Texas Longhorn Trails
February 2012
2
Texas Longhorn Trails
Texas Longhorn Trails (817) 625-6241• (817) 625-1388 (FAX) P.O. Box 4430 • Fort Worth, TX 76164 E-Mail: trails@tlbaa.org http://www.tlbaa.org
Staff VOL. 23 NO. 11
FEBRUARY 2012
Editor in Chief: Laura Standley • Ext. 105 laura@tlbaa.org
Contributing Editor: Henry L. King Advertising: Troy Robinett • Ext. 117 troy@tlbaa.org
Rick Fritsche •
Ext. 107
rick@tlbaa.org
Graphic Design & Production Myra Basham, Art Director • Ext. 108 myra@tlbaa.org
34-40
Multi-Media Designer/Photographer Coral Bucy • Ext. 109 coral@tlbaa.org
Regional Correspondents
Feature Article: Management of Beef Bulls ........34-40 By Glenn Selk
Articles:
Factors That Affect Breeding Ability In Bulls ......................................12-13 By Heather Smith Thomas Preventing Bull Injuries ............21-22 By Heather Smith Thomas Get Past Sticker Shock For Good Decisions ....................................51 By Dr. Jane Parish
Departments: Officers & Directors..........................5 TLBT Update ................................41 In The Pen ......................................43 Show Results Update ......................48 Affiliate News ................................48 News On The Trail ........................49 Herd Management ..........................50 Movers & Shakers ..........................53 Ad Index ........................................59 Just For Grins ................................59 Save the Date ..................................60
Sales, Shows & Tours: ECR Christmas Celebration Sale........42
About the Cover: One of the biggest bulls in the industry that passes on his signature horn base, muscle, large bone and conformation, PPF Gun Maker has produced many bronze winners only being bred to a limited number of cows in his life. These statistics make him one of the most successful bulls and hence known for the nickname, “The Bull With A Patent On Horn Base.” View www.plantanapolofarm.com for more information or visit with Kay Sargent at (281) 375-6415 home or (713) 208-1515 cell.
4
Lori Beeson • Nolensville, Tennessee Bonnie Damrow • Roca, Nebraska Paige Evans • Kiowa, Colorado Wanda Moore • Sulphur Bluff, Texas Bodie Quary • Prague, Oklahoma
Office Staff Special Events: Kim Barfield, Sales • Ext. 119 Pam Galloway, Shows • Ext. 106 Registrations: Dana Coomer • Ext. 116 Rick Fritsche • Ext. 107 Financial Services: Dawn LeBlanc • Ext. 121 Administrative Assistant: Amber LeBlanc • Ext. 100 The Texas Longhorn Trails (ISSN-10988432, USPS 016469) is published monthly by the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, 2315 N. Main, Ste. 402, Fort Worth, TX 76164. Periodical Postage Paid at Fort Worth, TX. Subscription rates: $60 per year; foreign per year $75. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Texas Longhorn Trails, 2315 N. Main, Ste. 402, 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.
“We reach every TLBAA member”
Deadline: March 2012 deadline is January 26th. Printed in the USA
Texas Longhorn Trails
Alaska
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1
Canada, New Zealand, Australia
17 13 18
2 3
16
14 15 NORTH WEST
9
Hawaii
8
CENTRAL
EAST
12
6
5
7
10
SOUTH
4
11
SOUTHEAST
TLBAA Regions
DIVISION A ~ REGIONS 1-6
Chairman of the Board: Brent Bolen • (602) 769-0900
Secretary: Scott Simmons • (618) 729-2004
Executive Vice Chairman: Lana Hightower • (903) 963-7442
Treasurer: Gary Bowdoin • (254) 640-0844
1st Vice Chairman: Donnie Taylor • (936) 422-3155
Director: Steven Zunker • (210) 827-3940
2nd Vice Chairman: Dora Thompson • (318) 872-6329
Director: Terry King • (850) 956-4154
DIVISION B ~ REGIONS 7-12
At-Large Director
At-Large Director
Nancy Dunn
Lana Hightower
At-Large Director
At-Large Director
(334) 318-0887 nancydunn2010@windstream.net
DIVISION C ~ REGIONS 13-18 At-Large Director
Steve Quary
(903) 963-7442 glcattleco@aol.com
(405) 567-3093 At-Large Director
Rich Spooner
Brent Bolen
Dora Thompson
(318) 872-6329 or (318) 871-6160 echoofambush@aol.com
(602) 769-0900 brent@tcmmasonry.com
Region 1 - Director
Region 7 - Director
(580) 320-4441 oxbowranch.spooner@yahoo.com Region 13 - Director
L.D. McIntyre
Donnie Taylor
Ron Walker
(403) 548-6684
(936) 414-1401 longhorn4t@msn.com
Region 2 - Director
Region 8 - Director
Mark Stuck
Bernard Lankford
Region 14 - Director
(540) 752-6831 bcrstuck@hotmail.com
(817) 341-2013 MoriahFarmsBL@aol.com
Region 3 - Director
Region 9 - Director
Scott Simmons
Robert Richey
Region 4 - Director
Region 10 - Director
Roger Townsend
Gary Bowdoin
(618) 729-2004 ssimmons@copeplastics.com
(308) 750-8384 or (308) 246-5600 tejas@mcintyreranches.com
Jim Rombeck
(620) 257-5247 jimrombeck@yahoo.com Region 15 Director
Randy Briscoe (405) 375-3090 Kingrjj@aol.com
(325) 942-1198 r3ranch@aol.com
Region 16 - Director
Doug Hunt
(931) 309-9480 tnman37_38478@yahoo.com
(254) 640-0844 Tonkawacattleco@aol.com
Region 5 - Director
Region 11 - Director
Terry King
(435) 275-2112 ddlonghorns@hotmail.com Region 17 - Director
Terry Fuhriman
Larry Smith
(850) 956-4154 tklonghorns@centurylink.net
(281) 935-2811 texasslonghorns@aol.com
Region 6 - Director
Region 12 - Director
(208) 860-7430 terry@fuhrimanins.com Region 18 - Director
Ray Beadle
Steven Zunker
Gene Juranka
(408) 834-0110 rlbeadle@longfibre.com
(210) 827-3940 stevenzunker@msn.com
(337) 328-7258 longhorn@camtel.net CHARLES SCHREINER III*
MAURICE LADNIER
1964-1967
2009-2010
WALTER G. RIEDEL, JR.*
J.T. “HAPPY” SHAHAN*
RICHARD D. CARLSON
SHERMAN BOYLES
ROBERT RICHEY
J.G. PHILLIPS, JR.*
JOHN R. BALL
JOHN T. BAKER
BOB MOORE*
STEVEN ZUNKER
WALTER B. SCOTT
BILL ANTHONY
RIEMER CALHOUN, JR.
JOEL LEMLEY
JAMES WARREN
DR. L.V. BAKER
GLEN W. LEWIS
BEN GRAVETT
J.W. ISAACS*
DR. W.D. “BILL” CLARK
TIM MILLER
DR. FRITZ MOELLER
1967-1969
1977-1978
1969-1971
1979-1980
1971-1973
1981-1982
1973-1975 1975-1977
1982-1984 1984-1986
1986-1988 1988-1990 1990-1992 1992-1995 1995-1998
1998-2003
2010
2010-2011
2003-2005 2006-2007 2007
2007-2009
* DECEASED
TLBAA BREED ADVISORY COMMITTEE Chairman: Dr. Bob Kropp
Dr. Harlan Ritchie
Dr. Bill Able
Marshall Ruble
Dr. Charles McPeake
Dr. Scott Schaake
Oklahoma State University
Michigan State University
Northwestern Oklahoma University
Iowa State University
University of Georgia
Kansas State University
February 2012
Dr. Randall Grooms TAES Texas A&M University
5
1975 – 2011 Strong like the breed, STLA is proudly recognized as the oldest affiliate of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America (TLBAA).
WOW #3 Born 8/1/07 Overwhelmers Jack KCC x Classy Jackie 3
Talk about proven genetics with horn and color, WOW!!!!
KIMBLE CATTLE CO. Drs. Joyce, Janis & Scott Kimble • PO Box 216, Karnes City, Texas 78118 Phone 830-780-3151 • Fax 830-780-2558
Home of
Trinity R3
Home of
J.R. Just Right
Co-owner Little Ace Cattle Co.
Danny & Merrilou Russell Edna, Texas • 361/781-4269
TRIPLE R RANCH R3Ranch@aol.com
Robert & Kim Richey San Angelo, Texas 325/942-1198
Home of
Awesome Alamo BL Night Chex x Hatch’s Candy Cane Horn Showcase Champion DOB: 2/28/04
www.cactusroselonghorns.com
JHC Macho Man 2009 World Grand Champion Bull
Awesome Alamo Semen Available
Curtis & Ross Ohlendorf • Lockhart, TX • 512-680-7118
www.rockingolonghorns.com
JHC LONGHORNS 512-930-4790 • www.jhc-longhorn-ranch.com • Hutto, TX
The South Texas Longhorn Association is comprised of dedicated breeders, ranchers, and hobbyists throughout Texas who raise and love Texas Longhorn cattle.
etics Proven Gen at Work
Double LB Longhorns
Lee & Linda Blackwell • Fredonia, TX
Jim & Carolyn Van Duzee www.JandCLonghorns.com
830/889-5880 • www.doubleLBlonghorns.com
817-491-1423 China Spring, Texas
DRL Son of Sombrah 2008 World Grand Champion Bull
JHC LONGHORNS 512-930-4790 • www.jhc-longhorn-ranch.com • Hutto, TX
Butler Butler Herd Herd Sire Sire
RVR Max Z DOB: DOB: 12/30/07 12/30/07 Co-owned Co-owned with with Rio Rio Vista Vista Ranch Ranch
Z
210-827-3940 BOX Z RANCHwww.boxzranch.com Steven Zunker & Louis Christa
Luling, Texas
Give your breeding program Beadle Land & Cattle - Ray & Bonnie Beadle Los Gatos & Hollister, CA (408) 834-0110 • (408) 656-6266 e-mail: rlbeadle@longfibre.com
Box Z Ranch - Steven Zunker & Louis Christa 1506 Harwood Road, Luling, TX 78648 Ranch mobile (210) 827-3940 www.boxzranch.com
Buckhorn Cattle Company - Buck & Sharon Adams 110 N. Broad, Guthrie, OK 73044 www.buckhorncattle.com (405) 260-1942 • (405) 282-9800
Eagles Ridge Longhorns - Paul & Judi Sellers 3245 Sugarloaf Key Rd, U21A, Punta Gorda, FL 33955 (941) 979-2419 or (443) 624-0792 e-mail: ancopa5@yahoo.com
Kent & Sandy Harrell
15 W 6th St Ste 2510, Tulsa, OK 74119 (918) 299-6402 • (918) 733-4008 www.harrellranch.com • e-mail: Kent@harrellranch.com
Kaso, Lisa & Jake Kety - Little Ace Cattle Company P.O. Box 386, Folsom, LA 70437 (985) 796-3918 e-mail: ketyfolsom@aol.com
PJ’s Cattle Company – Jim Swigert or Lance Swigert 2130 CR 100, Caldwell, TX 77836 Jim: (979) 224-2861 or Lance (979) 219-4902 e-mail: jim@swicoauctions.com or lance@swicoauctions.com www.pjslonghorns.com
MCA Ranch – Andrew & Carina Menzies 26610 Woodpecker Trl • Spicewood, TX 78669 (512) 739-6808 tc@newbellhurst.com
McLeod Ranch – Michael, Jackie, Mike & Makayla McLeod 355 C.R. 303A, 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 • e-mail: bpotts1@verizon.net
Rio Vista Ranch - Elmer & Susan Rosenberger 4818 Eck Lane, Austin, TX 78734 (512) 266-3250 Cell: (512) 422-8336 e-mail: elmer@riovistaranch.com www.riovistaranch.com
Westfarms Inc. - Dale, Lynette, Leslie & Matt Westmoreland 13529 Hwy 450, Franklinton, LA 70438 (985) 795-1539 Cell: (985) 515-3172 e-mail: lwestmoreland.ees@wpsb.org
a boost with Butler genetics! Frank Anderson Jr. and III 828 South Rosemary Drive • Bryan, TX 77802 (979) 846-8020 • (281) 501-2100 edie.wakefield@gmail.com
DALGOOD Longhorns - Malcolm & Connie Goodman (713) 782-8422 • Waller, TX e-mail: dalgood@comcast.net www.dalgoodlonghorns.com
Bob & Pam Loomis - Loomis Longhorns Rt. 1 Box 673 • Marietta, OK 73448 (580) 276-9265 • Fax (580) 276-3049 e-mail: loomis20@juno.com
Moriah Farms - Bernard Lankford Weatherford, TX (817) 341-4677 • (817) 319-9198 cell www.moriahfarmslonghorns.com
Rocking G Ranch - Mrs. Ramie Griffin 5005 Callais Road • Beaumont, TX 77713 (409) 892-2662 • Fax (409) 838-6926 Cell (409) 781-3215 e-mail: dayamisrockingranch@yahoo.com
Showcase Your Butler Program Here!
Rocking I Longhorns - Nancy Ince & Tony Mangold 30 FM 3351 N, Bergheim, TX 78004 (830) 237-5024 • e-mail: tmangold@sbcglobal.net www.rockinilonghorns.com
Sidewinder Cattle Company - Ed Shehee, Jr. 1007 Airport Blvd • Pensacola, FL 32504 (850) 572-6595 www.sidewindercattleco.com
Jane’s Land & Cattle Co. - John & Jane Thate 418 W. Margaret St. • Fairmont, MN 56031 (507) 235-3467
Triple R Ranch - Robert & Kim Richey 21000 Dry Creek Road • San Angelo, TX 76901 (325) 942-1198 • e-mail: r3ranch@aol.com www.butlertexaslonghorns.com
V&J Longhorns - Vernon & Janis Webb 9303 Lone Star Rd. • Washington, TX 77880 (936) 878-2954
This space is available for your ranch listing!
For more information, contact the Trails advertising department today at
(817) 625-6241
Factors That Affect
Breeding ABility
in Bulls By Heather Smith Thomas
t
here are many factors that play a role in fertility and breeding ability in bulls, including semen quality, soundness, desire to breed cows, etc. Most producers make sure that every bull passes a breeding soundness examination before putting him out with cows. As stated by Dr. Dee Whittier (Professor, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia Tech), it’s good to start with the bull breeding soundness exam that is outlined by the Society of Theriogenology. “This is based on good research and is a place to start, when assessing a bull. It basically looks at 5 things: physical soundness (feet and legs, eyes, etc.), reproductive tract soundness, scrotal circumference that meets the minimum requirement, minimum percentage of sperm cells that are normal, and acceptable motility. This is where we start, and we recommend that every bull, every year, have a breeding soundness exam.” This examination can detect almost all the problems that might interfere with the bull’s fertility or ability to breed cows. “A thorough examination can find the young bulls that have congenital abnormalities or other problems with the reproductive tract. An injury or infection would also be discovered at that time,” he says.
Things can happen from one year to the next, and even if a bull passed his test last year, he may have had an injury, or an infection, or some other problem that could interfere with his ability to breed and settle cows this year. Things can happen from one year to the next, and even if a bull passed his test last year, he may have had an injury, or an infection, or some other problem that could interfere with his ability to breed and settle cows this year. “The Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan did a study and put together all their data on bull breeding soundness exams. They found that basically the same percentage of bulls failed at each age, across the years. Some people feel they only need to test the young bulls or the older bulls and think the middle-aged bulls won’t have problems. But just as high a percentage of those bulls fail every year,” says Whittier. “Beyond the things we check on the breeding soundness exam, there are a few other issues we need to look at to make sure the bulls can get the job done. We tell producers that the procedure is an examination of this bull on this particular day, and even
12
Texas Longhorn Trails
though he might pass that test just fine, he may not be fine a month down the road. Bulls may get sick, or become injured or lame. The breeding season is a stressful time.” There are some things that are not assessed with the breeding soundness exam. It does not assess libido (sex drive), for instance. This is just as important as fertility. Even if the bull is fertile and sound, if he doesn’t actually breed the cows, he won’t sire any calves. Libido is not easy to measure in a test setting. “This puts the responsibility onto the producer, to monitor the breeding groups and make sure each bull is doing the job,” says Whittier. The young, inexperienced bull needs to be closely watched, but a libido problem can happen with an older bull, as well. An older, overweight bull may become lazy or arthritic and may lose interest in breeding.
Weight and body condition are important factors in whether a bull will be a good breeder. He needs to be in proper fitness condition to be athletic and have the endurance to cover a lot of territory and breed a lot of cows. Weight and body condition are important factors in whether a bull will be a good breeder. He needs to be in proper fitness condition to be athletic and have the endurance to cover a lot of territory and breed a lot of cows. “For a long time, I told producers that they needed to have the bulls in abundant flesh because they would lose weight during the breeding season, and needed some reserve. Then I saw a really interesting study that was done in Canada, in some large community breeding pastures,” says Whittier. The research was done by Dr. Coulter who earlier had measured the fat in the bulls’ scrotums (and found that fat bulls are less fertile because the fat insulates the testicles and keeps them too warm for optimum sperm production, and also hinders the bulls’ ability to raise and lower the testicles to keep them at proper temperature). “In this particular study on the community pastures, however, all they did was check backfat, using ultrasound. Then they turned out 30 to 50 bulls in each pasture. They blood typed the bulls and the cows and the calves, so they could tell which bulls sired which calves.” In this way, they could tell how many calves each bull sired. “If you’d have asked me what was going to happen, I would have said that it would be a curve. I would have predicted that the really thin bulls wouldn’t breed very many cows and the really fat bulls wouldn’t breed very many, and that you’d want the bulls to be in the middle. It turned out that none of those bulls were too thin to breed cows. The ones that had zero backfat went out and bred the most cows. Now we realize there is a lot more danger in making a bull too fat than in having him too thin.” A fat bull is not as athletically fit and is more likely to hurt himself, just like an overweight, out-of-shape human who tries to exercise. “The fat bull is not very athletic, and more apt to be lazy. When we talk about body condition scores, I think body score 5 (with 1 being emaciated and 9 being obese) is fine for a bull; he doesn’t need to be any fatter than that. A BCS 5 bull isn’t particularly pretty (he’s in his “working clothes”) but he is going to setFebruary 2012
tle more cows than the fat bull. It is crucial that these bulls not be overly fat,” says Whittier. A yearling bull that is still growing may run himself ragged during his first breeding season and lose too much weight for his own health, however. This is why it’s important to give a yearling bull fewer cows or a shorter turnout time, bringing him back in and giving him a rest before he becomes too far down in body condition. It is always important to monitor and manage bulls. Having young bulls too fat when they go out to breed cows is not the healthiest for them, or conducive to having them able to breed an optimum number of cows. There’s no substitute for monitoring the bulls and making sure they are breeding cows. Then you’ll know if a bull gets hurt or goes lame, and he can be brought in, and another bull put in his place. You also need to know if certain bulls are keeping the others from breeding the cows. Social dominance can be a big factor regarding what happens in a breeding pasture. One or two bulls may be doing all the breeding and keeping the more timid bulls away from the cows. “If a bull becomes injured, it’s an emergency to get him out of the pasture. One of the things that can happen is that an injured dominant bull will continue to intimidate other bulls even if he himself is not able to breed the cows. He may have a sore foot, or some other problem like a breeding injury (penile or prepuce injury) and he is not breeding any cows, but is still keeping the other bulls from breeding. The day you realize he’s not breeding cows, he needs to come home, so the bulls that are left can do the work,” explains Whittier. There are also a few bulls that would rather fight than breed cows. There are all sorts of social factors that can skew things in a breeding pasture. In a small pasture with only a few bulls, it often pays to try to make sure that the bulls you turn out together are compatible and not simply spending all their time fighting. One old-time rancher recommended using one bull or 3, rather than 2, especially if the 2 are evenly matched and always trying to determine who’s boss or always keeping each other from breeding. With 3 bulls, one might be able to slip in and breed the cow while the other 2 are fighting.
There’s no substitute for monitoring the bulls and making sure they are breeding cows. Then you’ll know if a bull gets hurt or goes lame, and he can be brought in, and another bull put in his place. If you have just one bull in breeding pasture, you need to make sure he is doing his job. Sometimes a bull will become injured or lazy and won’t get all his cows bred. Sometimes a little competition will spur a complacent bull to become a more aggressive breeder. There’s no substitute for knowing your bulls and closely monitoring them to see what’s actually happening in the pasture. “It is very important to continually assess these interactions and adjust things if necessary—move bulls, rest bulls, or whatever is needed to make sure the cows get bred,” says Whittier.
13
1
Texas Longhorn Trails
KENT & SANDY HARRELL 15 West 6th St., Suite 2510 • Tulsa, OK 74119 (O) 918-587-2750 Kyle Mathis, Ranch Manager (R) 918-733-4008
www.harrellranch.com
ulls are tough. They have to be, to withstand the abuse they give each other when fighting. And you don’t want to be in their way. Bulls are very durable but occasionally get injured. You can’t prevent all accidents, but there are ways to minimize the risks.
B
INJURIES DURING BREEDING SEASON Bulls that got along reasonably well during winter become more competitive when there are cows to breed. When they fight, there are sometimes freak injuries like broken legs. One rancher had a bull killed by a horn run through his ribs. But most of the injuries are things like a broken or bruised penis. It’s often wise to use younger, lighter bulls on heifers. This reduces the risk of broken penis, which tends to occur more readily in bigger, heavier bulls trying to breed heifers. Injuries due to fighting can be minimized if bulls can be wintered together first. They have the pecking order already established and may not fight so hard when turned out with cows. If you keep bulls separated during their off-season they spend more time fighting when you put them together. If an older bull gets whipped, he’ll go off and sulk, and not breed cows. Another problem in dry conditions is bulls that become useless due to eye problems from dust, cheat grass seeds, and pinkeye. A bull that’s blind in one eye is at a disadvantage and may become injured by another bull taking advantage of his blind side. Management to control flies and pinkeye can prevent some problems.
If a person doesn’t have to breed the cows in large pastures with all the cattle running together, there are more management options. If you can have small breeding groups with only 1 to 3 bulls in a group, there is less chance for injuries due to fighting. It also helps to use bulls that are compatible, with pecking order already established—such as bulls of different ages. Young bulls rarely challenge the older ones. By contrast, evenly matched bulls may spend most of their time fighting or trying to keep each other from breeding, and may injure one another while breeding. Serious injury can occur if one bull hits another while he’s in the act of mounting a cow.
OFF SEASON INJURIES One fall, one of our neighbors had the misfortune of having two 3-year-old bulls break a hind leg, in separate accidents—and had to butcher both of them. This was after breeding season was over, with bulls locked away from the cows. “We had 14 bulls in that pasture—including 6 big 3-year-olds that were always sparring. I didn’t see the accidents, but I suspect 2 bulls were head to head with hind legs braced, and a third bull rammed into one of them. I’ve never seen a broken leg occur just from normal fighting, but if a third bull hit full force while that leg was braced, it could snap.” He also mentioned that bulls may have their differences settled and be calm and quiet, until you start moving them. “Then they always fight, using the disruption as a way to take advan-
By Heather Smith Thomas
February 2012
21
tage of one another.” We’ve found the same problem. When moving bulls from one end of our place to the other, we no longer trail them the 2 miles because of their continual fighting (a danger to each other, and to the horsemen and fences along the way) and haul them instead. To avoid fighting injuries, bulls should be as physically fit as possible. If they are pampered and fat, they are more apt to be injured. Young bulls should be kept in a large area where they must do some walking. Fitness and experience are crucial. It’s important for young bulls to live together and learn how to fight and protect themselves. A bull that hasn’t experienced sparring for pecking order is a prime candidate for injury when put with other bulls. Never put a new bull in with an established group, or that bull will get picked on. It’s better to add several newcomers at once, to spread the fighting so no one individual has to bear the brunt of it. Putting horned bulls together in small areas can be risky. If a bull gets cornered he can get hurt. Bulls need room to get away from each other. Keep hazards and obstacles (old fences, fallen trees) to a minimum in bull lots. Footing can also be a factor in bull injuries. Dirt is always better than concrete. Concrete gives poor footing (not enough traction) and contributes to injuries. Deep mud can be a problem but can also be beneficial when bulls are fighting; they wear out quicker and quit fighting sooner. Some older bulls that are evenly matched in strength never settle their arguments and should not be put together. The worst injury one old-time stockman ever saw was an older bull that was trying to fight a younger, stronger one. The older bull had never been whipped before and would not quit, just standing there braced and pushing. He snapped both stifles. His muscles were stronger than his bones. To avoid this kind of problem, it’s important to have good nutrition for bulls and adequate minerals to build and keep bones strong. Good leg conformation and soundness are also crucial. More injuries occur when bulls have poor hind leg conformation, especially post-legged (hind legs too straight, with no angle in stifles and hocks). Sickle hocked bulls with too much angle in the hind legs also tend to break down. Structural soundness, strong legs and joints, proper leg angles and adequate bone are very important in a bull. Your investment in him will be wasted if he becomes injured and cannot breed cows or has to be butchered for salvage.
avoid getting hurt Humans and horses can be injured when working with bulls. One bull in a group of cows is generally not a problem unless
22
he’s an aggressive individual with bad temperament. Two or more bulls can be dangerous, if they start fighting. They are focused on battle and won’t pay any attention to a person on foot or a horseman who tries to break up the fight or move them. One bull may push the other bull into you or your horse. Even if you are some distance away, if one bull suddenly turns to run away from the other he may run over you. When processing bulls, such as vaccination, never mix groups. Even if it takes longer, work them in their familiar groups, one group at a time. If older bulls are kept by themselves, process those bulls one at a time. Every time you work cattle— especially bulls—think ahead to what might happen so you can develop a safe routine. Have a plan and follow it. Also have an escape route in the back of your mind (a place where you could go up the fence, if working on foot, for instance) when working
You must not be afraid, Yet You must have respect for what a bull might do, and never take anY
bull (even a gentle one) for granted.
with bulls, in case one bull suddenly shoves another one or tries to get away from a herdmate—and you happen to be in the way. Use cattle psychology when handling bulls and carry a weapon. A rigid stock stick is better than a whip. Bulls are accustomed to pecking order; dominance and submission is key to how they think and behave. No one who is afraid of a bull should ever handle one; the bull will consider that person subordinate in the pecking order. You must not be afraid, yet you must have respect for what a bull might do, and never take any bull (even a gentle one) for granted. Keep in mind that it’s a bull’s nature to try to dominate his peers and work his way up through the social order and become top bull. Younger bulls are more easily handled (and easier to teach respect) than older ones; if a bull respects you as “boss” he will be less apt to defy you. But remember that young bulls will always challenge their peers and elders as they grow up. There may come a time when the bull will also challenge you. By the time they are 4 or 5 years old, many bulls that were easy to handle in earlier years become more difficult or dangerous. With some bulls this happens as early as their 3-year-old year. If a bull “turns the corner” and no longer respects people or horsemen, cull him before he hurts someone. Texas Longhorn Trails
1
Texas Longhorn Trails
1
Texas Longhorn Trails
SPONSORSHIPS YOUTH BANQUET MEAL
ANNUAL BARN PARTY
2-4 color full page ads within the Trails magazine 3 month consecutive on-line business card ad on TLBAA Web-site Full page ad in World Show program book Space for banner in arena 1 booth exhibit space 4 banquet tickets 2 parking passes
1-1/6 color ad within the Trails magazine 2 months consecutive on-line business card ad on TLBAA Web-site 1 year on-line Breeders Guide on TLBAA Web-site 1/6 page ad in World Show program book Space for banner in arena 2 banquet tickets 1 parking pass
$7500
$5000
TRAIL BOSS
1-4 color full full ad within the Trails magazine 3 month consecutive on-line business card ad on TLBAA Web site 1 year on-line Breeders Guide on TLBAA Web-site Full page ad in World Show program book 1 banner 1 booth exhibit space 4 banquet tickets 2 parking passes
TOP HAND
$1500
1-1/6 color ad within the Trails magazine 2 months consecutive on-line business card ad on TLBAA Web-site 1 year on-line Breeders Guide on TLBAA Web-site 1/6 page ad in World Show program book Space for banner in arena 2 banquet tickets 1 parking pass
$250
POINT
$1500
$4000
1-4 color full page ad within the Trails magazine 1-1/4 color page within the Trails magazine 3 month consecutive on-line business card ad on TLBAA Web-site 1 year on-line Breeders Guide on TLBAA website 1/2 page ad in World Show program book 1 banner 4 banquet tickets 1 parking pass
$1000
February 2012
1-1/2 color ad within the Trails magazine 1-1/6 color ad within the Trails magazine 1 month on-line business card ad on TLBAA Web-site 1 year on-line Breeders Guide on TLBAA Web-site 1/2 page ad in World Show program book Space for banner in arena 4 banquet tickets 1 parking pass
BRONC BUSTER DUDE 1-1/6 color ad within the Trails magazine 1/6 page ad in World Show program book Space for banner in arena 2 banquet tickets 1 parking pass
$150
WRANGER PLUS WRANGER Breeders guide ad in World Show program book Space for banner in arena 2 banquet tickets
SWING
Breeders guide ad in World Show program book Space for banner in arena 1 banquet ticket
$3000
$500
1/6 page ad in World Show program book Space for banner in arena 2 banquet tickets 1 parking pass
$75
TUMBLEWEED Breeders guide ad in World Show program book Space for banner in arena
31
February 2012
33
Management of Beef Bulls By Glenn Selk • Extension Animal Reproduction Specialist Oklahoma State University
INTRODUCTION
A topic often discussed in recent times is equality of the sexes. Many cattlemen have unwittingly taken this principal and applied it to herd management, where no more emphasis is given to the selection or care of a herdsire than individual cows in the herd. Does it make sense that a single bull breeding 30 to 80 females by natural service, or perhaps several thousand females through AI, should receive emphasis equal to one female in a breeding program? The extensive, potential reproductive and productive impact of a single herdsire dictates that cattlemen practice blatant discrimination through added emphasis on bull evaluation and management, particularly with respect to reproduction. Each year, a greater proportion of yearling beef bulls are used. With proper management yearling bulls can be a successful part of the breeding program. Bulls used as yearlings sire more calves in their productive lifetimes, and the bull cost per calf produced can be reduced. Likewise, some purebred producers prefer to market bulls as yearlings, since their investment in producing these bulls is usually reduced. Some commercial cattlemen prefer to buy weaned bull calves and grow them out to suit themselves. If this practice is followed, it may be a good idea to select a few more bulls than will be needed, because some may not develop as anticipated. GOALS FOR A BULL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 1. Keep costs to a reasonable level, but do not cut corners. 2. Have the bulls well grown as yearlings, so they may be used effectively. 3. Have the bulls physically fit so they will be active breeders. 4. Minimize health problems with a welldesigned herd health program developed with your local veterinarian. 5. Provide a proper environment, so genetic differences may be effectively assessed.
CARRY OUT A HEALTH PROGRAM To get all bulls off to a good start and to minimize health-related problems during the post-weaning period, a comprehensive health program should be implemented. The local animal health
34
professional should be familiar with disease problems in the area and can recommend a disease prevention program. This may include preconditioning the calves before weaning. Vaccinations should include a booster for blackleg, malignant edema, and other clostridial diseases. Other possibilities are the viral diseases including the respiratory complex. Lice and other external parasites must be controlled. Internal parasites may or may not be a problem. If in doubt of the need to use a wormer, a fecal egg count may be appropriate. Read and follow label instructions of parasite control products carefully.
FACILITIES An ideal bull development facility will allow the bulls to be comfortable and protected from severe weather, will provide ample room for exercise, and enough
feeder or bunk space to minimize the competition between animals. If more than 30 bulls are fed, divide them into two groups. When dividing calves into groups, horned and polled calves should be separated and sorted by size. A well-drained facility will help minimize foot problems. Cattle that are dry and comfortable will convert feed more efficiently and gain faster. When winters are severe or exceedingly wet, some type of shelter or housing is advisable. An open-sided pole-type shed may be adequate. It should contain 25 to 30 square feet per bull. Exercise over rough or rocky ground will help keep the bulls active and physically fit. Pens should be large enough so bulls can exercise and also get away from each other when necessary. Bulls housed away from heifers or cows tend to stay quieter and do less riding and fighting. Many different feeding systems can be used for bulls. If a self-fed complete ration is used, so the cattle can eat free choice, 8 to 12 inches of bunk space per head is adequate. If all animals need to eat at the same time (such as with hand feeding), about 24 to 30 inches of bunk space or feeder space per bull is required. To ensure proper feed use, water needs to be available at all times. One way to encourage exercise is to locate feed and water at opposite ends of the pen.
NUTRITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS OF WEANED OR PURCHASED BULLS GENERAL NUTRITION CONCEPTS An ideal nutritional program for young bulls should be moderate in cost, allow for rapid growth, and avoid excessive condition. It should also avoid digestive problems that may have an impact on Texas Longhorn Trails
Table 1. Daily nutrient requirements for growing large frame beef bull calves after weaning (Gaining 2.5 lbs per day). Weight of bull (lb)
Dry Matter Intake (lb)
Protein Intake (lb)
ME Mcal/ lb
NEm Mcal/ lb
NEg Mcal/ lb
TDN (%)
Ca (%)
P (%)
600 700 800 900 1000
15.5 17.4 19.2 21.0 22.7
1.82 1.90 1.97 2.04 2.11
1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09
0.69 0.69 0.69 0.69 0.69
0.42 0.42 0.42 0.42 0.42
66.5 66.5 66.5 66.5 66.5
0.51 0.44 0.40 0.36 0.33
0.26 0.24 0.23 0.21 0.20
Table 2. Daily nutrient requirements for maintenance and slow rate of growth (regain body condition) of young and mature bulls. Weight of bull (lb)
Ave Daily Gain (lb)
Dry Matter Intake
Protein Intake (lb)
ME Mcal/ lb
NEm Mcal/ lb
NEg Mcal/ lb
TDN (%)
Ca (%)
P (%)
1300 1300 1300 1600 1600 2000
1.0 1.5 2.0 0.0 1.0 0.0
25.4 26.1 26.2 26.5 29.7 31.3
1.9 2.0 2.2 1.8 2.2 2.1
0.92 0.98 1.05 0.79 0.92 0.79
0.53 0.59 0.65 0.41 0.53 0.41
0.28 0.33 0.39 — 0.28 —
55.8 59.7 64.0 48.4 55.8 48.4
0.22 0.24 0.26 0.19 0.22 0.21
0.19 0.19 0.20 0.20 0.19 0.21
animal performance or reduce soundness. The daily nutrient requirements for medium- and large-framed bulls of different body weights and performance levels are found in Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle, National Research Council, Sixth Revised edition, 1984. Daily nutrient requirements for growing bulls, twoyear old bulls, and mature bulls are listed in tables 1 and 2. They can serve as guidelines to determine if dietary needs are being met. Rations can be developed to meet the nutrient requirements for the desired level of performance. You may seek the assistance of a livestock nutritionist by visiting your local county extension office. Also further information about nutrient requirements and ration balancing are found in the Oklahoma Beef Cattle Manual (third edition). This publication can be ordered through any county extension office.
BULL CALVES Probably the most common mistake made in purchasing young, weaning age bulls is failure to provide an adequate diet to continue their growth and development. Often bulls are delivered, turned out with the other bulls, and let to “rough it” until breeding time. Thus, bull development is delayed, sexual maturity is not achieved, and the resulting calf crop is less than it should have been. The first step in providing adequate nutrition is determining the desired level of performance. Typically, young bulls February 2012
have 160 days to grow from weaning to yearling age. Because of the growth potential of our current beef population, yearling bulls are heavier than 1000 pounds. Therefore, young bulls need to have gains of 2.5 pounds daily. Moderate energy diets (those with grain) are needed to attain these performance levels. For young bulls not intended for gain testing, rations should include concentrates fed (as a minimum) at about 2 percent of body weight. That is, 600-pound calves can easily consume about 10-12 pounds of grain with alfalfa hay or grass hay fed free choice. This will require 18 pounds of total dry matter or about 20 pounds of air dry feed per day. This will help promote rapid growth without excessive fattening. Be certain to start the grain feeding gradually. As the bulls increase in size, the amount of grain must increase to maintain the 2 percent of body weight level unless it is obvious that they need more high-energy feed. At this age, the bulls should be growing rapidly, so they need to have 12-13 percent total protein in their diet. Depending on the kind and quality of the roughage and the grain being fed, this will probably require that a protein supplement be included in the grain mix. Young bulls may require 16 to 20% protein in the grain mix. Mature bulls require lower concentrations of protein in the diet. However, rumen function may be impaired if the diet does not contain at least 10.5% protein. This is the reason that supplemental protein is still
desirable for mature bulls grazing low quality grasses or hays. One way to manage the feed for young bulls is to offer a high quality grass hay free choice and a concentrate fed at a rate of about 2% of body weight. An example ration for young bulls would be the following: 44% grass hay (the hay is offered free choice) 43% cracked corn 11% soybean meal 0.9% limestone (calcium carbonate) .35% salt .0122% vitamin A-30000 The grain mix could be ground and mixed separately. It should be fed at the rate of 2 pounds per 100 pounds of bull body weight. To mix a one ton batch of the grain portion of the diet, the amounts of ingredients per ton would be as follows: 1566 lbs corn 392 lbs soybean meal (44%) 29 lbs limestone 11.5 lbs salt 0.5 lbs vitamin A-30000 If smaller amounts of the grain mix are to be fed to young growing bulls, the protein and calcium content must be increased to meet the needs of these rapidly growing animals. Seek assistance from your local extension office. Remember to start the grain feeding program gradually and bring bulls up to the desired intake over at least a two-week warm-up period. If the producer wishes to use high
35
quality alfalfa (19% crude protein), then the concentrate portion of the ration only needs to be grain and can be provided as 1 part grain and 2 parts alfalfa hay on an as fed basis. These “dry lot” rations should produce at least 2.5 to 3 pounds a day gain for large frame bull calves. High quality small grain pastures, such as rye and ryegrass combination pastures, are used to produce similar rates of gain. These are often the pastures used in forage-based gain tests and provide enough energy and protein to achieve average daily gains at about 2.5 pounds per day. The yearling bulls come off the test at about 1000 pounds and in a body condition score of 6. If individual producers
Bulls should also follow similar nutritional diets from the approximate 60 to 120 days from yearling age until breeding time. All bulls should be gaining weight and maintaining moderate condition during this time. Study the Body Condition Scoring System used for cows (Oklahoma Beef Cattle Manual). The system uses “1” for emaciated animals and “9” for very obese animals. Therefore, “6” is an optimum body condition score for young bulls. Perhaps the best way to verbally describe the ideal condition is bloomy but not fat. A young bull will use body stores of energy and lose over 100 pounds during the breeding season. This should come from energy stored as fat (condi-
One of most critical factors for proper bull development is exercise. Bulls are by nature very active and become more so as the weather warms prior to the breeding season. If given ample area in bull pastures, bulls will usually exercise themselves. choose this method to grow young bulls, they should not forget to supply appropriate mineral mixes to bulls on these lush pastures. Often the critical mineral needs for cattle on small grains are calcium and magnesium, minerals that wheat pasture stocker cattle need to avoid grass tetany.
YEARLING BULLS Yearling bulls should be well-grown but not too fat. The energy content of a ration should be reduced if bulls are getting too fat. Fat bulls may fatigue rapidly, contributing to fewer cows conceiving. For a yearling bull to be used successfully, he should have reached puberty 3 to 4 months before breeding time. The age of a bull at puberty depends on several interrelated factors, but size or weight and breed are probably the controlling factors. The production of semen by a young bull largely depends on his overall growth as well as the development of his testicles and other reproductive organs. The size of testicles and volume of semen produced are positively correlated.
36
tion) rather than muscle tissue since the bull is still growing. Excessive rapid condition loss lowers the bull’s fertility and libido and should be avoided.
HIGHLY FITTED BULLS Research at Kansas State University has illustrated that young “gain-tested” bulls have normal fertility and libido when allowed to return gradually to moderate fleshiness and hearty physical condition before the breeding season. In fact, many performance-tested bulls are returned to the owner’s ranch after the gain test in order that they be allowed to be properly conditioned before the sale date. Test station sales usually offer bulls that completed their gain tests about 6 months previously. Any rancher that purchases a young, highly fitted or conditioned bull should plan to gradually reduce the fleshiness of the bull before the breeding season. To let these bulls down, it is a good practice to start them on a ration that is not too dissimilar to the one they have been accustomed to but that is 60 to 70 percent of
their previous intake. The amount of grain can be reduced at the rate of about 10 percent per week until the desired level is achieved. At the same time, substitutions should be made in the form of light, bulky feeds—such as oats or alfalfa hay. Ideally, this letdown should be completed prior to the time bulls are turned out. Dramatic nutritional changes can have an adverse effect on semen production, so it is important that these ration modifications be done gradually. Allow the change to take place gradually instead of allowing a rapid condition and weight loss which could be reflected in a reduced calf crop next year.
TWO-YEAR-OLD BULLS These cattle should have more of their mature size by breeding season, so their ration is not quite so critical. A 1300 pound 2-year-old will probably only need to gain 1 pound per day at this stage in his life. To do this, active bulls may need 35 pounds of feed or more, of which 5 to 7 pounds should be grain. Continue to monitor the total protein content of the diet and keep the concentration of crude protein near 12%. Depending on the forage available this again may require protein supplements such as soybean meal to be included in the grain mix. Monitor the body condition of the bulls closely and make grain feeding adjustments to reach the body condition score of “6” before the breeding season begins.
OLDER BULLS For older bulls the ideal energy level during the conditioning period will depend on their body condition at the beginning of that time. If bulls have been wintered in good condition, then 5 to 7 pounds of grain may be adequate to build the desired energy reserve. If the bulls are thin, then they may need to receive 20 pounds or more of grain per head per day. Be certain to start the grain feeding gradually. Several general precautions can help insure success of concentrate feeding. Adequate feeder space for all the bulls to eat concurrently should be available. Large bulls need about two feet per bull. High energy range cubes can be fed on the ground and can eliminate the need for bunks. Make sure all the bulls have gathered at the feeding area before feeding any grain. This will help insure that each bull gets his fair share, and this will also help avoid possible problems from overeating by a few head. Amounts of up to 10 pounds per head can be fed in a single feeding. Greater quantities should be split Texas Longhorn Trails
into two equal feedings. When 10 pounds or less of concentrate is needed per bull, then a cereal grain (corn or milo) makes an adequate energy supplement. As the amount of concentrate fed per bull increases beyond this level, bulk up the feed with the addition of one part of oats, to two parts corn or milo. Wheat is not a good bull feed and should be avoided, since it can cause stiffness and founder. Adequate levels of vitamin A are necessary for optimum semen production. Green-growing forages are high in vitamin A value, and cattle can store this vitamin for as long as seven months. Green color of hay is a good indicator of vitamin A value. However, because of the importance and reasonable cost of vitamin A, to insure adequate levels, add a natural or synthetic source to supplemental feed or to the mineral supplement. This can also be accomplished by giving all bulls a vitamin A shot one or more times during the winter. Bulls should also have access to a free choice source of supplemental phosphorus year round. A mineral mix that contains 1/2 trace mineralized salt and 1/2 dicalcium phosphate can be provided. Adding 5% soybean meal to the mix will encourage greater consumptions. Good bulls represent a substantial investment and are critical to the success of a breeding program. Proper care prior to the breeding season will help insure fertile, active bulls during that time.
BULL MANAGEMENT BEFORE THE BREEDING SEASON To better understand nutritional need in proper bull management, the bull’s year can be divided into three seasons: 1. Pre-breeding or conditioning 2 months 2. Breeding season 2-3 months 3. Post-breeding season or rest and recuperation 4-8 months While the length of each segment may vary from one operation to another, the basic requirements during the periods 1 or 2 remain basically the same. In herds with both fall and spring breeding seasons, bulls may need a high plane of nutrition to recover body condition more quickly than if they are used just once a year. At the start of the conditioning period, the bull battery should be fairly well established. A producer should have deterFebruary 2012
mined bull needs for the upcoming breeding season and then have appraised his present bull battery, in light of these needs. This evaluation should include a breeding soundness exam, which checks the reproductive capacity and physical soundness of each bull. Those bulls which prove unsatisfactory, and possibly those that are questionable, should be replaced. New bulls should be acquired at least 60 and preferably 90 days prior to the breeding season. This provides ample time for the new acquisitions to adjust to the feed and climate of an area. It also allows bulls that will be working together to become familiar with each other and to develop a social structure. Newly acquired bulls as well as the carry-overs in the bull battery should be brought up to date in a complete health program with the balance of the herd. Proper attention and care of bulls’ feet can prolong their useful life and can help insure a high rate of activity during the breeding season. After an extended period of inactivity, bull’s feet may be long and misshapen. Hoof trimming should be done at the start of the conditioning period, so there is time for some regrowth which acts as a cushion during the breeding season.
Since Vitamin A is necessary for optimum semen production, either supplement through feed or give one or more vitamin A shots during the winter.
BULL EXERCISE One of most critical factors for proper bull development is exercise. A bull during the breeding season might be equated to an athlete since in most situations he travels several miles each day and maintains a high degree of physical activity. Physical fitness requires several weeks of conditioning. Bulls are by nature very active and become more so as the weather warms prior to the breeding season. If given ample area in bull pastures, bulls will usually exercise themselves. In designing bull facilities, it is a good idea to locate supplemental feeding and water areas as far apart as possible. Bulls that are physically fit when turned out will breed more cows during the breeding season because they will retain a high degree of libido and remain sound longer as well. Exercise prior to the breeding season also reduces injuries from fighting and riding normally occurring during that time.
BULL MANAGEMENT DURING THE BREEDING SEASON BULL TO FEMALE RATIO The three major goals of any breeding season should be to: get the cows settled as early in the breeding season as possible; get them bred to the bulls with the highest possible genetic worth; and achieve both as economically as possible, by getting the cows bred with the fewest possible bulls. Defining the optimum bull to female ratio is important to a successful breeding season. However, no one ratio is optimal for all ranches or small herd operations. The number of bulls required to adequately cover the breeding females is related to many factors, some of which are listed below.
FACTORS INFLUENCING BULL TO FEMALE RATIO: Distribution of the breeding females Terrain Water availability Carrying capacity— feed intensity Pasture adaptation Pasture size Bull variation Age Condition Mating ability Libido Fertility Sperm reserve Social behavior Injury Management decisions Length of breeding season Reproductive diseases Breeding intensity Amount of observation Most of these factors must be considered to define the optimum bull to female
37
ratio. The following graph illustrates how difficult it is for producers to know what the optimum cow:bull ratio should be. This study, conducted in Colorado, shows the percentage of synchronized females that bulls impregnated when given the opportunity to breed 7 to 51 synchronized females. Notice that some bulls had a poor percentage pregnant even when exposed to small numbers of females and some bulls had a high percentage pregnant even though they were running with 30 or more synchronized females.
rates for bull to female ratios of 1:25 and 1:50. This research was conducted with multi-sire breeding pastures. All of the bulls were experienced bulls that had previously passed a breeding soundness examination. Bull overlap can be decreased by eliminating bull congregation within breeding pastures. This can be achieved by dividing the breeding herd into separate pastures or by using pastures that have natural barriers that reduce mixing of breeding groups. In addition, riders can be used to keep bulls well distributed among breeding groups. These large cow to bull ratios can reduce bull costs on very large ranches with minimal risk. On a small 50 to 100 cow operation, using just one bull that happens to undergo an injury or disease could spell disaster for an entire calf crop. Recommendations for smaller herds that will utiFigure 1. Effect of number of females exhibiting estrus on the lize only one bull per paspercentage pregnant by each bull in single-sire mating of estrus ture may need to be more synchronized females. (Pexton, et al. 1990) conservative. A time honProper management during the breedored rule-of-thumb is to place about the ing season should result in each female same number of cows or heifers with a being bred by a single fertile bull each young bull as his age is in months. For intime she is in estrus. Bull overlap (more stance a bull that is 14 months old going than one bull breeding a cow in heat) is into his first breeding season should be not desirable, primarily because it does expected to breed 14 or 15 cows; whereas not enhance pregnancy rates. Disadvanas a two-year old bull may be placed with tages of bull overlap are increased risk of 20 - 25 cows. Mature bulls that have been bull injury (through competition for esexamined by a veterinarian and have trous females), additional pressure from passed a breeding soundness exam can be social dominance and the extra costs inplaced with 25 - 35 cows and normally curred by purchasing and maintaining give good results. more bulls. SOCIAL BEHAVIOR Recent research at an Eastern ColSocial ranking (dominance) of bulls orado research station, where the average can influence their sexual activity when carrying capacity is 25 acres per-animalthey are run in multiple-sire breeding pasunit-year, showed similar conception Table 3. Reproductive performance of three or four bulls exposed to a group of cows over a five-year period. Bulls Used A B C D a b
Year 1 70.4 (10)a 16.7 (4) 7.4 (3) 5.5 (2)
Age of bull in years Bulls absent from the herd
38
Percentage of Calves sired by Each Bull Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 76.0 12.2 0b (11) (12) 18.0 63.4 72.5 (5) (6) (7) 6.0 12.2 12.5 (4) (5) (6) 0b 12.2 15.0 (3) (4) (5)
Year 5 0b 25.1 (8) 62.5 (7) 12.4 (6)
tures. Probably the best example of this resulted in an Australian study. In that study, calves that were born to cows bred as a herd to the same three of four bulls over five years were blood-typed to establish their sire. The results (Table 3) showed that the oldest or second oldest bull in the group sired 60 percent or more of the calves each year, while the youngest sired 15 percent or fewer. As social ranking in bulls is largely controlled by age and seniority within groups, it is reasonable to assume these results reflect the influence of social ranking on the reproductive capabilities of the bulls. The importance of these results becomes clear when considering either the reproductive or genetic implications. If the dominant bull were sterile, or even sub-fertile, at least a portion of these cows would probably have calved late or even missed calving entirely. On the other hand, if the younger bulls were superior genetically in traits of economic importance, the total value of the calf crop produced would have been reduced. To avoid dominance problems, bulls of the same size and age should be used together. Young bulls, especially yearlings, should not be expected to compete with older bulls in the same breeding pasture.
ROTATION Rotation of bulls can be done to ease the breeding pressure on any one bull or groups of bulls. Some producers choose to synchronize the cows or heifers with products on the market for this purpose. In this case, use the best bulls first, so that the better bulls will have a chance to breed a large number of cows while the herd is still concentrated. This will maximize the input of these superior bulls on the entire calf crop and especially in the heifer group that will be candidates for replacements. Use poorer quality bulls for “clean-up� bulls. Rotating bulls in this regard allows rested bulls to replace those that have located and serviced a large number of synchronized females in estrous during the first 2 weeks of the breeding season. Much has been written about rotating bulls during the normal non-synchronized breeding seasons. Some producers turn their older bulls out early in the breeding season, then follow up with the young bulls late in the season. In this way, the youngsters get some use, but they are not left out long enough to cause any longterm setback. If only young bulls are in the bull battery, then rotating them at a minimum of two weeks, will allow for optimum reproductive performance and not allow Texas Longhorn Trails
young bulls to become too fatigued and lose condition too rapidly. If pasture and management capabilities allow, rotating young bulls once per week should slightly improve reproductive performance, because depleted sperm stores would be replaced with rested bulls before any decrease in fertility should be occurring. Each producer will need to develop a bull management plan that works best for his or her operation. That plan, if it is to be successful, will need to be flexible to adjust for problems as they arise.
BULL OBSERVATION A good manager keeps an eye on his bulls during the breeding season to make sure that they are getting the cows bred. Injuries to bulls during the breeding season are relatively common. When a bull does become lame or incapable of breeding, because of an injury to his reproductive tract, he needs to be removed from the breeding pasture and replaced by another bull. Occasionally, a bull that has passed a breeding soundness exam may have difficulty serving cows in heat, especially after heavy service. Inability to complete normal service and low fertility are more detrimental than failure to detect cows in heat to calf crop percent. Such problems can best be detected by observing bulls while they work. Likewise, a small proportion of bulls can wear out from heavy service and lose interest. These, too, will need to be replaced. The greater the number of cows allotted to each bull in the breeding pasture the more critical it is that every bull be ready to work every day of the breeding season.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT Good managers do everything possible to facilitate a bull’s job. Occasionally, cattle are moved long distances during the breeding season, such as driving cows to a rented pasture. Bulls will arrive in better shape if they are hauled in a truck or trailer instead of being expected to travel with the cow herd. Not only will they be less tired, but their feet should stay in better shape.
BULL MANAGEMENT AFTER THE BREEDING SEASON After the breeding season, bulls become a necessary evil or unwelcome visitor. Many producers might like to forget about them for the balance of the year February 2012
and some almost do. While it is true that bulls during the post-breeding season don’t require much management, adequate planning and care can help insure that bulls’ costs will be kept within reason and that bulls will be ready to go again the next time they are needed. In most spring calving herds, the breeding season will commence in the spring or early summer and extend for two to three months. If a 60-day prebreeding conditioning period is allowed, this leaves a post-breeding season of about seven months, usually coming in the fall and winter. Goals for this period are basically as follows: Keep feed costs at a practical minimum; keep the bulls in moderate condition; minimize chance of injuries; and allow growth of young bulls.
POST-BREEDING APPRAISAL As bulls come out of the breeding pasture, one of the first steps should be to appraise the bull battery and sort them three ways. The largest group should be the mature bulls in good condition that won’t require any special care. Perhaps the most important group is the young bulls that are still growing and need higher quality feed during the winter. Bulls that are extremely thin or need special care for other reasons can be placed in this group as well. The last group is for old or crippled bulls that have completed their productive life and are to be marketed. All bulls should have access at all times to a high-quality mineral mix. Phosphorus is a critical mineral for successful reproduction and is not present in adequate amounts in dry or harvested forage. A good source of supplemental phosphorus is dicalcium phosphate. This can be mixed with trace mineral salt in equal parts or two parts salt to one part mineral. Vitamin A nutrition also is important to the resting bull. Natural sources are green, growing plants or high-quality hay with good green color. Supplemental vitamin A can be added to the mineral mix or fed with a supplement. It can also be administered in the form of an intramuscular injection once or twice during the winter, although the oral supplement is cheaper. Mature bulls in good condition can exist very well on an essentially allroughage diet. While the amount will vary some with the size of the cattle, a good rule to remember is about 2 percent of their body weight in dry feed per day. Protein needs will parallel closely those of a dry pregnant mature cow in the middlethird of gestation, so it can be supplemented as needed.
YEARLINGS Yearlings should be left with the cow herd for 60 days or less. Beyond that time, their condition will fall off to such a degree that it may have long-range effects upon their growth. After removal from the cow herd, yearlings should be kept separate from the older bulls at least through their second winter. Yearlings should be placed on the best available roughage, such as regrowth from hay fields or high quality hay. Their supplemental feeding regime can be equated to the program for bred-yearling heifers. These cattle still are growing rapidly, in addition to replacing all the condition they lost in the breeding pasture. Extra care and feed of yearling bulls after the breeding season will result in stronger, more attractive mature bulls with a much higher salvage value.
SALVAGE BULLS Often, bulls that have completed their productive life because of age or injury can be marketed to advantage after a brief period on a high-energy feed program. Bulls will vary greatly in condition at the end of the breeding season, depending upon the number of cows per bull, the length of the breeding season, and the quality of the feed available. However, most bulls will gain very rapidly and efficiently after the breeding season if they are provided with the necessary nutritional level. These bulls should be placed on excellent pasture or free-choice hay of high quality and then fed a full feed of the concentrate feed that provides the most economical energy source (usually a cereal grain). Concentrates can be fed at the rate of 20 to 25 pounds per head per day, although when fed at this level the concentrate should be split into two equal feedings. Start the bulls slowly and gradually increase the grain level to avoid digestive disturbances. At this nutritional level, bulls can be expected to gain between 3 and 5 pounds a day for at least 60 days. Mature cattle also make excellent use of silage, if that feed is available.
BULL PASTURES It is a good idea to have a bull pasture that is somewhat isolated. Bulls kept away from cows will remain quieter and will fight less. A pasture with adequate area also will encourage exercise and will reduce confrontations between bulls. One additional consideration is to make sure that bulls have ample protec-
39
tion from the extreme weather stress. Spring blizzards can cause frost bite of bulls’ scrotums, affecting the normal function of the testes and epididymis. Since development and maturation of sperm takes about 60 days, stress in February, March, and April can cause poor semen quality in April, May, or June.
than the small difference in labor that may result from feeding a few cows with bulls instead of feeding all of the cows together. At the start of the breeding season, all of the cows and bulls are run together in the normal fashion. If the producer routinely has an A.I. program, “gomer” (surgically altered bulls, normally used for heat detection during the breeding season) could be placed in the pasture where all the cows that have calved are held. This then should have a positive impact on the entire herd. An example scenario where natural mating is used might include the followBull exposure (to the cows and ing data on a “typical” spring calving seaheifers) after calving can be a manageson. The first calf is born on February 10. ment tool to aid producers in shortening About 2/3 of the calves arrive by March 20 the next calving season. Bull exposure is and the last calf arrives on April 25. The defined as co-mingling of cows or heifers breeding season for next year’s calf crop with bulls shortly after calving and before will begin on May 1 and conclude on July the cows have returned to normal heat cy15. Cows that calve on or after April. 1 cles. The presence of the intact (non-caswould be placed in the bull pasture with trated) male has been known for years to their baby calves as soon as the calf and hasten the onset of puberty in swine. Remother are in strong enough health to the cent research at the University of Neleave the maternity pen. braska has indicated that cows that are Several words of caution must be exexposed to vasectomized bulls from the pressed. The positive impact of bull expotime of calving until the start of the breedsure after calving is NOT an excuse for ing season return to heat 11 days (1991 year-long breeding and calving seasons. study) to 20 days (1983 study) sooner Controlled, short breeding and calving than counterparts that are separated from seasons are the goals of utilizing this inbulls until the traditional start of the formation. Do not turn cows with bulls breeding season. Apparently, there is no more than 30 days prior to normal breeddifference in the response of the cows due ing season. Some cows will cycle early, to the age of the bull. Cows exposed to breed too early, and therefore have a calf yearling bulls were compared to cows exmuch ahead of the rest of the cowherd. posed to mature bulls and to nonThis is especially likely to occur with exposed cows in the study reported fall-calving cows that are in very good in 1991. Approximately 150 cows body condition. Bull exposure will were used in each treatment group. be most effective with healthy cows Cows exposed to vasectomized yearthat are in a “good” body condition ling bulls returned to estrus in an avat the time of calving and are allowed erage of 61.8 days, cows exposed to to maintain that condition into and mature bulls acted similarly (59.5 through the breeding season. This is days). Postpartum intervals to the a tool that will have only a small imreturn of heat were considerably pact on weaning weights and reprolonger in the cows not exposed to ductive rates, but the out-of-pocket bulls at 72.3 days after calving. Figcost is little or nothing, and therefore ure 2 graphically illustrates the difshould produce a relatively high references in the percentage of cows turn on investment. Figure 2. Percentage of cows initiating estrous cycles after returning to heat in the first 4 1/2 calving. months following calving. The per-
BULL EXPOSURE AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL
centage of cows returning to estrus in the group not exposed (NBE) to bulls lags behind the groups exposed to yearling (YBE) or mature (MBE) bulls. How best to utilize this research information is the challenge of the commercial cow-calf producer. There are several important economic factors that should be involved with any decision to utilize the concept of “bull exposure.” (1) Creating and maintaining surgically altered or vasectomized bulls can be expensive. (2) The early-calving cows will generally return to estrus by the time the normal breeding season begins without the added influence of the “bull exposure.” (3) The late-calving cows are those that most producers would like to “moveup” into the heart of the calving season. Therefore, a plan to best utilize this information would be to place only the latecalving cows (for instance, the last one-third) into the “normal” bull pasture until the start of the normal breeding season. This would take advantage of the positive impact of bull exposure on those cows that would most benefit from the shortened postpartum interval. No extra surgically altered bulls would be necessary to maintain. These late calving cows will not return to estrus until well into the normal breeding season, so there is no danger of extremely early calves from this group. However, they should move up one week to 10 days (on the average) for the next year’s calving season. No additional feed costs have been incurred other
References Cupp, A., M. Roberson, T. Stumpf, M. Wolfe, L. Werth, N. Kojima, R. Kittok, and J. Kinder. 1991. Exposure to bulls of different ages on duration of postpartum anestrus in beef cows. Beef Cattle Report. MP 56:5. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Krysl, L., and R. Torell. Bull Management Before the Breeding Season. Cattle Producers Library. CL-435. Linton, A. Bull Management after the Breeding Season. Cattle Producers Library. CL-437. Linton, A. Bull Management during the Breeding Season. Cattle Producers Library. CL-436. Lusby, K. S. and G. E. Selk. 1992. Oklahoma Beef Cattle Manual. (3rd Ed.) Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Stillwater, OK. National Research Council. 1984. Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle. (6th Ed. ) Washington, D. C. National Academy Press. Pexton. J. E., P. W. Farin, G. P. Rupp, and P. J. Chenoweth. 1990. Factors affecting mating activity and pregnancy rates with beef bulls mated to estrus synchronized females. Therio. 34:1059. Pruitt. R. J. 1983. Effect of Energy Intake on the Sexual Development of Yearling Bulls. Dissertation. Kansas State University, Manhattan. Sewell, H. B. and J. W. Massey. Rations for Bulls on Performance Test. UMC GUIDE. University of Missouri, Columbia.
40
Texas Longhorn Trails
Dear TLBT Members,
Spring is just around the corner, and if your herd is like ours, the pastures will soon be filled with beautiful Longhorn babies. You never know what color they are going to be and most of them are hidden which makes it fun. I love this time of year, especially when the flowers start popping up and the grass turns green. This year the 2012 TLBT World Show will not be held at the Will Rogers Memorial Complex. Instead, it will be held at the historical Fort Worth Stockyards. They are working on building wash racks and getting all of that set up for us right now. I know TLBT OFFICER that since this is going to be our first time to show at the stockyards there will be some glitches to work SPOTLIGHT out, but I hope everybody will have a great time! One of the positive aspects of having it there is that our beautiful breed of cattle will get a lot of exposure and there will probably be plenty of opportunities to promote the Longhorn breed. There will also be more opportunities for TLBT Office: spectators and passers-by to come in and watch the show. Intermediate Director Age: 10 years old Of course, we will all get to enjoy seeing the Fort Worth Herd School: Home schooled pass by twice a day. Changing venues can be somewhat of a Number of Years in the challenge, but hopefully we can focus on the positives and TLBT: 6 years recognize what a great opportunity this may be for the When and how did you start raising and showLonghorn breed. We hope to see everyone there and helping ing Texas Longhorns? I started showing Longhorns when a friend of ours sold to make this a terrific 2012 World Show! my parents some cattle for Christmas in 2005. They told See You on the Trail,
Miriam Grace Faske
us about a show coming up in Brenham. We showed a few of their Longhorns and also one of ours. We loved it.
Sarah Faske TLBT President
Find us on Facebook by searching Texas Longhorn breeders of Tomorrow or visiT our Web siTe: www.longhornyouth.org
What are some important things you have learned from showing and raising Longhorns? The most important thing I have learned from showing and raising Longhorns is responsibility. It takes a lot of responsibility and hard work to get prepared for a show. You can’t expect to get to a show without hard work. What would you tell someone just getting started in raising Texas Longhorns? I would tell that your hard work pay off when you get to the show and win. I would also tell them about all of the great people and friends there are in the breed.. What is your favorite part of raising and showing Texas Longhorns? My favorite part of raising and showing Texas Longhorns is taking care of them. I love washing, brushing and halter breaking them. I also love exhibiting them and winning!
February 2012
41
WWW.TLBAA.ORG
ECR ChRistmas CElEbRation onlinE salE DECEMBER 5-8, 2011 EL COYOTE RANCH, KINGSVILLE, TX HOSTED ON: WWW.CATTLEINMOTION.COM
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯ HIGH SELLING LOT:
$4,700
Highlights Cattle that sold averaged $1771 Volume Buyer: Hinton Brahmans/Dyess Farms, Bassfield, MS Sale Results Provided by El Coyote Ranch.
42
ECR HABANERA 232 Buyer: Bull Creek Longhorns, Fayetteville, TX
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who participated in our first online sale. Look for more from El Coyote in the future. Texas Longhorn Trails
LWR REBEL 2
NEW JR. HERD SIRE
DOB 2-22-2010
LWR SHILO x LWR SHURLEE
1
LONE WOLF RANCH Lee & Linda Ragains Sallisaw, OK
2
Photo at 20+ mo
www.lonewolfranch.net
Nov. 9, 2011
WORKING CATTLE OR CATTLE THAT WILL WORK! The easy way to work Longhorn cattle! • Can be shipped by common carrier anywhere in the U.S. • Galvanized pipe and steel sheeting • Grease inserts for easy maintenance & operation • Vaccinate or deworm cattle • Palpation gates • Measure horns • A.I. cows
1. TLBAA’s Pam Galloway with Skip and Lori Bailey, Tucson, AZ; 2. Todd Price, Argyle, TX.
r We thank these folks fo the kindly droppin’ in at TLBA A office.
We’ve got dw!hat you nee
The Official Chute of the TLBAA Horn Showcase
line video of the Check out our onon our website! chute in action
END OF TRAIL RANCH Mike or Debbie Bowman • P.O. Box 40 • Benton, KS 67017 • Home (316) 778-1717 • Work (316) 838-6194 Check out our website - www.endoftrailranch.com • mbowman@wildblue.net • wichitafence-dab@sbcglobal.net
February 2012
43
Longhorn Cage $2,225
Paul Warford
work-your-cows.com Aubrey & Marva Herring • (918) 653-3647 • Heavener, OK
www.BlueMountainLonghorns.com
918-507-2222 paul@pccattlepens.com
Don’t miss the complete wrap-up of the Texas Longhorn Weekend in the March issue of Trails Magazine! 44
Texas Longhorn Trails
2012 Millennium Futurity May 18 – 19, 2012 – Glen Rose, Texas GUIDELINE FOR ENTRIES: 1. All cattle must be futurity eligible. 2. All cattle must be TLBAA or ITLA registered. 3. All entries must be paid in full by the due date. 4. No change or substitutions of cattle once entered. 5. Cattle blood tested on a random basis. 6. A non-refundable fee of $250.00 must accompany all protests. 7. Decisions of the judges will be final. 8. The Millennium Futurity Partners are not responsible for accidents to any persons or animals while at the event. 9. Anyone who is proven to have cheated on genetics or age will be banned for life from the Millennium Futurity or any of its events. ********************************* The total amount of the entry fee is $300.00. A nomination fee of $150.00 is due on or before February 15, 2012. A final payment of $150.00 is due on or before April 15, 2012. For animals nominated after February 15, 2012, a late fee of $100 will be applied. Absolutely no entries will be accepted after April 15, 2012.
Millennium Futurity 2012 Classes 14 Divisions BULLS Class 1 ……….……… Oct. 1, 2011 – Dec. 31, 2011 Class 2……………… July 1, 2011 – Sept. 30, 2011 Class 3……………….April 1, 2011 – June 30, 2011 Class 4…………………Jan 1, 2010 – Mar. 31, 2011 Class 5……………….Sept. 1, 2010 – Dec. 31, 2010 Class 6……………….May 1, 2010 – Aug. 31, 2010 Class 7……………….Jan. 1, 2010 – April 30, 2010 HEIFERS Class 8 ………….…… Oct. 1, 2011 – Dec. 31, 2011 Class 9 …………..… July 1, 2011 – Sept. 30, 2011 Class 10 …………….. April 1, 2011 – June 30, 2011 Class 11 ………..…… Jan. 1, 2011 – Mar. 31, 2011 Class 12 ………..…… Sept. 1, 2010 – Dec. 31, 2010 Class 13 ………….... May 1, 2010 – Aug. 31, 2010 Class 14 ………………Jan 1, 2010 – April 30, 2010
ENTRY FORM Name ______________________________ D.O.B. ______________ Reg. No. _______ Name of Sire ________________________ Sire Reg. No. ________________________ Name of Dam ________________________ Dam Reg. No. _______________________ Sex of Animal _______________________ Name of Owner______________________ Address ____________________________ ____________________________________ Breeder _____________________________ th
Mail to: Bill Davidson, 1117 East 16 Street, Chandler, OK 74834 (Please remit copy of papers)
Contact Information: Telephone # ________________________________ and/or E-Mail address ____________________________________________________
Futurity Manager – Bill Davidson
th
1117 E. 16 Street – Chandler, OK 74834 – 405-258-7117 Cell mlflonghorn@sbcglobal.net
Join Us! We’re Growing Fast! a small group of concerned cattlemen banded together to preserve the unique heritage of Texas Longhorn cattle. With this goal, they established the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America (TLBAA) to maintain the breed registry and to promote the magnificent breed to as many persons as possible.
In 1964,
the purposes of the TLBAA remain the same. In addition, the Association has expanded its membership services as the number of Texas Longhorn enthusiasts has increased to an all-time high.
Today,
The Advantages of Membership Include: ★ State of the art Registration Department to maintain four ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
decades of herd registry. Active, dedicated officers and directors. Dedicated and knowledgeable staff. Network of national and international affiliates. Active youth organization – the Texas Longhorn Breeders of Tomorrow (TLBT). Youth Show Circuit and Youth Hall of Fame. Strong World Qualifying Show Circuit and a World Exposition. Hall of Fame. Canadian show circuit for breeders in the North. Weekly Internet newsletter, E-Trails. Breed Advisory Committee of dedicated animal scientists. Horn Showcase for official horn measurements. Active Foundation Board to preserve the history of our association and the Longhorn breed. Yearly subscription to Texas Longhorn Trails monthy magazine.
★ Educational Web site. ★ Sales Management Division with cattle sales available to the membership.
★ Riding steer group – another unique use for the Texas Longhorn. Educational breed seminars. Group field days. Futurities. Commercial breeding programs. A.I. Certified Sires. Dam of Merit program. Member of state and national cattle organizations. Exclusive computer software program to keep your herd updated. ★ Advertising campaigns in world circulated publications. ★ Mail-in voting for regional directors.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
THE GREATEST BREED OF CATTLE IN THE WORLD AND THE BEST GROUP OF PEOPLE ANYWHERE! Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America P.O. Box 4430 Fort Worth, TX 76164 817/625-6241 • Fax 817/625-1388 www.tlbaa.org
TLBAA Membership Application
MEMBERSHIP NUMBER _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
Please draw your brand inside the box exactly as you wish to be recorded.
Reading of Brand _______________________
Name:______________________________________________________ Other Name: ________________________________________________
New Active Member*
100.00/yr
Address: ___________________________________________________
Renewal Active Member
100.00/yr
City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________ Home Phone: (
)______________Office Phone: (
)______________
Ranch Phone: (
)______________Fax Number: (
)______________
LATE ACTIVE MEMBER RENEWAL (After Aug. 31)
1000.00
Lifetime Member Website Address: ____________________________________________ Email Address: ______________________________________________ PAYMENT OPTIONS:
VISA
DISCOVER
MC
Check or Money Ord.
125.00
New/Renewal Junior Member (18yr. & Under) **
25.00
New/Renewal Outrider (Associate Member) (pays Non-Member rates for animal work)
75.00
Monthly Breed Publication (Texas Longhorn Trails)
60.00
Card No.:___________________________________________________ Expiration: ________________ CID# ( 3-digit code on back) ____________ Referred by:_________________________________________________
**Junior Member Birthday ___/___/___
SS# ________________________
All dues must be paid by U.S. Funds.
* New Active Membership includes New Member Welcome Package and subscription to the Texas Longhorn Trails monthly publication. Texas Longhorn Trails subscription ONLY rate is $60 US address or $75 (US) foreign address. TLBAA Membership dues may be deducted as an ordinary and necessary business expense; however they are not deductible as a charitable contribution.
46
Texas Longhorn Trails
Mountain and Plains Texas Longhorn Association Betty Civis, President • (719) 336-5117 • civisauctions@cminet.net The new year has started well here in Colorado. We’ve had some good snow. I’ll be reporting on the NWSS in Denver next month. Hope you all had a blessed Christmas and New Year. Happy Trails.
TENNESSEE VALLEY ASSOCIATION OF LONGHORN BREEDERS Jody Shaw, President • jodyshaw@peoplepc.com • (931) 363-6015 The Tennessee Valley Association held a meeting and Christmas party December 17th at Fourwind Cattle Company. Twenty-two people attended the event. We discussed not being able to have a show and the lack of participation due to the economy. This year, however, has brought some changes with the Southeastern Winchester Futurity that we will be held Saturday, February 11th at Huntsville, Alabama. Terry King presented the format during the gathering. We are very excited about the futurity being held in our area, and the club decided to sponsor two of the classes. We are hoping that everyone on the East Coast and Southeast will get involved. We are in the process of revamping the web site, and it should be functional by February. Be sure to check it out at: www.tvalonghorns.com. New officers were elected: President: Jody Shaw; Vice President: Jerry Loveday; Sec./Tres. - Larry Bischoff; 1 term directors: Mike Ford, Calvin Deemer and Bill Wick; 2 term directors: Danny Guffy, Roger Townsend and Lori Beeson. Have a great New Year, and we hope to see you around Longhorn events.
48
Texas Longhorn Trails
NEWS On the Trail... Humane Castrator for Newborn Livestock Introduced
The U.S. company known for inventing the premiere high-tension banding castration tool on the market is now introducing a lighter, sleeker version designed to bring the same humane, user-friendly technique to newborn calves, sheep and goats. No-Bull Enterprises is unveiling the next generation of innovation in bloodless castration with the Callicrate ‘WEE’ Bander™, an instrument crafted from surgical quality, corrosion resistant stainless steel. It is designed to insure proper ligation with every application - the key to effective humane castration and a signature feature of the Callicrate Bander® which has been manufactured and distributed worldwide since 1991 with more than 50,000 units sold. Achieving adequate tightness is the single most essential component in reducing stress during banding, according to animal welfare experts like Colorado State University animal science professor Temple Grandin. “Previously, the only banding option available for the smaller animals was the green elastrator ring,” says inventor Mike Callicrate, owner of No Bull Enterprises, based in St. Francis, Kansas. “We used the same simple technology, but combined it with a means of attaining proper tension, resulting in a complete ligation. In replacing the elastrator rings, which lack sufficient tension and are considered the most stressful method of castrating young animals, the ‘WEE’ Bander™ also provides an alternative to castration with a knife, which is probably the second most stressful method you can use.” Studies of high tension banding have demonstrated that the complete negation of blood flow triggers a natural analgesic effect that blocks pain while minimizing swelling and related complications. “While in New Zealand testing our high tension banding technology, I castrated a set of lambs with veterinarian John Southworth,” Callicrate says. “All of the lambs receiving the elastrator rings showed extreme discomfort,” Callicrate continues. “They were rolling around bleating and kicking. The lambs with the high-tension Callicrate bands, both newborn and larger in size, were comfortable and back suckling their mothers right away. We checked on the lambs frequently. The lambs with elastrator rings were still showing signs of pain 24 hours later. The hightension banded lambs were lying around comfortably and nursing, similar to what we would expect to see based on our results with cattle.” Those findings are consistent with research at the University of California-Davis, which showed high tension banding generated a more localized immune response with no discernable depression in appetite or rate of gain when used on young bulls. “The stress of using an elastrator ring, which lacks sufficient tension to block pain, doesn’t meet the public’s heightened standards for humane animal treatment,” Callicrate says. By insuring proper application of the band, the Callicrate ‘WEE’ Bander™ measures up to the increasingly rigorous worldwide emphasis on animal care and well-being. Not only is the Callicrate method for high-tension banding the most stress-free castration method for the animal, it’s also easiest for the person performing the operation. With the Callicrate Bander®, band application is mechanically assisted to insure consistent results every time. The ‘WEE’ Bander™ is even lighter weight, just as fast, effective and bloodless, but requires no manual cutting or crimping of the rubber loop. The process works like this: the operator loads a rubber loop on a triangular nosepiece at the front of the applicator and places it around the testicles of the newborn calf, lamb or goat. Once both testicles are within the loop, the operator simply releases a small thumb tab to secure the band firmly in place. The process of tightening the band around the testicles to reach proper compression is very quick and simple and requires no cutting of the banding material. “The bands are specially formulated to withstand and maintain the high tension needed for consistent results,” Callicrate says. “The correct formulation and curing of the rubber gives it the elasticity, strength and memory for fail-proof application.” Like the Callicrate Bander®, the Callicrate ‘WEE’ Bander™ is made in the USA using the highest quality materials. It is essentially maintenance free. Five loops are included with each ‘WEE’ Bander. Additional loops can be purchased in bags of 25 or 100. For more information, visit www.callicratebanders.com or call 1-800-858-5974
February 2012
New Addition To The Clark Family
Chris & Christisna Clark of Taft, Texas welcomed Strait Allen Clark on December 3, 2011. He weighed 7.6 lbs. He measured 21 inches long. Strait is a welcome addition to the Clark family that includes Chris’ brother Patrick and wife Cody Clark and their daughters Kynlee and Kaydnz, and we congratulate the proud parents & family.
WE WANT YOUR NEWS! If you or someone you know in the Longhorn world has something to share, please send it to laura@tlbaa.org to be included in News on the Trail.
49
TLBAA Breed Advisory Committee’s
February - Herd Management Guide Spring Calving: 1. As females near parturition and lactation, nutrient requirement for energy, protein, minerals and vitamins increase substantially. Two-thirds of fetal growth occurs during the last three months of gestation. Prepartum nutrition of females has been shown to also influence colostrum (first milk) production, subsequent calf viability and liveability, weaning weights and percent of calves actually weaned. During the last 30-60 days of gestation, it is recommended that females consume 1.8 -2.0 pounds of total protein daily from grass and supplemental feeds to insure adequate fetal development and first milk production. 2. During the first 3-4 months of lactation, a 1000 pound cow with average milking ability (producing 10 pounds of milk daily) requires 11.5 pounds of energy, 2 pounds of
Longhorn Working Chute Designed for Longhorn Cattle but will work most anything that will not fit into the regular working chute.
Simple and easy to operate. Excellent for AI, embryo transfers, pulling blood, vaccination and much more. This chute is designed with horns in mind. These working chutes are rapidly becoming very popular throughout the Longhorn industry. L ONGHORNS S INCE 1978.
R 2, Box 5 • Bazine, KS 67516 (785) 398-2311
Super Bowl Sittin’ Bull
Coach Air Force One
Mountain Home, Texas
1-800-YO RANCH charlie4@yoranch.com Proud member of the TLBAA and TLMA
50
protein, 0.06 pounds of calcium, 0.05 pounds of phosphorus and 36,000 international units of vitamin A per day. Warm season pasture grasses are dormant until midApril and provide most of the energy needs, but limited protein, phosphorus and Vitamin A. Sufficient nutrients must be supplied to the lactating females in the form of protein and/or energy supplements, as well as mineral and vitamin mixes to meet their nutrient requirements. If pasture grass is plentiful, but dormant and poor in quality during this time of year, then protein is generally your first concern. A 1000 pound cow in good body condition with average milking ability should generally be fed at least 1.5 pounds of crude protein (CP) from a protein supplement, depending upon the protein value and availability of the dormant pasture grass. Feeding 3-4 pounds of a 40 percent CP supplement, 4-6 pounds of a 30 percent CP supplement or 6-8 pounds of a 20 percent CP supplement per head per day should be adequate to meet most protein and energy needs. Choice of appropriate supplement (20 percent CP, 30 percent CP or 40 percent CP) should be based upon the cheapest source of protein. Price per pound of protein may be determined by dividing the cost per pound of protein supplement by the percentage of crude protein in the supplement. A source of salt, as well as a good commercial calcium:phosphorus mineral mix with added Vitamin A should be available on a free choice basis. If your cows are thin in body condition, then feeding supplemental hay plus higher levels of a low crude protein, high energy range cube (20 percent crude protein) will provide increased intake of vital nutrients. If pasture grass is limited due to overgrazing or poor rainfall during summer, then energy is your first concern. Feeding a medium (8-10 percent crude protein) hay free choice plus 2-3 pounds of a 20 percent CP supplement daily or approximately 15-20 pounds of a high quality (15-17 percent crude protein) hay per head per day will provide an excellent source of energy and protein for the females. If winter pasture is available, then the females should not need additional energy or protein supplementation. 3. Even though Texas Longhorns are known for calving ease, difficult births may arise. Check first calf heifers (due to calve) and
pregnant cows daily for possibility of calving difficulties. Once fetal membranes (water sac) have been expelled and ruptured, assistance should be provided if calf delivery has not occurred within 30-60 minutes. 4. Colostrum consumption during the early hours of a calf’s life is essential for passive absorption of important antibodies needed for protection from disease. Absorption of antibodies found in colostrum ceases after 24 hours after birth; therefore, a newborn calf should receive at least 2 quarts (5-6 percent of birth weight) in first milk within the first 6 hours to insure adequate antibody protection. Commercial sources of colostrum may be purchased or the first milk from other cows may be frozen for later use. Many females, especially first calf heifers, do not produce sufficient colostrum and there is no way of knowing how much the calf has nursed. Baby calf scours are typically the result of inadequate consumption of colostrum during the early hours of a calf’s life. Clean calving areas and proper attention to the newborn may reduce exposure to disease organisms and reduce incidence of scouring problems. 5. Dip navels of newborn calves in a 7 percent tincture of iodine solution when you happen to be there shortly after birth as a preventive measure of navel ill problems. 6. At 12-14 months of age, vaccinate replacement heifers with intramuscular IBR/BVD (modified live virus), a 7-way Clostridial booster, 5-way Leptospirosis, and vibrosis at least 60 days before breeding. Consult a local veterinarian on vaccine types and other vaccinations recommended in your area. Deworming is recommended prior to spring grass. 7. Evaluate the growth of your yearling heifers as well as first calf females. The goal should be to have your yearling heifers weigh 65 percent of their mature weight by first breeding (14-15 months of age) and have a weight of 85 percent of their mature weight, including the weight of the fetus, prior to calving at 23-25 months of age. Fall Calving: 1. Continue supplemental feeding program until good spring grass is available and calves are weaned. Lactating cows grazing dormant range grass require approximately 3-4 pounds of a 40 percent range cube or 6-8 pounds of a 20 percent range cube daily to meet their protein requirement. If winter pasture is available, forage intake should be sufficient to meet nutrient requirements of lactating females. 2. Remove bulls after a 90 day breeding season. A February 20 breeding date will result in December 1 calves. For a fall calving program, September, October and November calves are most desirable. 3. Consider limited creep feeding (16 percent crude protein) for calves nursing older cows, first calf heifers or any calves needing additional nutrition. Texas Longhorn Trails
GET PAST STICKER SHOCK FOR GOOD DECISIONS by: Dr. Jane Parish Ext. Beef Cattle Specialist Miss. State University High prices are all around as cattle producers search for production inputs. Many producers experience "sticker shock" as they react to these prices. A common reaction is to avoid purchasing outwardly expensive items even if the result is that production output suffers. So when is passing on a purchase justified, and when should cattle producers bite the bullet and make a seemingly sizeable investment?
Sticker Shock Examples Here are just a few scenarios of sticker shock in beef cattle production. 1) The herd sire purchase Bull seems expensive...producer passes on quality bull for cheaper bull...cheaper bull has lower genetic merit...bull produces lower value calves and lower genetic merit herd replacements...income is reduced by more than what it would have cost to get the better bull in the first place...lower genetic merit replacements by the cheap bull calve...income is further reduced...now producer has even less money for purchases 2) The feed purchase Feed seems expensive...producers buy lower quality and less feed...cows get thin, heifers cycle late, calves weight light...more calving difficulty with thin females ...cows and heifers breed late or not at all...thin cattle more likely to get sick...fewer pounds of cattle to market...income is reduced...producer eventually has to purchase more and better feed to get remaining cattle back into shape but production targets may still be compromised 3) The seed purchase Improved forage seed seems expensive...producers opt out of renovating pasture...forage yields, quality, and grazing animal performance suffer...producer sees neighbor with productive forage stands of improved forage...producer finally adopts this technology with the same or higher investment that would have been paid last year but has missed out on a year of its benefits. February 2012
Evaluate with Partial Budgeting Partial budgeting is a handy exercise that compares net returns (profit) between making or not making a particular change in the beef cattle operation. For example, deciding whether or not to artificially inseminate a group of cattle could be evaluated for its effect on profit by using a partial budget. A partial budget consists of four sections: increased returns, decreased costs, decreased returns, and increased costs. Increases in values in the first two sections improve profit, whereas increased in the latter two sections decrease profit. Most management changes will affect all four of these categories in the partial budget but to varying degrees. The sum of all these effects is the bottom line change to profit and the economic basis for accepting or rejecting the proposed change to the operation. Items that cause sticker shock are input purchases. Purchases raise the increased costs section of the partial budget. For illustration, if fertilizer is purchased, then this expenditure increases costs. Sticker shock items may, however, replace or lessen another purchase and so also improve the decreased costs section of the budget. If fertilizer is purchased, then less hay and supplemental feed may need to be purchased, thereby decreasing these costs. Thirdly, sticker shock items may affect returns in one or more ways. If fertilizer is purchased, then more and higher quality forage will likely be produced. This can lead to higher reproductive performance of breeding cattle consuming this forage and ultimately produce more calves to market later, thus increasing returns. The same use of fertilIzer may improve growth performance of existing calves and result in more pounds per calf to market, also affecting returns. Of course, if more cattle are pregnant because of the fertilizer purchase, then fewer may be culled, and returns from cull sales would then be lower. The list of effects of a fertilizer purchase could go on, and all of these effects need to be included in the
partial budget to make the best possible decision. With partial budgeting, producers can truly evaluate the profitabilIty of purchases that cause heartburn when looking at the price tag. This objective approach takes the emotional bias associated with sticker shock out of the equation. Then producers can make decisions on input purchases based on business sense.
Consider Other Impacts on Finances Additional expenditures make managing cash flow and borrowing even more critical. With more money going in and out of the operation, having enough available funds to cover current bills at any given point in time can be affected. In addition, purchases of sticker shock items may impact the timing of other costs and returns in the operation, also affecting cash flow. Going back to the fertilizer example, fewer cull cows now vs. more pounds of calf now and later changes the timing of returns to the cattle operation. Likewise, more costs now with the fertilizer purchase itself may lessen other nutrition-related costs at a later time. So, even decisions determined to be potential profitable using the partial budgeting approach must also be acceptable in terms of cash flow in and out of the cattle operation.
Sticker Shock Can Change In the current market environment, input prices can move drastically in short time spans. For instance, prices for a particular commodity feedstuff can move $20 per ton or more in as little as one week. Seasonal highs and lows are difficult to predict, and today's sticker shockinducing price could be tomorrow's bargin. Producers must gather information and be prepared to make reasonable and timely purchasing decisions even with future price uncertainty. For more information about beef cattle production, contact an office of the Missisippi State University Extension Service.
51
Start the New Year Off Right!
15% Discount
Custom Private Herd Brands !
Port-A-Brand
Electric Brand
Available in Stainless Steel Fire, Freeze Brands, Port-A Brands & Electric
TEXAS LONGHORN RANCH SUPPLY GARY & NANCY MARTIN (817) 560-2620 FAX (817) 560-2208 (800) 348-2488 PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
www.texaslonghornranchsupply.com
Electric brands shipped within 24 hours. Electric number sets 3 or 4 inch – $290 Plus Shipping & Handling
• Semen Collection & Processing • CSS Available Facility • Storage • Shipping • Supplies • AI • Embryo Collections • AI Training Schools
Personalized Brands: One Letter-$95 Two Letters-$105 Three Letters-$115
At our facilities or on-farm collecting
Pamphlets Available At Most Livestock Auctions
1-800-222-9628 FAX: 800-267-4055 P.O. Box 460 • Knoxville, AR 72845
Web site: www.huskybrandingirons.com
52
Bob Woodard
903.521.7904
Brenda Barton
903.567.4044 (Office)
Craig Barton
903.920.3223
18035 FM 17 • Canton, TX 75103 Toll Free 1.866.604.4044 Fax 903.567.6587 www.championgenetics.com Texas Longhorn Trails
Monthly Movers & shAkers
Registrations and Transfers from December 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011
Division A
Division B (cont.)
Division B (cont.)
Division C (cont.)
George and Laureen Gennin Robert Fenza Sand Hills Ranch Hudson Longhorns Tim Miller Ed and Becky Dingledine Kathy Kittler Ron Skinner Jimmy L. Jones Willis Bend Longhorns Mark Hubbell Ronnie and Stella Cruce Tom Mehlberg Ethan Loos Patrick Neeley James Bryant Rick Bogle T and C Longhorns Blue Moon Farm Bruce & Patty Williams Double D Arena Knippers Longhorns, LLC Terry King Terry R. Moore Benjamin C. Gravett Kevin Rutkowski Lee Sherbeyn Matt Carter Paul Corlett Shawn M. Pequignot Warren Loos Calvin Deemer Don Constable Holland Farms, Inc. Jody Shaw Matthew and Robyn Allen Rodney Cooper Stringer Ranches Tom A. Smith Ken Craven
Richard James Filip Billy Thompson & Gary Jenkins Gary & Teresa Bowdoin Rick Friedrich B. M. & Wanda Buchanan Jonell Westerberg & Norman (Roger) Ridgway Nyle Maxwell Randy & Shannon Steele El Coyote Ranch George and Angie Soliz David and Jo Anne Norwood Guthrie Creek Longhorn Cattle Helm Cattle Company Pat & Stan Ivicic Bonnie Hyman Deer Creek Longhorns Joseph P. Stilwell Kay L. Roush Terry Brown Rolling Creek Ranch Eddie and Sharon Settlemyer Nancy Ince William T. & Sandra J. Martin Bill & Anita Wappler Brent & Cynthia Bolen Charlotte & Ron Hamilton French Land & Cattle LTD Gary Sealy Grace Cattle Company, LLC Kevin and Laureen Rooker Robert Willis Steve and Rene' Azinger Chris & Lisa Parker Diamond D Ranch Donnie Taylor Ed Ambrose Elias F. Hal Meyer, Jr. George and Cindy Dennis Glen West Keith Spears Larry and Paula Reck Lindauer Longhorn Company Lonnie Shan Matt Hill Michael B. Zinn Proctor Ridge Ranch Annie Morgan & Steve Bell David & Kathy M. Adams Dr. Zech Dameron III H & L Ranch Rio Vista Ranch Star Creek Ranch
Wes and Carol Chancey Area Historical Museum Back-N-Forth Longhorns Cactus Rose Longhorns Gary L. Becker Greg & Amy Franks James & Amy Roesler James Evans Jim and Jean Murray John Oliver Ken and Beth Smith Kenneth Johnson Kirby Jordan Kyle & Whitney Mayden Lee & Gay Gaddis MCA Ranch Melvin & Alice French Mr & Mrs Joachim Schaab Robert and Louann Rubel Russell E. Fairchild Sandra K. Nordhausen Stephen P Head Steven Zunker Susan Burton The Spotts Trust Tom Christopher Tommy Frantom Triple R Ranch
Bob & Pam Loomis Bonnie & Rodger Damrow Gary A. Nelson Roland Stack Todd and Kelli McKnight Ben And Ilse Myren Glen W. Lewis J5 Longhorns Marci Grebing Anchor D Ranch Hayden Cowan Justin Hansen Leo & Jolene Omlin Mike & Debbie Bowman Aubrey & Marva Herring Dr. Fritz & Rebecca Moeller Fossil Creek Longhorns Greg Clow John Murphy Larry &/or Mary Ann Long Mike Mc Clanahan Susan Walker Tom Lane Travis and Chandra Weeks Almendra Longhorns Art Anders Clint Kimble David & Kimberly Nikodym Jan C. Colton Lisa Fazio Michael Luce Nick & Shannon Hoffmann Randy and Jamie Briscoe Roderick Atwood Adam & Sons Bill and Jo Le'AN Buckhorn Cattle Company Charles Mounce Charley E. and Doris Snyder Chris Bandley Double L Mesquite Ranch Dr. Lee & Linda Ragains Kent And Christine Bladen Kerry and Nancee Mounce Marc Sacre Ron & Jo Jones Shamrock Land & Cattle, LLC Triple 9 Longhorns Warren and Cathy Dorathy Woodson School Ranch
Division B Ron & Barbara Marquess Mike Crawford & Pam Watkins Lakeside Partners, L.P Panther Creek Ranch Johnny and Barbara Coleman Mike and Kim MacLeod Suzanne & William H. Torkildsen, M.D. Lazy L Longhorns Rodney Wilson David Plummer February 2012
Division C Rockin J Longhorns Joseph Sedlacek JBR Longhorns, LLC Joe Moore Wayne and Ellen Fox Craig & Keri Wyatt Moore's Longhorn Ranch Del Vic Farms Brett Bartlett Pace Cattle Company Wilson Longhorns Heaven on Earth McGill Ranch Semkin Longhorns Dale Hunt Carole Muchmore Donald & Sharron Wiens Jim & Betty Civis Daniel & Angelina Fey Larry Johnston Ronald C. or Lana K. Pearson Tim Miller
53
BREEDERS GUIDE ARKANSAS
EAS CAT Y LOC TLE ATO R!
COLORADO
NEBRASKA
FLORIDA
NORTH CAROLINA
KANSAS CALIFORNIA For more information on upcoming TLBAA sales and events call Kim Barfield at (817) 625-6241
OKLAHOMA
MICHIGAN READ E-TRAILS for news on upcoming TLBAA Sales and Events. Go to www.tlbaa.org and click on E-Trails
54
Texas Longhorn Trails
OKLAHOMA
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
READ E-TRAILS for news on
CENTRAL TEXAS
upcoming TLBAA Sales and Events. Go to www.tlbaa.org and click on E-Trails
For more information on upcoming TLBAA sales and events call Kim Barfield at (817) 625-6241
SOUTH TEXAS OREGON
PENNSYLVANIA Call in, ask for your H.O.R.N.S. password and take control of your herd inventory and membership information. (817) 625-6241 February 2012
55
SOUTH TEXAS
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS For more information on upcoming TLBAA sales and events call Kim Barfield at (817) 625-6241
SOUTHEAST TEXAS
READ E-TRAILS for news on upcoming TLBAA Sales and Events. Go to www.tlbaa.org and click on E-Trails
WEST TEXAS
READ E-TRAILS for news on upcoming TLBAA Sales and Events. Go to www.tlbaa.org and click on E-Trails
CANADA ALBERTA Call in, ask for your H.O.R.N.S. password and take control of your herd inventory and membership information. (817) 625-6241
56
Texas Longhorn Trails
TEXAS LONGHORN T•R•A•I•L•S
Please send an acknowledgement to: Name ________________________________________ Address ______________________________________ City ____________________ State _____ Zip _______ My Name _____________________________________ Address ______________________________________ City ____________________ State _____ Zip _______ February 2012
Enclosed is my gift of ___ $25 ___$50 ___$100 __$_____
___ In memory of: ______________________________ ___ In honor of: ________________________________ Name of person to be remembered. Please print. Please mail form and donation to the Texas Longhorn Breeders of America Foundation, P.O. Box 4430, Ft. Worth, TX 76164.
57
Classifieds AUCTIONEERS
REAL ESTATE
Bruce E. McCarty Auctioneer Weatherford, TX
(817) 991-9979
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
HOME & RANCH REALITY TRIGG MOORE Ofc: (254) 965-5500 Fax: (254) 965-5532 Cell: (254) 396-5592
Co-Owner/Agent 936 S. Hwy 281 Stephenville, TX 76401 Email: trigg@c21homeandranch.com
www.c21homeandranch.com
Terry H. Brink Auctioneer P.O. Box 928 Frederick, OK 73542 580-335-5732 580-335-4126 Mbl. e-mail: brinkauction@pldi.net www.brinkauction.com
Brian Uptmore Auctioneer (254) 826-3725 Day (254) 379-4283 Cell
JoelAuctioneer Lemley P.O. Box 471 Blackwell, TX 79506
325-668-3552
www.lemleyauctionservices.com TX. License 15204
At SAND HILLS RANCH we enjoy working with NEW BREEDERS & offer QUALITY GOOD HORNED STRAIGHT BUTLER & BLEND cattle, many to choose from & an attractive OWNER FINANCE PKG, Dora Thompson (318) 8726329 echoofambush@aol.com Mansfield, LA www.sandhillsranch.com Located near the Texas Line & Shreveport.
♥
Have A “Lovely” Valentine’s Day…
... and remember our great choices of Longhorns to supplement an existing herd, begin a new one or just surprise that special person on your valentine list. • Top notch, gentle bulls, bred and open heifers, plus beautiful young cows… many with calves at side. • Awesome, big horned trophy steers, 3 yrs. & up. They are destine to become traffic stopping pasture art. Very gentle and colorful! To schedule a ranch tour or just talk Longhorns, call:
Dorie Damuth • Flying D Longhorn Ranch Magnolia, Texas • 281-356-8167 281-356-2751 Fax dorie27@sbcglobal.net www.damuthflyingdranch.com
OLIVER LONGHORNS
TRADE & BARTER TRADE YOUR LONGHORNS – We’ll take your bulls and steers in trade for cows, heifers, pairs, herd sires or semen from breeds’ top quality bulls. Stonewall Valley Ranch, Fredericksburg, TX. Days (512) 454-0476 / Weekends (830) 644-2380.
TRANSPORTATION HAULING - Anywhere-Anytime We specialize in Longhorns. Dan Tisdale (940) 872-1811 Mobile: 940/841-2619
LIVESTOCK TRANSPORTATION Ted Roush (713) 299-7990 Cell www.asocl.com or troush57@hotmail.com YOU CALL - I HAUL!
www.oliverlonghorns.com Cattle for sale “To God Be The Glory”
BID, BUY & SELL SEEK THE TRUTH: read "The Real Butler Story" by Don Limb. Send only $19.90 to Limb Cattle Co., 8375 Lone Star Rd., Washington, TX 77880-5205, 936-878-2988. View excerpts at www.limbcattle.com.
CATTLE FOR SALE JONES RANCH – Home of Gunman genetics. 4-Sale: progeny of the great Gunman bull and his sons, Grand Slam & Hocus Pocus. We are now featuring cattle sired by J R Premium and K C Just Respect by Hunt's Demand Respect. (719) 539-2771. Web: http://gunman1234.tripod.com. E-mail: thejonesranch_1@hotmail.com. JBR LONGHORNS- frozen embryos, AI & ET, semen, elite females, miniatures, lean beef, free advice, call before you buy. Jim Rombeck (785) 562-6665, Justin Rombeck (816) 536-1083.
LONE WOLF RANCH Dr. Lee and Linda Ragains
New Location: Sallisaw, OK (918) 774-9107 • (918) 855-4907 new web site:
www.lonewolfranch.net
www.oakhill-longhorns.com (620) 673-4050 58
joliver@mytocn.com (972) 268-0083
RIO GRANDE & SITTIN BULL SONS available out of big horn, good genetic cows. Priced right to improve your herd. Shawn Pequignot (717) 577-3347. www.crazycattlecompany.com BUTLER HEIFERS- available sired by Walker Butler, TLBAA Horn Showcase Champ, from top line cows. Contact Robert King at (210) 827-6700 or rking@827-6700. DROUGHT SALE- Quality bloodlines, Boomerang C P, Gunman, VJ Tommie, Phenomenon & Overwhelmer with big horns, color, conformation. Cattle priced to sell, maybe cheaper than you think. No grass, No hay. Bred cows, heifers & bulls. Some are AI'ed to good bulls. All of the cattle are not on the web site. www.harcrowlonghorns.com David Harcrow 580-371-7597. BEAVER CREEK LONGHORNS- Check our new Web site with "Super Sales" and herdreduction prices. Tazman (Gunman) genetics. Carole Muchmore, Ponca City, OK (580) 7659961, www.beavercreeklonghorns.com LONGHORN SEMEN- Bold Ruler, Boomerang C P, Coach, Diamond W Paycash, Emperor, JM Sue, VJ Tommie, Watson 167 & more. www.oliverlonghorns.com. John Oliver (972) 268-0083. FOR SALE: MR. WILEY KNIGHT – Sire: Coach Anderson. Dam: Ms Esther Knight. (410) 5862800 or (443) 532-5915. Ask for Everard or Michael Johnson.
WESTERN DECOR Specializing in mounted steer horns, cow skulls, horn furniture, hides M.P. & K.D. HORN and LEATHER SHOP 408 E. Drew • Ft. Worth, TX 76110 817-927-8061 • Fax: 817-927-7970 E-mail: MPKDhornshop8061@msn.com Web site: www.hornandleather.com
TEXAS LONGHORN T•R•A•I•L•S (817) 625-6241 • Fax (817) 625-1388 trails@tlbaa.org
Classified ads are $15.00 for 25 words. Box ads are $25.00 per inch. Deadline is the 25th of the second month preceding publication.
____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ Texas Longhorn Trails
A DVERTISERS ’ I NDEX A
Adcock, Terry & Sherri............33, 56 Almendra Longhorns....................54 Anderson, Frank Jr. and III ............9
H Ranch....................................54 B Bar Beadle Land & Cattle................8, 54 Beargrass Ranch..............................55 Billingsley Longhorns ............26, 56 Bladen, Kent & Christine..............25 Blue Mountain Longhorns ..........44 Bond Ranch ....................................54 Box Z Ranch ..........................7, 8, 56 Brett Ranch ......................................55 BT Farms ..........................................33 Buckhorn Cattle Co. ..8, 16, 18, 55 Bull Creek Longhorns ..................56 Butler Breeders ..............................8-9
C
Cactus Rose Longhorns ..................6 C.C. Land & Cattle Co. ................54 C R Ranches ....................................55 CedarView Ranch ..........................54 Champion Genetics ......................52 Clinard Longhorns ........................30
Longhorns ........................9 D Dalgood Deer Creek Longhorns..................56
Longhorn Designs..........................44 Longhorn Sale Pen ........................43 Lone Star Sale-bration ..................24 Loomis Longhorns....................9, 16
Just For Grins
Marquess Arrow Ranch ..............IBC M MBC Longhorns ............................44
Create an original caption for this photograph and win a TLBAA cap! (Only first-place winners receive prizes.)
L
MCA Ranch........................................8 McLeod Ranch ..................................8 Midwest Longhorn Sale................10 Millennium Futurity......................45 Miller, Tim ......................................54 Moriah Farms......................9, 29, 55 Mosser Longhorns ........................56 Cattle Co...................55 N Northbrook No-Bull ............................................52
P
Eagles Ridge Longhorns..................8 El Coyote Ranch..................1, 17, 55 End of Trail Ranch.................. 11, 54 ET Longhorns..................................54
F
4 T Longhorns ................................56 4 Star Ranch ....................................55 Flying Diamond Ranch ................54
G
Gross, Ray ........................................50
H
Harrell Ranch..............................8, 15 Helm Cattle Co. ......................27, 55 Hickman Longhorns ....................56 Hubbell, Mark ................................20 Husky Branding Irons ..................52
J
S
7 Bar Longhorns ............................55 Safari B Ranch ................................55 Sand Hills Ranch............................28 Semkin Longhorns ........................55 Sidewinder Cattle Co.......................9 Smith, T.M. & Jean ........................55 SS Longhorns..................................55 STLA ................................................6-7 Stotts Hideaway Ranch ........56, BC Straight Arrow Cattle Co...............44
T
Three Amigos Ranch Sale & Social16 TLBAA Foundation........................57 TLBAA Membership......................46 TLRS ..................................................52 Triple R Ranch (MI) ......................54 Triple R Ranch (TX) ....................6, 9 Triple T Longhorns ........................55 T Spur Longhorns ..........................54
Cattle Co.................................6 K Kimble Kittler Land & Cattle Co. ........14, 54
U Underwood Longhorns................54
L
V V&J Longhorns..................................9 W Walker, Ron ....................................56
February 2012
Please specify which month your caption is for. Email entries should include address.
P&C Cattle Pens ............................44 Panther Creek Longhorns........3, 56 Pearl Longhorn Ranch ........6, 7, 56 PJ’s Cattle Company ........................8 Plantana Polo Farms..............FC, 30
Rio Vista Ranch ................................8 Rocking F Ranch ............................44 Rocking G Ranch..............................9 Rocking I Longhorns ..................7, 9 Rocking O Longhorns ....................6 Rocking P Longhorns ......................8 Rosebud’s Flatrock Ranch ............56 Royal Heritage Farm......................54 Rugged Cross Ranch......................42 Running Arrow Farm ....................30
J.T. Wehring Family Ranch ..........55 Jack Mountain Ranch....................56 Jane’s Land & Cattle Co...................9 J&C Longhorns ................................7 JHC Longhorns ............................6, 7 Jones, Jimmy ..................................20
Lazy L Longhorns....................16, 18 Lemley Longhorns ........................56 Lightning Longhorns ....................55 Little Ace Cattle Co...........................8 Lone Wolf Ranch ....................43, 54 Longhorns & Lace Benefit Sale....19
Send your caption to: Texas Longhorn Trails P.O. Box 4430 • Fort Worth, Texas 76164
Ranch ......................................54 R R&R Red Peak Ranch ......................23, 56
Diamond Q Longhorns ..............55 Diamond S Longhorns ................54 Dickinson Cattle Co. ......................2 Dick’s Ranch Supply......................50 Double LB Longhorns..............7, 56
E
Photos for “Just for Grins” are welcome, but they cannot be returned.
Westfarms, Inc...................................8 Wichita Fence..................................43 Wild Wing Ranch ........................IFC World Show ..............................31-32
Y
YO Ranch ........................................50
Photo courtesy of Lazy L Longhorns, Dean Colley, Gardendale, TX
January PHoto First-Place Winner: “Little bitty birdies like it, and so do I.” Wendy Hastings, art, tX ◆ Honorable Mention: "Good to the last drop!" Regina King, Culpeper, VA
Coming Next Month:
Longhorn Weekend wrap up 59
Save the date! Texas Longhorn Coming Events FEBRUARY 2012
FEB 11 • San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo, San Antonio, TX. Annie Morgan (210) 885-8653 or annieoakley64@aol.com. Check In: Feb. 10th Qualifying Haltered, Free and Youth. FEB 11 • Hired Hand Huddle, Tarrant County College, Trinity River Campus, 300 Trinity Campus Circle, Fort Worth, TX. Molly Clubb (319) 269-8903 or (888) 855-8445 Ext. 710. www.hiredhandsoftware.com. FEB 11 • Southeastern Winchester Futurity, Agribition Center, Huntsville, AL. Terry King-tklonghorns@centurylink.net or (850) 956-4154; Danny Guffey (256) 717-9986; Nancy Dunn-nancydunn2010@windstream.net or (334) 318-0887. FEB 16-19 • Autobahn Classic, Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth, TX. Entry deadline: Jan. 31, 2012. Larry Barker (817) 988-6110 or lbarker@abahn.com. FEB 24-26 • San Angelo Stock Show, San Angelo, TX. Dennis Urbantke (325) 655-3500 or (325) 656-9321. Qualifying Haltered, Free and Youth.
MARCH 2012
MAR 2-3 • Longhorns & Lace Benefit & Sale, Red River Sale Barn, Marietta, OK. www.longhornsandlacesale.com Tessa Wheeler Millsap, Improving Genetics, (254) 315-6548, tess2305@aol.com; Molly Clubb, Hired Hand Software, (319) 269-8903, molly@hiredhandsoftware.com. MAR 2-5 • Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Houston, TX. Entry deadline Dec 1 online. www.hlsr.com. Qualifying Haltered, Free and Youth. MAR 9-11 • North Texas Longhorn Breeders Association 2012 Spring Show, Glen Rose, TX. Points only youth showFriday night. Kevin or Laury Rooker (940) 748-1031 or krooker@centurylink.net. Forms available to download at www.ntlba.org Qualifying Haltered, Free and Youth. MAR 16-17 • Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo, Austin, TX. Louis Christa (210) 863-7003 or lchri58@msn.com. Two Youth Shows.Qualifying Haltered, Free and Youth MAR 23-25 • Stillwater Shoot-Out, Stillwater, OK. Steve & Bodie Quary (405) 567-3093. (2 Youth Shows - Points Only-1 Show) Qualifying Haltered, Free and Youth. MAR 31 • B&C Show Me Fall Longhorn Sale, Brookfield Livestock Auction, Inc., Bus. Hwy. 36, Brookfield, MO. Sayre Auction & Sale Management, Bill Sayre (660) 258-2973 or cell (660) 734-0827 or Shawn (660) 734-8782.
MAY 2012
MAY 4-5 • Red McCombs 32nd Anniversary Fiesta Texas Longhorn Sale, Johnson City, TX. www.redmccombslonghorns.com Alan & Teresa Sparger - alan@redmccombslonghorns.com or teresa@redmccombslonghorns.com. (210) 445-8798. MAY 11-13 • Cattle Baron’s Premier Sale, TLBGCA, Mid-Tex Auction Barn, Navasota, TX. Rick Friedrich, Chair (713) 305-0259 or rick@riverranchlonghorns.com. MAY 18-19 • Millennium Futurity, Glen Rose, TX. Bill Davidson (405) 258-7117 or mlflonghorns@sbcglobal.net www.mlfuturity.com.
JUNE 2012
JUNE 10-14 • TLBAA World Show & National Youth Show, Fort Worth Stockyards, Fort Worth, TX. Pam Galloway (817) 625-6241 or pam.galloway@tlbaa.org or Kim Barfield (817) 625-6241 or kim@tlbaa.org. Qualifying Haltered, Free and Youth. JUNE 22-23 • Winchester Futurity of the North, Logansport, IN. Scott Simmons (618) 729-2004 or Deanna Sanders (618) 780-5365. www.winchesterfuturitynorth.com
AUGUST 2012
AUG 1-5 • Autobahn Super Stakes, Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth, TX. Entry Deadline: July 16, 2012. Larry Barker (817) 988-6110 or lbarker@abahn.com. AUG 4 • Hudson-Valentine Invitational Longhorn Sale, Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth, TX. Lorinda Valentine (254) 584-2218. AUG 10-11 • Rocky Mountain Select Sale, Latigo Arena, Colorado Springs, CO. Stan Searle (719) 481-3735 or Gary Lake (719) 314-8294.
SEPTEMBER 2012
SEPT 1 • Butler Breeder’s Invitational Sale, Lockhart Auction Hwy 183 S., Lockhart, TX. www.butlertexaslonghorns.com Kaso Kety (985) 674-6492 or Michael McLeod (361) 771-5355. SEPT 15 • 4th Annual Appalachian Trail Registered Texas Longhorn Consignment Sale, Mt. Airy Stockyard, Mt. Airy, NC. Carl R. Brantley, Wilkesboro, NC. (336) 667-5452 or pyledriver1964@yahoo.com.
APRIL 2012
APR 13-14 • 3 Amigos Sale & Social, Red River Sale Barn, Marietta, OK. Sponsored by Buck Adams, Bob Loomis & Larry Stewart. www.lazyllonghorns or (432) 561-5879. APR 13-15 • TLBGCA Spring Show, Washington County Fairgrounds, Brenham, TX. Susan Young, (713) 294-6334 or email susanbyoung@hotmail.com. Qualifying Haltered, Free and Youth. APR 20-22 • Rockdale Spring Show, Rockdale, TX. Sandi Nordhausen (512) 898-2401 or sandi@nordy.com or Patsy Davidson (518) 898-0321 or pmd22@juno.com. Three Youth Shows (One Points Only) Qualifying Haltered and Youth. APR 27-28 • Midwest Longhorn Sale, Winfield, KS. Mike Bowman (316) 778-1717 or www.endoftrailranch.com.
Let us know about your upcoming events! (817) 625-6241or email us at laura@tlbaa.org. 60
Texas Longhorn Trails