color, you can add your logo, there are they are interested in quickly, with no effort on their even custom shapes. Paid services will allow you to part. Once you create a QR code linked to your webadd the ability to track activity site or social media it can be generated and gather statistics used as many times and for quantifying how many people as long as you wish. You can have viewed linked informaalso create additional ones tion via the QR Code. Paid for each social media platservices also make it possible form and other individual to edit parts of an existing QR uses. code, whereas free services The codes are not limited require you to start over if you to print media, digital ads or find you made an error after event pages can take advanyou’ve downloaded the code. tage of them to send people QR codes can be read from to a form or information on a distance so put one large on their phone without them your fence, maybe on a banhaving to leave the source ner, and someone driving by page, thus ensuring that they can capture it on their phone don’t get disconnected from and go to your website. At the initial contact point. busy events when people are Want to play around with easily distracted, it is much a good free version? https:// easier to scan a code than to www.qrcode-monkey.com/ A close look shows how each code can be modistop and type in a web adis what we used to create fied from the type of marks in the code, the shapes dress to check something out. the codes used in ads in this used for the mandatory corners and the logos in the QR codes have opened up month’s Trails Magazine. middle. Color may also be added for customization. the door to get the most out The three similar codes lead to web pages. The top There are many other opright code links to a YouTube video. of print. While some prefer to 26 | February 2022
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Marketing
WHAT SHOULD WHERE SHOULD IT LINK TO? I USE THEM? • WEBSITE
• Print Advertising
• SOCIAL MEDIA
• Pen Signs
• VIDEOS
• Banners
• LANDING PAGES
• Business Cards • Digital Ads
tions as well, but this free version offers a wide range of customization and the ability to put your logo or brand in the middle. There is also a paid version available with tracking information if you want to know who’s clicking through code. Graphic design professionals can help you with custom QR codes or, if you’re comfortable with it, you can certainly create your own. Just remember, if you decide to create your own, save it at the highest available quality file to start with and then save copies in any smaller
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sizes you may need. This way you can be sure it will work in your print as well as digital projects. Always test the barcode on your own phone before including it on any marketing. It is easy to misstype a URL and then your code will be useless. Also keep in mind the duration of the material you are linking to. If you want to show a video clip of animals for sale, make sure they are hosted on a platform that will keep them active for the timeframe of the ad, sign, etc. you are putting the QR connection on. If you happen to change your website name /URL for any reason, you may have to make a new QR Code as well, unless you have the ability to edit via a paid service. Thanks to technological advances in phones, QR Codes are rapidly becoming a recognizable way to give people access to digital content and tie all your print, social and digital channels quickly and easily in a multitude of mediums. If you would like ideas on how to incorporate custom QR codes into your Trails Magazine ads, simply contact myra@tlbaa.org and we can explore ways to utilize the codes to drive our readers to your website, social media or YouTube experiences.
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Beef
By TLBAA Beef Committee
What Is The Registered Texas Longhorn Beef Producers Program? Everyone likes finding a way to sell cull animals, or simply another revenue stream to add to their bottom line. The TLBAA has a program to assist in the marketing of your Registered Texas Longhorn beef products. For an annual membership fee of $75 you can join the program and share in the following benefits: • 150 free brochures that convey the healthy nature and great flavor of Texas Longhorn beef. It lends credibility to your product, especially when selling to people who have never heard of or tasted Longhorn beef. • Contact information on the TLBAA Beef Producer web page. Visitors to tlbaa.org can access this page, arrange by state to find beef producers near them. • Access to a private web page and Facebook page for members only. On these pages you can find sales leads generated by Facebook ads promoting Longhorn beef, as well as photos submitted for use in promoting your product, official logos for labels and discussions between members about the nuts and bolts of daily operation.
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• Benefit from promotion of Longhorn beef by the TLBAA Beef Committee via seminars, displays at public events and Facebook advertising...all driving interest back to the TLBAA website to find providers in a potential customer’s area. Texas Longhorn beef is a great way to finance your other goals with the Texas Longhorn breed. There has been success by members selling beef to restaurants, local markets, to their community and even through subscription services. Whether you are marketing via your own website, social media, local ads or word of mouth, having a connection to an association program increases trust and a sense of professionalism to your beef program. You can sign up via the form on our website or reach out to myra@tlbaa.org for a form and to answer any questions you may have. If you have specific questions about the committee’s work, future plans or simply how to take the next step with beef, you can reach out to Chairperson Charlene Semkin (520)907-3088 or semkin@mindspring.com.
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Member News
Welcome Our New Members!
We’re happy to welcome the following new members to our association. These promotional, active and lifetime members joined between January 1 and January 31, 2021. If you live near one of these new breeders, be sure to reach out introduce yourself! James Kennedy................................Millry, AL Coleman Dunn...................... Wetumpka, AL Amt Ok Ranch, Llc.................Scottsdale, AZ Ltj Farms, Inc.................................Bonifay, FL Madilyn Tumolo...................... Bradenton, FL Pioch Ranch............................Zephyrhills, FL Rocking Cross Livestock & Hay......Idaho Falls, ID Tracy Fox.....................................Goddard, KS Monte Cattle Company.....Pottersville, MO Tom And Mindy Cooper... West Plains, MO Snt Properties, Llc......................... Laurel, MS James & Carri Ellis.....................Roberts, MT Retts Creek Farms, Llc..............Benson, NC Eric Schuler..............................Hettinger, ND Joshua Brinkin & Danielle Reilly.....Tucumcari, NM Hannah Vanschuyver.................... Byars, OK Mark Mc Manus......................Checotah, OK Twisted Horn Ranch............... Choctaw, OK Buck Chatham.................... Lone Grove, OK Roger Nix...................................Morrison, OK Jim Chatham......................... Ratliff City, OK Bauer Land And Cattle..............Sallisaw, OK Robert Hedges............................ Temple, OK Red Rock Ranch & Farms, Llc......Tulsa, OK Kyle Crafton...................................Yukon, OK Cam Chute.............................Caledonia, ON Bill And Rachel Bruce.......... Cloverdale, OR
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Michael Lapp..........................Millersburg, PA Katharine L. Lee.......................... Franklin, TN Gary & Janet Spaulding...............Sparta, TN Queen Bee Tree.............................Argyle, TX Shawn And Sunny Keep...............Argyle, TX Steve Amable...............................Bastrop, TX Band L Cattle Company.............. Belton, TX Cassie Magby.......................... Big Spring, TX Jackstarr Ranch...................... Colleyville, TX Gerardo Almaguer........................Dublin, TX William & Sharon Kinsey...... Fort Worth, TX Buxton Ranch........................ Fort Worth, TX Beverly Meider...................George West, TX Brian Williams...............................Gordon, TX Michael & Collette Brown......Granbury, TX Cord Johnson...........................Granbury, TX Double R Ranch.................... Grandview, TX Darren And Katie Willis....... Hallettsville, TX Bramblett Real Estate, Flp....... Houston, TX Koch Ranch................................ Houston, TX Jenny Ladig........................................ Katy, TX John & Betty Maniscalco........... Kemah, TX Diamond T Livestock Company.... Kenedy, TX Serene Haven Farms............Lake Creek, TX Rebecca Jennings..........................Llano, TX Fish Creek Holdings Co Llc... Magnolia, TX David Smith...................................Medina, TX
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Sunday Crider................................. Mexia, TX Merlin Allmon................................ Milford, TX Brian Lozano............................... Mineola, TX John Kilcrece................ Mount Pleasant, TX Judy And Jeff Jamison.. Nacogdoches, TX Gunner Glover...............................Naples, TX Four Sons Investments Of Texas, Llc........ Nemo, TX Arabella Rose Gypsy Ranch....North Zulch, TX Jonathan Sadik...............................Porter, TX Aaron And Wendy Stephens.....Queen City, TX Frank Forrest............................. Rockwall, TX Rick Gommert.............................. Rogers, TX W2 Ranch.............................San Antonio, TX Teri Mcdowell......................San Antonio, TX El Capote Ranch...........................Seguin, TX Gary & Alicia Wise.......................... Taylor, TX Rwr Ranch................................... Tomball, TX Jim And Cynthia Sanders.......... Weimar, TX Keith Terry............................ Wichita Falls, TX Red Hawk, Llc........................ Wimberley, TX Emily & Joel Johnson...............Fairview, UT Darin Peck.......................................Wales, UT Laying J Land & Cattle Company.....Dugspur, VA 45 And Holding................ Locust Grove, VA Armando Zuniga......................Sheridan, WY C & M Cattle, Llc........................... Yoder, WY Knaplund Longhorn Ranch I/s......Knaplund, Denamrk
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Texas Longhorn Breeders of Tomorrow
Presidents
Message
Longhorn Weekend at Fort Worth Stock Show - I don’t remember my first visit to the show 17 years ago, but there’s evidence in the old family pictures. Back then, we didn’t even live in Texas, but Papa made sure we came to visit during opening weekend. We didn’t start raising and showing Texas Longhorns until after Papa passed away, but every time we walk into those barns I feel his presence. Most of us have mentors, people who influenced our lives and shaped our character and for me, that is my Papa. He taught me to offer a smile and extend my hand, to talk to people in the barns and to spread the word about how amazing Texas is. He loved history and shared his passion with me. When my family stumbled into the world of raising and showing Texas Longhorns, the history of the breed hooked me first. Although the reasons each one of us shows Longhorns varies as much as the colors of their hides, we all have one thing in common…. The TLBT members are passionate about this breed! The Longhorn Weekend was stuffed full with meetings, the Eddie Woods Sale, shows and visiting with people in the barns. Everywhere I looked, there were people taking pictures with our cows, talking to youth members about showing and kids learning a little history about Texas Longhorns. Mr. Grace even invited a young family to come back the next day to participate in peewee showmanship - and the family took him up on the offer! As we checked out of Fort Worth Stock Show, for my last time as a youth exhibitor, I felt like my time was wellspent. I met new people, talked with friends, shared some history and extended my hand. It’s great to know I’ve been part of a youth organization that is #buildingabettertomorrow
Jacob Lowrie
1) What year was the World Show first held? 2) The Longhorn came closer to extinction than what two other American animals? 3) What is the oldest age a bull can be shown in TLBT classes? Answers: 2) Buffalo & Whooping Crane
3) 2.5 yrs
TLBT Officer Postion: Intermediate Director 1.) Why did you join TLBT? My brother showed Longhorns and my family raises them. 2.) Who is your favorite Longhorn and why? Lola because she’s beautiful, lovely, great, fantastic and if I kept going the list would be too long. 3.) Where did you earn your first reward? What type of award? I won 4th place in Junior showmanship at the Autobahn shown when I was 6 years old. 4.) What is your funniest TLBT moment? When I got drug by the Tanner’s calf at West Texas and ended up with a pound of dirt between my belt and my jeans. 5.) Do you enjoy showing Longhorns? Why? YES!!!! I do because it’s fun! 6.) Who has been your biggest influence while showing Longhorns? My brother, Jackson
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1) 1988
TLBT OFFICER SPOTLIGHT:
CADEN GRACE
7.) What have you learned while you have been showing Longhorns that has helped you grow as a person? That some people think that Longhorns shed their horns. 8.) What is the best part about being a member of TLBT? The friends you make. 9.) What advice would you give a newcomer to TLBT? Don’t let go of your animal. 10.) Tell us about a time when you tried something new! When I was at Christmas and I tried my new Christmas present. 11.) Do you think it is more fun to be a parent or a child? Child 12.) If you started your own charity, who would you want to help? The Longhorn people 13.) Tell us a fun fact about yourself! I’m half Australian. 14.) If you could have a character from a book or movie be your best friend, who would it be and why? Naruto because he’s cool. 15.) If you created your own school, what would the student do all day? Show Longhorns
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Texas Longhorn Breeders of Tomorrow
TLBT SPOTLIGHT At the Fort Worth Stock show, TLBT members spent time advocating for our breed by speaking with spectators in the barns. Thank you to The Source for sponsoring 10 TLBT hats and encouraging the youth to meet new friends! Brock is currently a freshman at Forney High School. He’s got a plan (and a slaughter date) to finish showing his Brangus and make the switch to Texas Longhorns! Peyton Hilbert is mentoring and encouraging this endeavor and we can’t wait to welcome Brock on the TLBT Show circuit full-time! Megan Bush is trying hard to get her friend, Emerson (both of Decatur High School) to add a longhorn to her Beef Master herd. Scholarships are on their minds and there are plenty of opportunities with TLBT! Our youth are amazing ambassadors for the breed. #buildingabettertomorrow Jackson & Caden Grace were representing the TLBT and Fort Worth Country Day 4-H club. This family noticed the sign and it turns out their kids attend Fort Worth Country Day school also! Jackson & Caden answered questions about Texas Longhorns, showing cattle and discussed opportunities with 4-H. The Grace family never misses an opportunity to spread the word about this amazing organization. Mason from Chicago (no pic) was in awe of the amazing Texas Longhorns he saws at the show. He was blown away when he posed for a picture and Mason Smith’s steer BRR Storm Chaser licked his ear! Mason is going to spread the word in Chicago that Fort Worth Texas and Longhorn kids are the friendliest in the world! 2022 GOLD MERIT ANNOUNCEMENT
The speech topics for the 2022 Gold Merit Competition will be... Junior Division: What have you learned from showing Texas Longhorns? Intermediate/Teen/Senior Divisions: Choose one of these two topics: “Humility” “Resilience”
** Watch for a revised Gold Merit Record Book for 2022! **
2021-2022 TLBT OFFICERS & DIRECTORS President
Parliamentarian
Intermediate Director
Jacob Lowrie
Hailey Roberson
Caden Grace
Vice President
Senior Director
Intermediate Director
Jackson Grace
Megan Bush
Cade Nolan
Decatur, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Paradise, TX
Decatur, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Waxahachie, TX
Secretary
Senior Director
Junior Director
Hunter Lawson
Sarah Heimeyer
Harlee Roberson
Paradise, TX
Lake Jackson, TX
Paradise, TX
Treasurer
Teen Director
Junior Director
Alyssa Harvey
Madi Moreland
Mason Smith
Reporter
Teen Director
Rylee Yarborough
Allison Lowrie
Hillsboro, TX
Ferris, TX
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Decatur, TX
Decatur, TX
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Decatur, TX
For more info or questions regarding the TLBT, please contact us at tlbtadvisors@gmail.com or visit us on social media!
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Affiliate News
AFFILIATE UPDATES Our membership meeting Feb.2 was well attended. Plans are being implemented for our AUGUST 2022 3-day event at the Central States Fair. The meeting was followed by the 2nd Annual BLACK HILLS LONGHORN SALE. Bidding was spirited, and the sale puts another marketing success “in the books” for the Upper Midwest. This virtual sale included cattle (and buyers) GORDON HOWIE PRESIDENT from all across the country! Thanks to all who joined us for this event. GKHOWIE@YAHOO.COM Please check out the Great Plains Texas Longhorn Association web site, www.GPTLA.com. You will find contact information for our members, who raise some incredible Longhorn cattle! The schedule is set for our annual 3-day Longhorn Event August 19 3rd Annual Regional Horn Measuring Event at the Central States Fair in Rapid City August 20 4th Annual Top Hand Invitational Longhorn Sale at the Central States Fair 2nd Annual “Bull Alley” at the Central States Fair 2nd Annual “Points Only” World Qualifying Longhorn Show August 21 7th Annual World Qualifying Longhorn Show
GREAT PLAINS TEXAS LONGHORN ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATI ON
As you plan to attend this great event, plan a couple extra days to take in the sites! These are just a few of the opportunities for adventure...
The GPTLA membership continues to welcome new member producers. We would LOVE to have you join us! $250 lifetime membership dues or $25.00 annual. Many thanks to EVERYONE who makes all of this happen! Call us any time! Scot O’Bryan, Vice President, GPTLA (605) 344-2263 or Gordon Howie, President, GPTLA (605) 381-3998 We are always happy to help!
AFFILIATES: Please submit your news to myra@tlbaa.org each month. You may include photos. If you wish for names to be included under photos, please supply those captions. All news and photos need to be submitted by the end of the second month prior to publication date. (For example, December news items need to be turned in by October 31st) 38 | February 2022
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NEWS On the Trail... Kit & Josh Dinwiddie: South central Oklahoma family, a working model of natural farming practices Written by Bryan Painter, Communications Director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission If there’s a book within every family, how will you write your chapter? Kit and husband Josh Dinwiddie are examples of those who appreciate the earlier authors. For example Kit, who was born and raised in the western Kansas community of Hays, Kit really respects her grandmother’s era of life when farming practices out on the big plains didn’t involve chemical assistance being introduced into the food supply. Simply hearing the stories of her early life and how selfsufficient they were and how it really contributed to her longevity -- she lived to be 93 – have left an enduring impression on Kit. Also, Kit’s mother did a great job in teaching her that we have an impact on all living things around us. Josh Dinwiddie was born in Oklahoma City and raised in southern Oklahoma between Carter and Love Counties. Josh’s grandparents come from Clinton and Arapaho, Okla., and settled in Piedmont, Okla. “While gathering cattle in the Spring on the big open sections of wheat, my papa would point out every year that the yield, quality and soil condition were degrading due to overworking ground and leaving it bare for big portions of the year,” Josh said. “I remember him telling lots of younger farmers that we gathered cattle for that ‘If you take care of this ground, it will take care of you.’ I never knew what he meant until I started farming for myself, and all of a sudden those words make all the sense in the world.” So we turn to today’s chapter. The Dinwiddies live in Love County in south central Oklahoma where they raise cattle and farm on the “Cross Timbers line.” “This place is an amazing part of Oklahoma to farm/ranch because we have a little bit of everything here,” Josh said. “From tree cover for cattle, to lush river bottom grasslands with native pecan trees, good sandy loam farm ground, and plenty of water most years” this is a great area. Kit has always been a proponent of environmental awareness. Early steps into their conservation minded farming practices as a couple started with doing things on their own differently than their neighbors. Perhaps the most significant early step would have been reducing or omitting the use of herbicides on ground they grazed. “Over the years I realized that not only did it make my wife happy that I was significantly reducing my chemical footprint farming,” Josh said, “I was simply spending less money and creating more nutrient dense crops. So the development of how we farm has only become more economical, which in the end, we found to be the right answer. If we can not only produce crops that are richer and more beneficial nutritionally for our livestock, but also produce those crops with less inputs, I believe we have found a way to be profitable, while improving the integrity of the land.” The Dinwiddies have done several projects that helped to control erosion and bring water retention up on their land. They also use minimum tillage practices and always try to incorporate something green and growing into their tillage seasons while never leaving the soil bare. “We also apply microbes to our crops, fruit trees, and produce,” he said. “We grow and maintain families of nonGMO produce and fruit. We have also switched to feeding our poultry non-GMO feed for egg production.” Benefits from their tillage practices dramatically increase the quality of the soil “as well as dramatically decrease the level of commercial input needed to grow those crops,” Josh said. They grow pearl millet, sugar-dense sorghums, and forage corn to bale to feed their livestock over the winter giving them a very nutrient dense forage. – continued on pg 42
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NEWS On the Trail... – continued from pg 40 “The main benefits we receive from feeding non-GMO is maintaining a non-scientifically altered diet for our stock, and all of those who consume our meat and eggs, including ourselves,” he said. Their commitment to environmental awareness reaches beyond the farm/ranch. Kit sits on the Board of Directors for the Love County Conservation District. This role is important to her because she wants to do her part to leave the next generation healthy land, clean water, and a diverse ecosystem. Josh and Kit are also members of the Registered Texas Longhorn Beef Producer Program. This program is important to them to provide healthy meat into a market for today’s health-conscious consumers. They are members of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, the International Texas Longhorn Association, and Josh is the President of the Indian Territory Texas Longhorn Association. “We believe our role in all of these organizations are important to furthering the conservation of America’s first cattle, the Texas Longhorn,” he said. The couple also make an effort to continue learning. “The area and state meetings are always inspiring because you’re in a room full of peers that care about conservation,” Kit said. “It is rare to find a concentration of individuals that are on the same page and believe in the gravity of the role we play in ensuring that we have healthy land and water.” They were asked what it is that they enjoy most about being around those who champion water quality and soil health. “It gives us hope that there are people out there that understand that conservation is the baseline of where healthcare begins,” Kit said. “We also appreciate people that have compassion for the organisms that we share this earth with.” Also, they have found that the demand is there for what they supply and “largely because of the quality and how it is grown.” “This has inspired others to implement some of the same practices,” Josh said. “We believe we are a working model of natural farming practices and showing how it works economically.” Photo credit: Screenshots were taken from a YouTube video put together by Candice Miller of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. If you would like to view the video, please visit https://youtu.be/28NMCapGZHA. “News on the Trail” is a celebration of life and industry accomplishments for TLBAA members and their families. You do not have to make national news or be given a national award. You merely have to reach a milestone or in some way represent the Longhorn breed in your community, state or via media coverage.
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Shows
Are You Ready For The 35th TLBAA World Expo? Join us for the 2021 World Expo to be held on June 22 - 26 at the Bell County Expo in Belton, TX. This 4-day event features numerous activities and learning opportunities for Longhorn enthusiasts of all levels. This 4-day event features numerous activities and learning opportunities for Longhorn enthusiasts of all levels, including the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America’s World Show, the National Texas Longhorn Breeders of Tomorrow’s Youth Show, the Texas Gold Futurity, Membership Meeting, Awards Banquet and so much more! Our National Youth Show showcases the future of the breed, our youth program - the Texas Longhorn Breeders of Tomorrow. Youth will present females, bulls and steers in their respective classes. Additional activities include Livestock Judging; Gold Merit, Quiz Bowl, Premier Exhibitor Award and the TLBT General Membership Meeting.
Our World Show will feature divisions including Haltered, Non-Haltered, Trophy Steer and Miniature. Texas Gold Futurity: Established in 1984, the Texas Gold Futurity allows breeders an opportunity to present animals in their respective classes for evaluation by a panel of five judges who score them based upon TLBAA Breed Guidelines. The high and low scores from the judges are thrown out, and the remaining three scores are averaged, with the highest score winning the class. Photography Contest: The Photography Contest is open to youth and adults and centers around a theme to be announced later. Senior Heifer Sale: Graduating seniors present their animal and actively market to raise money for their college education at the Senior Heifer Sale. Senior TLBT members can find the information to enter on the TLBAA website. We hope you will attend and raise your hand for a good cause. Breeder’s Memorial: We give tribute and honor to those who have passed during the year. Awards Banquet: The awards banquet is full of awards, recognition, and great food.
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Membership Matters
If you Own An A.I. Sire, Buy Semen, or Fill Out Registrations Then July 2022 Trails Is For You! The A.I. Sire Directory is published in the July issue of Trails Magazine every two years and this year it’s time to offer it again.
FREE LISTINGS OF TLBAA ALL AI SIRES Starting with A.I. Certified bull #600 and going through the most recently certified at the time the publication is going to press. The older bulls, A.I. #1 - #599 can be found online on the Trails page at www.tlbaa. org. The free listing includes the A.I. number, registration number, name, pedigree and current owner, along with a photo of the bull. This information if provided to make your breeding decisions, AI and embryo breeding certificates and registrations and transfer paperwork easier.
EDITORIAL CONTENT The focus of the issue will be all things related to A.I. Sires and breeding. It will include insight from breeders, Tips for Success, and more. It makes it an issue that you will want to refer back to time and again.
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ADVERTISING BENEFITS This is a special issue and there are a few perks of promoting your sires, or progeny, in this issue. A.I. sires with corresponding ads will have “See ad on Pg??” on their directory listing. This counts any display ad. It excludes Breeders Guide ads. All full and half page ads will receive a free e-blast to use to promote their sire or progeny. Must be used by the end of 2022.
NEW PHOTOS If you have an A.I. Sire #962 or higher, please submit a good photo of your sire for inclusion in the directory. If you own an already published A.I. Sire and want to send an updated photo, please submit all photos to myra@tlbaa.org. If you have any questions or want to do an advertising package to save on this issue and others please email or call Myra - myra@tlbaa.org or 817-625-6241 104.
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ALABAMA
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
KENTUCKY
FLORIDA
LOUISIANA
GEORGIA
MASSACHUSETTS
INDIANA
KANSAS
MISSOURI
MONTANA
NEW MEXICO
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NORTH CAROLINA
PENNSYLVANIA
OKLAHOMA
NORTH TEXAS
NORTH TEXAS
CENTRAL TEXAS
OREGON
SOUTH TEXAS
PENNSYLVANIA
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SOUTH TEXAS
UTAH
Classifieds Auctioneers
Cattle For Sale
TENNESSEE
SELLING ONE OR ALL – Health concerns say that our Longhorns need to find a new home. Herd sire Rhinestone Cowboy (Cowboy Catchit Chex x Hubbell’s Rio Glory). Fifty-Fifty BCB, RR Escondido Red, Chisholm, Starbase Commander, LAR Smoke’N, RJF Aristocrat breeding, etc. Ken & Joella Kirkham, Strong City, KS. 417-777-1614.
McIntyre Ranches www.mcintyreranches.com 308-750-8384
CANADA ALBERTA
Trade & Barter
WEST TEXAS
TRADE YOUR LONGHORNS – We’ll take your bulls and steers in trade for cows, heifers, pairs, herd sires or semen from breed’s top quality bulls. Stonewall Valley Ranch, Fredericksburg, TX. Days 512-454-0476 / Weekends 830-644-2380.
LONGHORN STEERS FOR SALE - 25 Longhorn Steers For Sale. Ages 2-4 years. Big horns, Lots of Color. Take one or all. Located in Canadian, TX. Call for pricing 806-255-0828 BEAVER CREEK LONGHORNS - Est. 1995. Conformation, color, disposition, pedigree and HORNS. Reasonable prices. Carole Muchmore, Ponca City, OK. 580 765-9961 (calls only) or email cmuchmor@ poncacity.net. www.beavercreeklonghorns.com WHOLE HERD FOR SALE - Over 46 head. Brood cows, calves and bulls. Some registered others can be registered. Herd sire, Sunny’s Red Bull, is out of Overwhelming Toro and Cooper’s Overwhelmer Sunny. Rush Springs, OK. Contact Ann Large 580475-4199 or lhorns38@aol.com.
BUTLER
YOUR SOURCE FOR BIG-HORNED BUTLER CATTLE.
THATE Cattle Company
Your source for big-horned cattle in the North— utilizing the right bloodlines to produce the horn. Fairmont, Minnesota
507-235-3467
The quickest place to locate breeders in your area. Classified Ads: $15/month - Standard text $25/month - Boxed 50 | February 2022
TEXAS LONGHORN TRAILS
No internet service required. To put your ranch in these pages email myra@tlbaa.org
Advertising Index —A— A & S Land & Cattle.................................... 49 Aduddell Cattle Co......................................25 Anderson, Frank Jr. and III...........................8 Arch Acres.................................................... 48 —B— Baker, Bo.........................................................8 Bar H Ranch................................................. 48 Beadle Land & Cattle.............................8, 48 Bennett Longhorn Cattle Co................. 8, 9 Bentwood Ranch........................................ 50 Big Valley Longhorns................................. 48 Bluegrass Longhorns..................................29 BPT Longhorns..............................................8 Bull Creek Longhorns............. FC, 2, 3, 7, 19 Butler Breeders......................................... 8, 9 Butler Breeders Online Futurity..................9 Butler Texas Longhorns...............................8 —C— C4Longhorns.................................................8 Caballo Bravo Longhorns......................... 48 Cedar View Ranch...................................... 48 Champion Genetics....................................42 Christa Cattle Co...........................................8 Circle Double C Ranch....................... 20, 21 Cold Copper Cattle Co.............................. 11 Commanders Place Longhorns.............. 28 Cote Cattle Company....................... IFC, 48 Crazy Cattle Co.......................................... 49 —D— Dalgood Longhorns......................................8 DCCI Equipment........................................ 44 Diamond C Ranch...................................... 48 Diamond Q Longhorns............................. 49 Dickinson Cattle Co...................................BC Double Dime Ranch.....................................5 Double S Ranch......................................... IFC Doug Hunt Longhorns.............................. 50 Downey Family Farm................................ IFC —E— El Coyote Ranch............................................ 1 Elm Springs Acres....................................... 50 —F— F & F Ranch.................................................. 48 Falls Creek Longhorns..................................8 FHR Longhorns................... FC, IFC, 2, 3, 49 Flying D Ranch............................................ 49 Flying Diamond Ranch.............................. 48 Freeman Ranch............................................35 Fritz Longhorns............................................47 —G— Glendenning Farms.....................................23 Guttman, Ralph........................................... 50 GVR Longhorns.......................................... 49 —H— Harrell Ranch............................................... 15 Helm Cattle Co........................................... 49 Hicks Longhorns...........................................8
—H— Hickman Longhorns.................................. 49 Hidden Springs Ranch................................ 31 Hired Hand Software..................................32 Horseshoe J Longhorns............................41 Hubbell Longhorns........................... FC, 2, 3 —I— Ironwood Ranch..........................................49 —J— J Square Ranch............................................35 Jack Mountain Ranch.................................50 J Bar L Longhorns.......................................43 JH Cattle Co.................................................45 JKG Longhorns..............................................8 J.M.R. Cattle Co.......................................... 49 Jo-Lin Ranch............................................... 50 —K— King, Terry & Tammy...................................41 —L— Lemonade Ranch....................................... 49 Little Ace Cattle Co.......................................9 Lodge Creek Longhorns........................... 48 Lone Wolf Ranch........................................ 49 Long M Ranch....................................... 16, 49 Longhorn Ventures.....................................39 Loomis Ranch..............................................41 Lucas Ranch..........................................32, 48 —M— McLeod Ranch...............................................9 Middlecreek Farms............................... 24, 41 Montgomery Briggs Ranch...................... 50 Moose Willow Ranch...........................22, 48 Moriah Farms.............................................. 49 —N— NS Horns...................................................... 48 Nortex............................................................ 14 —P— Pace Texas Longhorns...............................45 Petersen Longhorns...................................37 —R— Rafter M Ranch........................................... 49 Rancho El Dios............................................ 30 Rio Vista Ranch..............................................9 River’s Bend Ranch.................................... 48 Rockin Hil Longhorns................................ 48 Rockin I Longhorns.................................... 50 Rocking B Longhorns.................................27 Rocking P Longhorns...................................9 Rocky Mountain Longhorns.................... 48 Rolling D Ranch.......................................... 48 Rolling Hills Ranch Longhorns................ 48 Roper’s Ranch............................................. 50 Ross Ranch Horns...................................... 49 Running Arrow Longhorns....................... 44 —S— Safari B Ranch............................................. 49 Sand Hills Ranch....................................17, 48 Sherwood Cattle Co...................................37
TEXAS LONGHORN TRAILS
JUST FOR GRINS HAVE A CUTE PIC? Send us your photo with a funny caption included! Send your photo with caption to: Texas Longhorn Trails, Attn. Myra, • P.O. Box 4430 • Fort Worth, Texas 74948 or myra@tlbaa.org (Email entries should include address.) Photo may be used in a future issue due to number of responses
“Give Mama A Kiss” Thanks to Kellie & Michael Earnest of Tokio, TX for the submission.
—S— Singing Coyote Ranch.............................. 50 Spidle Ranch................................................ 50 Spring Creek Farms.......................................9 SS Longhorns.............................................. 49 Star Creek Ranch........................................ 49 Struthoff Ranch........................................... 50 Sutton Timber & Cattle............................. 48 —T— Thate Cattle Co.............................................9 Thurmond Longhorns............................... 49 Triple R Ranch (TX)........................................9 Triple S Bar Ranch................................33, 49 TS Adcock Longhorns............................... 50 TTT Longhorn Tape Measure.................IBC —W— Walkers U7-................................................. 50 WB Longhorns............................................ 49 Westhaven Longhorns.............................. 48 Wichita Fence Company...........................42
UPCOMING ISSUES: March: Longhorn Weekend Wrap-Up April: Longhorn Beef May: Brood Cow Edition
February 2022 | 51
SAVE THE DATE FEBRUARY 2022
Coming Events
MAY 2022
FEBRUARY 2 • Black Hills Longhorn Sale, Black Hills Stock Show, Rapid City, SD. Online Sale Only! Contact Gordon Howie (605) 381-3998. FEBRUARY 12 • Matagorda County Fair, Matagorda County Fairgrounds, Bay City, TX. Stephen Head 979-549-5270 or headshorns@hotmail.com. Qualifying Haltered, Youth & Trophy Steers. FEBRUARY 13 • San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo, San Antonio, TX. Contact Kathy Bruner 512-689-8624 or kathy@therockingbranch.com. Qualifying Youth. FEBRUARY 18-20 • San Angelo Stock Show, San Angelo, TX. Amanda Danley 432894-1430 or adanley@seminoleisd.net. Qualifying Haltered, Youth, Youth Points Only, Trophy Steers & Miniatures.
MARCH 2022 MARCH 4-5 • Cattle Baron Premier Longhorn Sale & Winchester Futurity, Brazos Valley Livestock Commission, Bryan, Texas. Rick Friedrich 713-305-0259, Rick@ RiverRanchLonghorns.com or www.TLBGCA.com MARCH 6-8 • Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, NRG Park, Houston, TX. Entry Deadline January 5th. Pam Robison 817-625-6241 or pam@tlbaa.org. Qualifying Haltered, Youth & Trophy Steers. MARCH 11-13 • NTLBA Spring Show, Hopkins County Regional Civic Center, Sulphur Springs, TX. John Oliver (972) 268-0083 or joliver210@yahoo.com; Brenda Oliver (972) 268-0031 or boliver84@yahoo.com. Qualifying Haltered, Non-Haltered, Youth, Youth Points Only, Trophy Steers & Miniatures. MARCH 24-25 • YMBL South Texas State Fair Longhorn Show, Ford Fairgrounds, Beaumont, TX. Jessica Wade arklatex.jessica@gmail.com or 903-948-5194. Qualifying Haltered, Youth & Trophy Steers. MARCH 25-27 • OTLA Spring Shoot-Out, Payne County Expo Center, Stillwater, OK. Contact David Edwards, dledwards.texaslonghorncattle@gmail.com, (918) 557-0362. Qualifying Haltered, Non-Haltered, Trophy Steers, Youth & Youth Points Only.
APRIL 2022 APRIL 1-2 • Texoma Spring Classic, Overbrook, OK. Sale hosts: Bob & Pam Loomis, Dale Hunt & Sherrill Caddell. Contact Dale Hunt 402-214-4851 or Bob Loomis 580-276-7498 APRIL 8 • Bluegrass Futurity, in conjunction with the Hudson-Valentine Bluegrass Sale, Lexington, KY. Contact Johnny Hicks 269-998-8027. APRIL 8-9 • Hudson-Valentine Bluegrass Sale, in conjunction Bluegrass Futurity, Lexington, KY. Contact Elizabeth Hudson ehudson18@gmail.com or 502-3791049. APRIL 22-24 • Great Western Trail Days, Coleman, TX. Contact Ashlee Miller slickrockdesigns@gmail.com 325-669-2292 or Catherine Morris morriscatran@ taylortel.net 325-829-9219. Qualifying Haltered, Youth, Youth Points Only & Trophy Steers. APRIL 23 • Rocking B Longhorns Dispersal Sale, Baton Rouge, LA. Contact Justin Rombeck 816-536-1083 or legendslonghornsale@gmail.com APRIL 29-30 • Red McCombs Fiesta Sale, Johnson City, TX. Contact Teresa Sparger at Teresa_redmccombslonghorns@yahoo.com or (210) 392 5133. APRIL 29-MAY 1 • STLA Llano Spring Show, Llano, TX. Contact Andrea Wilson 281-728-3787 or awilson2121@comcast.net; Kathy Bruner 512-589-8624 or therockingbranch@gmail.com. Qualifying Haltered, Non-Haltered, 2 Youth, Youth Points Only, Trophy Steers & Miniatures. APRIL 30 • TLBNM Rawhide Days, Tucumcari, NM. Contact Dustin Brewer 505660-3061 or dustinandcandi@gmail.com. Qualifying Haltered, Non-Haltered, Youth & Trophy Steers.
MAY 2022 MAY 13-15 • TLBGCA Spring Show, Miracle Farm, Brenham, TX. Stephen Head 979-549-5270 or headshorns@hotmail.com. Qualifying Haltered, Youth, Trophy Steers & Miniatures. MAY 14 • 44th B&C Spring Sale, Green City, MO. Sale auctioneers: Shawn & Bill Sayre. Contact: Shawn 660-734-8782.
52 | February 2022
TEXAS LONGHORN
MAY 20-21 • Struthoff Deep In The Heart Of Texas Sale, San Antonio, TX. Lynn Struthoff (210) 473-7768, Josie Struthoff (210) 601-3464 or Lori McCarty (817) 991-8825 MAY 27-28 • Hudson-Valentine Fort Worth Stockyards Longhorn Auction, River Ranch Stockyards. Lorinda Valentine (270) 996-2046 or panthercreekranch@att.net
JUNE 2022 JUNE 17 • Best of the West Futurity, Dundee, OR. Scott Picker (503) 572-5656, Scott@aspencreeklandscaping.com JUNE 18 • The Oregon Trail Sale, Dundee, OR. Scott Picker (503) 572-5656, Scott@aspencreeklandscaping.com JUNE 22-25 • TLBAA World Expo & National Youth Show, Bell County Expo Center, Belton, TX. Pam Robison 817-625-641 x106 or pam@tlbaa.org.
JULY 2022 JULY 15 • The Cal-Neva Futurity, Reno, NV. Melissa Boerst (775) 560-3767 or Carley Ingram (775) 225-0234, www.silversummitranch.com JULY 16 • The Biggest Little Longhorn Sale, Reno, NV. Melissa Boerst (775) 5603767 or Carley Ingram (775) 225-0234, www.silversummitranch.com
AUGUST 2022 AUGUST 5 • Great Northern Cheesehead Longhorn Futurity, 5D Ranch, Gresham, WI. Contact Ali Mast 715-495-4369 AUGUST 6 • Great Northern Longhorn Classic Sale, 5D Ranch, Gresham, WI. Contact Dan Huntington 715-853-7608 or Mike Thiel 920-595-0336 AUGUST 13 • Double Down 2-in-1 Futurity, Latigo Event Center, Colorado Springs, CO. Deadline: July 1, 2022. Contact Linda Metcalfe 719-478-3011 or doubledownfuturity@gmail.com AUGUST 19 • Regional Horn Measurement, Central States Fair, Rapid City, SD. Scot O’Bryan (605) 344-2263 or Gordon Howie (605) 381-3998 AUGUST 20 • 4th Annual Top Hand Longhorn Sale, Central States Fair, Rapid City, SD. Scot O’Bryan (605) 344-2263 or Gordon Howie (605) 381-3998 AUGUST 20 • 2nd Annual “Points Only” Show, Central States Fair, Rapid City, SD. Scot O’Bryan (605) 344-2263 or Gordon Howie (605) 381-3998 AUGUST 20 • 5 Star Longhorn Production Sale, Fort Worth, TX. Contact Dale Hunt 402-214-4851 or Brent & Cindy Bolen 936-639-6590 or cindy@bolenlonghorns.com AUGUST 21 • 7th Annual World Qualifying Show, Central States Fair, Rapid City, SD. Scot O’Bryan (605) 344-2263 or Gordon Howie (605) 381-3998
SEPTEMBER 2022 SEPTEMBER 3 • 25th Annual Butler Breeders Invitational Sale, Lockhart, TX. Contact Kaso Kety (985) 674-6492 or Michael McLeod (361) 771-5355 SEPTEMBER 9-10 • Struthoff Deep In The Heart Of Texas Sale, San Antonio, TX. Contact Lynn Struthoff (210) 473-7768, Josie Struthoff (210) 601-3464 or Lori McCarty (817) 991-8825 SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 2 • East Texas State Fair, Tyler, TX. Enter online at etstatefair.com. Contact John & Brenda Oliver 972-268-0083, joliver210@ yahoo.com or Lana Hightower 903-681-1093 or glcattleco@aol.com. Qualifying Haltered, Non-Haltered, Youth & Trophy Steers.
NOVEMBER 2022 NOVEMBER 5 • Peach State Showout, Statesboro, GA. Contact Cole Meeks 912601-5283 or visit www.rollinghillsranchlonghorns.com NOVEMBER 18-20 • Kaufman Police Association Longhorn Show, Henderson County Fairgrounds, Athens, TX. Entry Deadline Oct. 30th. Joel Norris, (972) 533-4945 or joelnorris83.jn@gmail.com. Qualifying Haltered, Non-Haltered, Youth, Trophy Steers & Miniatures. TLBAA World Qualifying Shows need to submit show application to the TLBAA office prior to being placed on calendar.
TEXAS LONGHORN TRAILS
TEXAS LONGHORN TRAILS
January 2022 | 27
TEXAS LONGHORN TRAILS
January 2022 | 27