IN M E M ORIAL
JOHNNY JOSEPH WESLEY SMITH Johnny Joseph Wesley Smith Wes Smith was a lifetime ITLA member, active Longhorn breeder, and ITLA supporter by donating a heifer to the ITLA Elite Heifer Sale. On Tuesday, December 28, 2021, Wes Smith, a loving husband and father, passed away at the age of 42. Wes was born, January 30, 1979, in Mobile, Alabama to Johnnie Wayne Smith and Margaret McInish. He retired from the U. S. Army having served his country with honors and was a decorated soldier, putting his Country before his own life. He worked with NATO and the United Nations. He had multiple areas of study in Engineering, Auto-Diesel Engineering from Nashville, Tennessee and a bachelor's in Civil Engineering Magna Cum Laude from the University of Houston. He married Suzanne Skinner on July 9, 2021, in Bellaire, Texas. Wes and Suzanne moved to Stamford, Texas in 2019 to begin their dreams of owning a cattle ranch together. Wes had a passion for God, family, the great outdoors and building cars from the ground up. He was a very Godly man and the lead Pastor at Living Grace Church in Stamford, Texas. He combined his favorite hobbies to create an extraordinary business, Southern Longhorns, raising and breeding Registered Texas Longhorns. He became a very active member of The Texas Longhorn Breeders Association, winning numerous awards including the Mel Raley Rising Star Award with his wife Suzanne. He was preceded in death by his father Johnnie Wayne Smith, Stepfather “B.D” Talmage Lee Bartlett. Wes is survived by his wife Suzanne Smith of Stamford; Mother-in-Law Lynne Skinner of Stamford; Daughter Morgan and Tim Compton of Tennessee; Mother Margaret McCarn of Alabama; Sisters Cassandra and Patrick Hale of Tennessee and Sheila and John Gayle of Alabama. Nieces and nephews, Bennie, Alton, Cassie, Chris and Courtenay and Ranch Manager Rhane Boehler. A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 15, 2022, at 1:00pm at Living Grace Church, 301 E. Moran Stamford, Texas, followed by a Luncheon and celebration of life at Southern Longhorns Ranch. In lieu of flowers, the family is organizing a foundation to carry on Wes’ legacy to promote the youth in the Longhorn community. Please, reach out to the family for more details.
OUR YOUTH IN THE SNOW
COLD WEATHER CALVING AND CALF CARE
COLD WEATHER CALVING AND CALF CARE Written by Dr. Julie Pack DVM At some point in time we will all find ourselves calving out one or more cows in less than ideal weather. Be it a cow you bought at a sale that was not bred for your calving season, a cow that had other ideas about which bull she wanted to be bred to or the couple of high-quality females you are trying to calve out for that specific show or futurity class. Cold and wet conditions will kill more newborns than just about anything else in your control. Most of our northern breeders are probably well acquainted with calving barns, calf warming huts and calves in the bathroom/mudroom/utility room. Most of us southerners panic when we see the weather and it says “freeze warning”. Regardless of your distance from the equator everyone should be prepared to care for a cold calf. The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is worth repeating here.
So what can you do about it? Prepare for calving by providing shelters. Our northern friends are again, well acquainted this ideas and usually have a variety of permanent and temporary shelters available. Those living in more temperate climates may not have the infrastructure readily at hand for a week of sub-freezing temperatures. Ideally those living in temperate climates would also have shelters available. These would be large, well bedded and draining, southern facing, three sided sheds, but we all know most of us don’t live in an ideal world.
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So instead provide shelter in the form of wind breaks and, if possible, some sort of roof situation to shed rain/ice/show. Temporary wind breaks can be as simple as a tarp over panels staked out in the pasture or as complex as structures built from straw bales. Shelters don’t need to be air tight, in fact high humidity in enclosed shelters can be almost as bad as outside damp to both grown cows and calves. If the weather overwhelms your preparation and you are still presented with a cold calf you need to take action right away, no matter where you live. Calves that are born in wet or muddy areas should have their navel and umbilical cord dipped in iodine tincture if possible. This will help prevent infection and aid in drying up the navel and umbilical cord. Cold calves should be dried as quickly as possible and rewarmed at the same time. Take the calf’s temperature as you start (normal calf temperature should be around 101-102*F or 38-39*C) and continue to monitor to see if your efforts are working. Dry with warm towels and bed on straw out of the weather if you are warming in the pasture or the barn. If the calf is bad off enough that you need to take it into the house you can use a hair dryer to aid in your drying/warming efforts. Continue to monitor temperature and stop your active warming when the temperature is 1-2 degrees below normal. You don’t want to overheat the calf! If the calf has a suckle reflex (it tries to chew or suck your finger when you stick it in it’s mouth) you can give a bottle of warm colostrum to help warm the calf from the inside out. Preferably colostrum would come from the mother, but if that is not an option have some high-quality powdered colostrum replacer (not colostrum supplement) available in your calving kit.
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You can also smear some corn syrup (karo syrup) or molasses on the calf’s gums and tongue (be careful not to do too much if the calf is not swallowing) to help keep it’s blood sugar from crashing. After the calf is warmed and standing you should try to get it and it’s mother to a dry confined space and make sure the mother accepts the calf and the calf is nursing on it’s own before releasing it back to the herd. Exceptionally weak calves may need to be tube fed. This is a fairly common practice but can be dangerous to the calf. If performed incorrectly it can result in pneumonia or other serious consequences. Consult with you veterinarian for advice on appropriate equipment and training for this technique. The damage from frostbite may affect the ears, tail tip, feet and nose and may not be seen for several weeks following the cold damage. Keep an eye on cold calves to make sure they do not have any lasting harm from their chill. Calves that slough ears or tail tips can go on to be functional individuals. Calves that have damage to their noses or feet may need intensive veterinary care.
Dr. Pack is a large animal veterinarian specializing in reproduction, and has been raising Longhorns since 1998. Information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as diagnosis or a treatment regimen.
OUR MEMBERS CENTERSTAGE
OUR MEMBERS CENTERSTAGE
OUR MEMBERS CENTERSTAGE
OUR MEMBERS CENTERSTAGE
OUR MEMBERS CENTERSTAGE