THE LONGHORN DROVER APRIL 2022 | VOLUME 38
Brood Cow Edition
ITLA MEMBERS WERE INVITED TO SUBMIT THEIR IDEAL BROOD COWS, PLEASE ENJOY THEIR SUBMISSIONS
Butler Texas Longhorns This animal displays all of the original traits of a traditional Texas Longhorn. She is trim and feminine, easy fleshing, more colored up than the rainbow, and dog gentle. This gal sports a wonderful bag and has raised the best calves in our pasture. They have been colored up, slick and easy fleshing. Her and her offspring have received their fair share of checks, at every futurity/show, so her production is par none. Oh, I forgot to mention, she is sporting right at 100" of horn and her offspring have been 60" at the 2 year birthday. This magnificent lady has no holes in herself or her mothering abilities...
Lizz Huntzberry I like big framed, correct momma cows. They should have a lot of body capacity and good spring of rib. Udder is extremely important; good udder capacity and small even shaped teats. I like a nice trim neck and throat, feminine appearance and plenty of horn. I also want a strong top line and correct tail set. Looking good is part of it, but I want cows that pass on correct confirmation, size and horn to their offspring. This Tejas Star daughter has done a great job in the show ring and gives me solid calves every year!
s e l k r a p S l a r r a p a Ch
Curtis Abel My favorite brood cow is Chaparral Sparkles. She is a big-bodied daughter of Overkill with 69” of horn, despite having 4” tipped off one side. She is a consistent producer, raising the biggest calf in the herd every year. Sparkles has an easy-going personality and enjoys her scratches. She is queen of the herd and reigns with calm ease.
a i r o t s A r Premie Premier Longhorns Our program is built on Cow Power of which, a broodcow is Premier Astoria. We bred her and her dam, having purchased her grandmother as a yearling. Always a perfect lady, Premier Astoria has an elite pedigree, flawless conformation, structural correctness, a great mind and twisty, lateral horn measuring 92 5/8" TTT. As big as a horse, she weighs in at 1450 pounds and is saddle trained. All her calves have been heifers, except one bull A.I. Certified Sire Premier Great Plains by Archer Texa. Her yearling daughter Premier Astoria Cut'N In has been shown twice and won the 2021 Legends Futurity and the 2022 ITTLA Heifer Futurity. This daughter is also trained in harness driving and pulls a carriage. Our program, small but select, has been built around Premier Astoria and her sisters. We believe it is cows like these who truly represent the future of this great breed.
c i h c n o i G&l fash Tonya Abel My favorite brood cow is G&L Fashion Chic. She was bred by Gene and Lana Hightower. “Chica” as we call her is a great mother. She is attentive, but gentle enough to allow us to spend time with her and the calf. She milks really well, and despite her age she still has a well-balanced udder with small teats. Chica maintains her condition well. She is a beautiful brindle roan with over 70” of curvy horns. She passed her color and horn length to her last daughter, CTA Drop the Fashion, who has been doing extremely well in futurities and shows. We are eagerly awaiting her next calf any day now!
s s e r p m E l i L s k r o Riverf
Timber Ridge Longhorns
When I think of a good Texas Longhorn brood cow, the traits that I look for are milking ability, maternal instincts, high fertility (breed back within 60 days of calving), sound legs and feet. It is also important to us that the cow out-produces herself with her calves. For example, if the offspring can have better horn growth and carry the same phenotypic traits that are desired in the cow as well as allowing for the right bull to correct any flaws of the brood cow. We were able to visit Terry and Tammy King’s ranch and see 4 high quality offspring out of the same dam, Riverfork’s Lil Empress. This showed us the consistency in Empress’ ability to out produce herself and pass on the phenotypic traits we desire. For these reasons above, we decided to invest in Riverforks Lil Empress as a producing brood cow to help jump start our breeding program for our small operation. To consider this 10 year old cow with 76” ttt horns to sell as a cash cow at The Legends Sale I think says a lot about how important a producing brood cow is for the industry.
y n o r I Z R
Hailey Mann
When establishing ones idea of the ideal brood cow, I think its important that key traits and features are determined. For myself personally, I believe that a brood cow should first and foremost be practical and functional. Females that are too extreme in any given trait break the boundaries of desirabilty, including frame, body condition, small teats/vulva, etc. After determining ones ideals, including conformation (esp. udder and feet/leg), feminity, broodiness, capacity, etc. RZ Irony for example is owned by Jesse and Jordan Walburn of JJW Land & Cattle in Big Sandy, Texas. Irony is a moderate to large framed female. She has some natural dimension with minimal input and remains in good flesh year round with calf. She is long spined, and stout featured with a near perfect udder when in milk. She is big footed and sound. Plenty to like about this 11 year old Drag Iron × Snowy Maid ((Emperor × Overwhelmer) × GF G-Man) female, with very little to not like.
x e h C l r i g w o C d e t Spot
Texas Longhorns Austria This is “Spotted Cowgirl Chex“ out of DC Well Armed (Cowboy Chex and BL Angle) and Second to None (Top Caliber and Second Vision) We got her out of our US-Genetic-Embryo Program and she really make us proud here in Europe. She does not only throw very colourful calfs, but also we see awesome Horns in her Offspring! We could not ask for more.
y l l o D R BC Cole Meeks BCR Dolly is a cow we acquired from the Torkleson’s at Bull Creek Ranch. She’s by far the smoothest cow we own with a great top line, very feminine, and a great udder with good teets. Dolly raises big calves along with good temper! We are currently watching one of her sons as a prospect!
e t t e t s B W Du
Huber Longhorns B W Dustette. DOB 10-21-11, A Big Wig Daughter, passed the 90" TT some time ago, Born and raised at Bentoak Ranch, have 4 heifers out of her in our program, the tw0 older ones are over 80" and the other two are closing in fast. She is bred to our totally Black young bull for a calf soon. Hoping for a totally black heifer.
e c u a S t o BG H C&C Cattle Company BG Hot Sauce is by far our favorite Brood Cow on the ranch! This doublebred Drag Iron granddaughter can outproduce any cow younger than her and does such a great job raising her calves. We have had a heifer and now a bull out of her and they were the best calves for the year they were born! Hot Sauce has the sweetest disposition of any cow on the place and will do anything to get a treat or two from you! We have big plans with this young cow in the future and we are so stoked to have been able to acquire her from the Dunmires for our herd. She is a true asset to our breeding program, not to mention she is everyone's favorite!
1 3 9 o t i d n a B o i R L B
Nowell’s Hickory Creek Ranch We just love this female. She is so elegant. Smooth body, great body, and raise big fat healthy calves. We currently have two daughters, a son, and several grandbabies from her in the herd. JP Rio Grande her sire needs no introduction. Her dam is also influenced many programs over the years. She is a 3/4 sister to Delta Tari and a maternal half-sister to Tari Graves FM49.
l o o t y t s Ru
David Richardson Rusty Tool (DOB 4/9/13) is herself an Ohio synthesis of Hunts Command Respect, Winchester, Field of Pearls, and Shadow Jubilee. Currently at 81" T2T, she has consorted with Drop Box, Top Hand, andShowman to produce new colors, patterns--with still wider Texas Longhorn spreads to come.
t n i o p d o o G
Keir Albert Good Point is our favorite cow here at Albert Acres Cattle Company. Good Point is a wonderful very feminine 5 year old cow, she has a lot of total horn. Our favorite part about her is her Pedegree combining Clear point with a Shadow Jubilee clone (Sweet Jubilee). She combines many of AACC favorite sires and dams from other herds. Good Point has given some really nice progeny to us and the previous owner Dickinson Cattle Co. We are so proud to have this Beautiful cow in our permanent herd!
e i n a J s ’ e i LaC
Sarah Heimeyer It's this female's outright power and functionality that made me quick to pick her for this sectionin The Drover. Lacie’s Janie is a 11 year old female that has been on a heifer streak for almost 4years now. Her near ideal hip design and slope out of her hind end assists in easier calvingease. Add in her balanced udder and tit size this girl can throw and nurse to make powerfulcalves for the showring and to produce in the pasture. Janie’s pedigree falls back to many Foundation Herd and well known sires such as her sire, LPSombrah, a bull out of The Shadow, owned by Dickinson Cattle Company, on the top and GoodFriday on the bottom. Passing on the wide horn with a twist to her offspring there’s nothing you can knock about a good soggy made momma with all the reporoductiveness one can ask forfrom milking to life out in the pasture. We love looking at that girl and what she continues to produce.
m o s s o l b Eternal
Angie Wulf
Meet Eternal Blossom. We bought her from Annette Coady 5 years ago now (time sure does fly). This cow has changed our program in so many ways becoming a foundation female for us. Not only is she just beautiful, and gives others a reason to look at her and our program but she is a PRODUCER. We are very active in the futurity show world and Ettie, as we like to call her, has given us two multiple futurity winners (one of them being a High Point Champion heifer), a beautiful bull who placed in the money and has an up and coming gorgeous heifer who isn’t weaned yet but we are highly looking forward to bringing to some futurities this season and next. She seems to click with whatever bull we put her with producing beautiful bodied animals with lots of leg under them who have now gone on now to become amazing producers themselves! We hope, in the coming years, we will have helped her to build a beautiful family of cattle that will leave a lasting and positive influence in the longhorn world!
l e w e J s Juma’
Larry & Heatherly Smith
Our favorite brood cow is Juma’s Jewel. Aside from having two International All Age Grand Champion Haltered wins, as well as winning International Produce of Dam and producing three offspring that won for International Get of Sire, Jewel’s offspring have won 9 haltered first in class at multiple Championship Shows. Jewel’s offspring have also won a Futurity Championship, multiple division's at the Championship Shows, and numerous wins at additional shows. Jewel sits at the top as our favorite brood cow not only for the quality she possessed for her wins, but her ability to produce offspring that also perform well in the show arena.
d e k c a p Jam Dickinson Cattle Co Jam Packed is by the greatest sire of all times, Jamakizm. She carries on that strong, correct family consistency. At DCC we want her genetics to saturate the whole herd in time. She is quickly doing just that.
e l i m S n Drago Joel Dickinson Dragon Smile, born 9/27/11, has 82.83 inch TTT horn and weighs 1250 pounds. She is my favorite cow because she is a great producer. She has raised many offspring better than herself. Not only is she a great producer, but she has a pet like disposition and also passes that trait on to her calves.
y l r e v o OL sweet
Gang of 5 Longhorns
We could take up a full page detailing all that we love about this cow. This is OL Oversweet, bred by John and Brenda Oliver, and she is one of our favorite foundation females. Oversweet is a direct daughter of the legendary Over Kill; and she traces back to Tabasco and Patriot BCB on her dam’s side. Oversweet was the 2018 TLBAA World Grand Champion female, free division. She is the two-time State Fair of Texas Grand Champion female, haltered division (2016 and 2017); and she won 19 other Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion titles in her show career. When we think of “longhorn,” this is the cow that comes to mind. Her conformation is flawless, and she has the kind of temperament that every longhorn breeder should strive for in an animal: she is sweet as pie. These are qualities that she passes along to each of her offspring. As of February 2022, her horns measured 73.75” TTT which is pretty impressive considering their twists and turns. Oversweet is the standard here at Gang of 5 Longhorns, we’ve got a pasture full and won’t settle for anything less. Frankly, Oversweet is about as perfect as they come.
y s s a l C y l r a e l C R CW
Cross Wrench Ranch CWR Clearly Classy is a favorite at Cross Wrench Ranch. Classy is truly a special cow for John and Suzanne Moxley of New Market, Maryland. She has won ITLA Grand Champion cow at the ITLA National Convention and this past year her son CWR Reddi Edge won ITLA Grand Champion Bull. At this time Classy measures over 88" TTT with massive twisty horns and her son Reddi measures over 88" TTT at 3 -1/2 years old. We are proud lifetime members of the ITLA and have been raising longhorns since 2000. We have been so blessed to raise a cow like Classy. Every new generation is so exciting to experience. Thank you Classy, for always out producing yourself!
PRINT & SUBMIT BACK FOR YPUR CHANCE TO BE FEATURED IN THE DROVER
STOCKING RATES Written by Sarah Heimeyer
“Don’t pray for rain if you can’t care for what you get” -R.E. Dickson. Though most of the United States is eager for the rain, let's talk about how the waiting time is great to make the most out of the rain. For the next month we will be talking about pasture management and this week's topic will be stocking rates. The first question that needs to be asked is how does knowing your stocking rate benefit your operation? Proper stocking rates will: 1) produce optimum animal performance; 2) make the ranch profitable; and 3) sustain or improve the range resource. To begin to calculate the stocking rate of your land there are three things you must know: 1) How many acres of land you have 2)The amount of forage that is available (ex: brush, grasses, shrubs): The most accurate way to find the amount of forage available is to try and do this procedure at the end of the growing season to account for a year's worth of forage. Carrying capacity for a pasture is based on multiple spots and averaging it. To begin to find it, sketch out a 9.6 square foot area (42 inches diameter circle or 37 inch square; we used a hoola hoop for the most accuracy). Clip out the area and weigh the forage in grams once found to determine the percentage of dry matter harvested. Multiply the amount of grams by the percentage of dry matter then multiply by 10. Once found, multiply the answer by .25 to get the actual pounds of forage allocated for consumption and finally divide 11,000 pounds by the previous answer to find the number of acres required by 1 AU.
Carrying capacity is normally expressed as one Animal Unit (AU). A thousand pound cow, with or without a calf at side is one AU
STOCKING RATES CONTINUED
If you’d just like a quick, but less accurate estimate of your pasture dry matter, all you need is an estimate or measurement of the forage height. Once you have the average height in inches of the forage in your pasture, multiply it by 200. This is an average estimate of pounds of dry matter per acre per inch of forage height. For example, if your grass is 10 inches tall, multiply 10 x 200 to get 2000 lbs/acre (2 A.U.) of dry matter. If you want to get a little more precise, use the table to the right to estimate. Just replace 200 with the relevant number below based on the type and health of forage you have in your pasture. 3) The amount of forage you will allow your animals to graze. This will be the amount of acres you will need for the livestock to graze.
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Recipe of the Month Longhorn Ground Beef Taco Casserole
INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for the baking dish 1 pound longhorn ground beef 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 15 ounces tomato salsa 1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, divided 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce 1 medium tomato, diced Greek yogurt or sour cream, for serving
DIRECTIONS 1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350℉. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with oil; set aside. 2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate, then drain any fat from the skillet. 3. Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, and heat until shimmering. Add the onion, pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Return the beef to the pan and stir in the beans. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes. 4. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the salsa and 3/4 cup of the cheese. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese. 5. Bake until the cheese is melted and casserole is heated through, about 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Top with lettuce and tomato, and serve with Greek yogurt or sour cream.
A SPECIAL TIP FROM ME... Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Aleena Elliot ITLA Queen