Now is the Time The ITLA has grown by leaps and bounds over the last couple of years to new highs. Aside from the efforts of ITLA Boards and Presidents, I believe this good growth could be attributed to any number of items that make the ITLA a great place to spend time. The ITLA Headquarters sits on land donated to the ITLA by my Dad and was built by Past President John Hodges. The efforts of these two Longhorn Legends, and all those who assisted in paying off the note, allow for the ITLA to enjoy the only owned Headquarters in Longhorn History. With no facility payments, member services costs can be kept at a minimum. Aside from the lowest costs for member services, the ITLA growth could be attributed to the fastest turn around time on paperwork in the industry. Or, perhaps the rise in members is the complimentary color photo the ITLA places on the registration certificate? Could it be that the growth is due to the use of only approved judges, with extensive knowledge of the Longhorn breed, to judge our shows? The new database is revolutionary in providing member perks. It's possible that membership growth could be attributed to knowing that the ITLA keeps its registry safe and secure in house without paying an outside service to manage it. Perhaps the financial security of the ITLA appeals to new members since the same outside Financial Service has been on board for 14 years providing the best in financial security and records? Perhaps the ITLA election process where a member is allowed to vote for every position and approve any By Law changes appeals to new members? The ITLA is rapidly growing, so now is a good time to be a part of the continued success. If you step up and help out at the Convention and Championship Show, host a show, start an affiliate, sit on a committee, volunteer your time, etc., it will be a blessing to you and the ITLA. The ITLA has fought for you for over 30 years, give a shout if now is the time to have fun, give back, and show appreciation for what the ITLA has given to you.
ITLA Spotlight Color Of The West Artist Sharon Markwardt Many ITLA Members have seen Sharon Markwardt's award winning art without even realizing it. Thanks to Sharon's support of youth and appreciation for the Texas Longhorn, she has allowed for her art to adorn souvenir T-shirts presented to youth who attend the Convention and Championship Show. Texas Longhorns have long been a favorite subject of Sharon's, and she readily admits the Longhorn paintings helped to launch her art career. Longhorns can be seen out her studio window, on an adjoining property, and if she needed a better view crawling through the fence with her camera is a common practice. Sharon feels right at home painting her favorite subject, animals of the west, as she is a fourth generation Texan with a Fine Art degree and a biology minor. Sharon's love of animals shines bright in her paintings as she finds inspiration being surrounded by horses, dogs, donkeys, goats, chickens, and yes the Longhorns. Interaction with the animals is a part of Sharon's daily rhythm and she keeps a camera handy as she travels to catch shots of other subjects. "I feel a connection to these creatures, and I love it when I can express their personalities and emotion, their soulfulness. So much comes through in the eyes. Painting them gives me great joy, and I think it shows. When collectors tell me my work makes them smile every day...what could be better?"
Sharon’s bright colors and bold, close focus compositions have forged a distinctive style popular with jurors and collectors alike which has allowed her to win many awards for her work. Women Artist of the West awarded Master Signature status to Sharon in 2016, an honor bestowed to only eleven members in the group’s 45 year history. Publications of Sharon’s work include Southwest Art, Western Art Collector, Art of the West, Cowgirl Magazine, Cowboys and Indians, The Santa Fean, Santa Fe Collectors Guide and more. Sharon is represented by Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe and Your Private Collection in Granbury, Texas. According to ITLA President Larry Smith, “The ITLA is honored and grateful that Sharon Markwardt has allowed her art to be utilized in support of ITLA Youth. Sharon’s generosity has allowed for youth to receive a souvenir t-shirt from the Convention and Championship Show with Color of the West flair.” President Smith continued, “Several years ago Heatherly surprised me with a Sharon Markwardt commissioned original painting of our favorite steer and to this day it remains one of our most prized possessions.” For information on Color of the West Art or to contact Sharon concerning commissions: www.sharonmarkwardt.com sharon.markwardt@gmail.com 817-994-7663
The past few months we’ve discussed a range of topics designed to help you keep your herd happy and healthy. I’d like to take a pause this month to discuss a different topic that most of us usually try to avoid. When to say goodbye. Longhorns are a hardy long lived breed, but the reality is eventually we all have to say good bye. It’s nice when they make it easy for us and they pass peacefully in their sleep, but sometimes we have to make the hard decision to end their life. The biggest question we as veterinarians get asked is “When is the right time?”. Unfortunately, there is no “best by” date or user’s manual to answer this question. A wise older vet once explained it to us wide eyed vet students as follows, and I pass this wisdom on every time I get asked this tough question. “The 5 Things” Pick the 5 things your animal likes most in life. Pick these things when they are still fairly healthy and spry. It may be a certain treat, it may be taking a swipe at you every time you walk by the pen, it may be a particular tree they like to lay under, it may be hoarding their corner of the feed bunk. But pick the five things. Write them down. When you notice that they have not been doing or enjoying 3 of the 5 things over the course of a week it’s time to say goodbye. You will have many more regrets saying good bye a day too late than a day too early. This wisdom applies to cattle, horses and farm dogs as well. So, after a life well lived, we all know it’s hard to say goodbye. But the last act of love and kindness we can provide to an old friend is to let them go on to greener pastures where there is no arthritis or cancer or failing eyesight. Only green pastures and cool shade trees as far as the eye can see. Until next month.
Summer is here! And that means lots of ITLA affiliates are hosting shows. We plan on attending the following upcoming events, and we hope to see you there: - ORVTLA Show in Wooster, OH on July 16 - Montgomery County Ag Expo in Gaithersburg, MD on August 21 - Top of the West TLA Show in Filer, ID on September 5 Be sure to stop by our table and say hello! We love meeting you! For a full listing of upcoming youth events, please visit the ITLA Youth Facebook page. It’s also time to start thinking about the ITLA Championship show. We have tons of fun youth events planned: socials, games, speech contest, arts and crafts contest, photography contest, and of course showing cattle. The prizes will be fabulous and the friendships are priceless! There will be lots more information to follow. Mark your calendars for October 6-8 and we will see you in Glen Rose, TX.
Thank you Stan Tidwell and Falls Creek Longhorns for hosting! Here is a little on what our youth learned: “Some of the things I learned were embryo transfers, how freeze branding works, about the different types of shots and where you can put them on a cow. My favorite part was seeing a lot of the Butler bred cows and learning about their breed and the freeze branding.” - Eve Sabio
“I learned a lot more about AI, flushing cows, and embryo transfer. My favorite part was the tour and getting to see the Butler cow.” - Blaine Moore
“That was really cool, I want to be a vet. It was very informative and I am glad I got the opportunity to come.” - Bella S.
“I learned how to judge cattle. I liked talking with Mr. Sabio and Mr. Hooks about my choices and getting their advice.” - Danalee Abel
“Day one of the ITLA Educational Field Day was a success! Got the joy of seeing this beautiful herd and catching up with friends. Also, learned a bit more about A.I. services and what that entails.” - Aleena Elliott Pee-Wee in the making or maybe an ITLA Princess!
Lone Star Classic Working Team!
The ITLA is very proud of our hard working youth volunteers
WI Longhorns Roland West * 816-255-5456 * wilonghorns@gmail.
Ren’O DOB: 7/16/2013 Over Kill x Reneger
WI Rainy Day Woman DOB: 4/12/2013 Drag Iron x ZD Delta Texas Cash
Queen Tuttess DOB: 4/11/2007 Top Caliber x Jewel of The Nile
www.wilonghornsandleather.com
Dear ITLA Team, Sunset Ranch Cattle Co. would like to thank the entire ITLA staff for convincing us to place an ad in The Longhorn Drover! Since placing our ad in the June edition, we’ve already received numerous calls regarding our miniature cattle, as well as sales of straws for AI from our certified miniature bull, SR Matt’s Respect. I also want to specifically recognize Lori Abbott for her help and great ad design. We could not have been more impressed! Great Job! Regards, Rich Fregien Sunset Ranch Cattle Co., LLC Celina, Texas 214-404-5279 Mobile
-- Daniel & Megan Lamb sent this photo of the ITLA Judges Clinic Webinar being seriously watched from deep in the heart of Australia. The clinic, designed to be a first step in becoming an ITLA approved judge is more used by producers who want to learn the fine points of judging, breeding and raising quality cattle. Over 400 viewers from Austria, Germany, Brazil, Australia and several countries participated. No other effort is designed for world wide education on the Texas Longhorn breed. Thank you to all who registered and used this service.
Cattle branding still plays an important role in identifying an animal's owner in cattle ranching. The practice of branding is ancient. Some Egyptian tomb paintings at least 4,000 years old depict scenes of roundups and cattle branding, and biblical evidence suggests that Jacob the herdsman branded his stock. Fire or Freeze branding mark into the hide of an animal is the only method of marking that lasted the life of the animal. The practice of branding came to the New World with the Spaniards, who brought the first cattle to New Spain.
Every ITLA Member is expected to comply with the ITLA By-Laws on branding cattle for permanent identification purposes as updated in ARTICLE SIXTEEN REGISTRATIONS Registration Requirements for Non-Cloned animals. a. The sex of animal. b. The name of the animal. c. The date of birth (year, month and day). d. The individual fire or freeze brand ID number and its location on the animal. e. The holding ownership fire or freeze brand and its location on the animal. f. Color description in detail g. The name and registration number of sire. h. The name and registration number of dam. i. Signature of owner of sire. j. The name of the appropriate sire on service date of bred cow, for natural service only. A.I. service must attach A.I. Certificates. k. The name and address of breeder (owner of record of the dam at time of service). l. The ITLA will issue registration certificates on steers that are from a registered Texas Longhorn herd. The registration application shall state that it is a steer and will include the individual id number, holding brand, and detailed color description. m. Registration application shall be eligible for processing upon receipt of a completed application, containing proper signatures, and receipt of the appropriate fees.
Hey Everyone!
I hope your summer is going GREAT! Some exciting things happened in June. First of all, I was so excited to attend the ITLA Educational Field Day at the Falls Creek Ranch in Itasca, Texas. I met some new Longhorn people and got to spend some quality time with the ones I already knew. We were able to see some great demonstrations, including fire and freeze branding and we were able to see some cloned calves and we toured the Ranch while we were there. It was an awesome time and I loved the information Dr Julie gave us on AI, Embryo Transfer and more. If you missed it, we hope you make plans to attend one in the future. The rain finally stopped and we were able to get the first cutting of hay up after we returned from Itasca. Since we bale my parents, grandparents and my aunt’s hay, as well as my own, It takes us a while, but we feel so blessed to have a great cutting olled and enough rain that the 2nd cutting is growing so good! I have been working a LOT at the vet clinic this summer, but I still found time to find myself a new vehicle. Many of you may have seen what everyone around here calls the ‘Blaingo”, which is my 4x4 Durango. I kept it for checking the cows in the mud, but I found a vehicle that was a little more practical for the hayfield and for pulling my cattle around. There is a picture below. It isnt new, but it is new to me and I love it.
The week before July 4, we have a fireworks stand. Ive been working there a lot and it has been HOT in the stand, but we get to see a lot of people and meet a lot of people and it is a good time.
As you can tell, I have been pretty busy and am about to wean some of my January calves. I am excited about this and to get a few on the halter for the fall shows. The CTTLA Show will be here before we know it.
Thank you Fall Creek Longhorns from all at ITLA, Fun and educational weekend in Itasca Texas. AI and Embryo Transfer education, vaccinations, branding, fire and freeze, and a very talented freehand branding demonstration by Mr. Stan Tidwell.
Good Friends
Good Food
Good Fun!
Photographing Longhorns for Fun and Profit by: Darol Dickinson - 6-15-21 You will never see over 90 percent of the outstanding cows and bulls of the breed in person, but the chances are good you’ll see photos of many. The way these photos make you feel about their subjects can make or break a breeder’s promotional program. A high-quality, flattering photo will help you sell cattle, semen or whatever you may be marketing. A poor-quality, unflattering photo will probably make sure you don’t do much business at all. You’re better off letting people imagine what your cattle look like than if you use poor photos and give people the impression that your cattle are sub-par. With this serious responsibility invested in photos, we as breeders need to take a serious look at our ability to portray our cattle at their absolute best. The following are a few fundamental aspects of Longhorn photography that, if followed, should help your best cattle look like the champions you’ve told everyone they are.
This shot shows a clear outline of a dark bull. The light is perfect, the background non-distracting and the camera is also at the proper level. True cattle people like photos without photo shop fake backgrounds. The natural unmolested background is more trusted. When fake backgrounds are added it often cuts in and changes the anatomy. Work on clean backgrounds and forget the photo shop. Background Selection of a background can be very important. A bad background can conceal or hide the subject and totally lose the silhouette. For instance, don’t photograph a black bull in a coal bin at midnight or a white cow in a snow storm. While it’s important to have good color contrast between your subject and its surroundings, a background of green pasture and blue sky is a safe bet for almost all subjects. A clear sky won’t compete for the viewer’s attention, and presents a dramatic view of your animal’s silhouette without clutter. If your area is blessed with local scenery like palm trees, mountains, lakes, pretty white fences, moss-draped trees, etc., you can add a touch of class to your photos by using such scenery as a backdrop for your photo session. It’s always far more impressive to see a photo-enhancing background than to see cattle wallowing in the back corral in six inches of mud. Make sure that any unattractive of distracting objects (machinery, trash, buckets, etc.) are kept out of your camera’s field of vision. It’s important to take a good look at “the big picture” when photographing your cattle, and attention to the background of your photos is a key part.
Stance Proper feet elevation can totally change a cow’s looks. It’s not always possible to move cattle and pose them loose in a pasture exactly like the picture you have in mind. This is a matter of time and patience. If you do want to achieve the very best photo possible and can afford to take a little extra time, never photograph cattle with their front feet downhill from their back feet. When the front feet are positioned lower than the hind feet, several bad things happen to the animal’s anatomical appearance. Your subject will tend to appear low-backed and high-tailed, the loin muscle disappears and the shoulders sit unnaturally high as more weight is supported by the front quarters. Thus, your animal’s outstanding conformation and natural posture remains the Texas Longhorn business’ best-kept secret. Any photos seen by your fellow breeders should enhance the reputation of your cattle and your ranch, not harm it.
Figure 1: Proper positioning of the photographer in relation to the sun and the subject.
Leg position can have a lot to do with the overall look of cattle. You want your subject to stand straight and square. Anatomy is best revealed from a side-view with the legs placed in such a way that a clear silhouette of each leg is visible from the ground up to the knee or hock. This provides a good look at the animal’s structure and also shows the viewer that all four legs are sound and free from blemishes or deformities of any kind. The ideal Texas Longhorn pose (two of the photos included with this piece are close to ideal) is a straight side-view with the head turned and facing directly into the camera. This angle displays body length, muscle, body color, top-line, underline, correctness of legs and feet, general type, ear and horn shape, testicle development for bulls and udder development for cows. If the animal doesn’t look directly at you, there’s no way to see horn shape and size. A side-view of a bull’s head lets you look right into the tip of his horn. Similarly, you can’t judge the length of a gun barrel by looking down the sights—a side-view is necessary for an accurate evaluation.
Animation always makes a good photo even better. A grazing cow, or an animal with its ears back or looking half-asleep won’t make a good impression in an ad. You should know your cattle well enough to figure some way to get them to look up and be alert for a photo. A gentle cow will probably look up at a feed bucket. A wild one may look (or glare, grimace or sneer) at you if you just walk near her. Others may require you to throw a hat or a handful of grass in the air, or make noises like a dog or a bawling bull. (By the time you’ve taken several exposures you may have to invent a new gimmick or two in order to get your subjects to look at you.) Just keep on working on new ideas until something works. You need to take the time necessary to get your animal to strike an attractive pose. It may take some hard work, but a photo of a cow with her head in a feed bucket or walking away from the photographer is certain to be unimpressive. If you put some effort into it, the chances of getting a photo you’re proud of are greatly increased. This may require moving around or even running! to position yourself to catch that ideal pose, but since you’re already out there making the effort, you might as well get the photo you want. As I get older the running, crawling, and jumping reduces. I take most photos from my Can-Am. I can drive around to the correct angle when there is a hazy light and quickly locate the right angle.
Figure 2: Correct and incorrect vertical positioning of the camera in relation to the body of the subject
Camera Position Camera height has a considerable effect on the appearance of the size of your subject matter. If you stand straight up and shoot with your camera held at five feet in the air at a cow which stands 52” tall, you are looking down on her. This will tend to make her look shorter-legged or smaller than she really is. The proper camera height from which to photograph a cow is as close to the center of her body as possible. This would be two or three feet for the average cow. Photographs taken from this height present a true perspective and allow proper evaluation of an individual.
Lighting Poor lighting and poor stance are probably the most common problems with livestock photography. The weather, time of day and setting all help to determine whether you wind up with a photo in which your animal is well presented. Bright sunlight is needed to bring out the nice highlights and good muscle definition you’ll see in the truly memorable photos. Photos taken in heavy overcast or inclement weather are usually soft, but make a poor animal look smooth. A good rule for correct light is to always photograph cattle with the sun at your back. In this position your shadow on the ground should point directly toward the subject. If the sun shines from left to right, it will leave large, dark shadows between the ribs and below the hip bones. Every crease or wrinkle will be overemphasized by dark shadows. Not good. The prettiest, shiniest, smoothest-looking photos of cattle owe a great deal to proper lighting. Early morning or late afternoon sunlight provides a good look at your subject matter. There’s no excuse for shadows obscuring people’s view of the cattle in your photos. Make your cattle get out from under the tree and into the sunlight. (Sure it’s hot, but who’s working for whom?) Even on a bright, sunny day shadows will obscure visual detail and make your subject matter hard to see. Don’t Be A Card-Miser I often hear the complaint, “I used a whole card and didn’t get one good photo.” Don’t be surprised with such disappointing initial results... take abundant photos and make sure you get the one you want. Don’t just shoot up the card for the sake of hearing clicks, hoping the law of averages will somehow get you that perfect photo. Make every shot count. Take every picture as if it were the last one on the card. Take enough so you will have a dozen or so to pick from, to get the one you need. You can always expect to have a certain percentage of eyes closed, feet moving, ears moving back and tails switching.
Another good shot with excellent contrast along with a good stance and alert head pose. It is fun to have a dark background on a light colored critter.
Don’t Be Bashful Get close to your cattle. Don’t shoot at them from so far away that you need a magnifying glass to identify the subject. Get close enough that the animal just about fills up your camera’s entire field of vision whether normal optics or telephoto. You will have consistently better results with an average telephoto (zoom) lens. This will allow you to stand 20-60 feet away and still get a full-frame shot. Lastly, always carry a ready camera at all times and you will be prepared for capturing something really good. I use a Canon EOS 90D with a EFS 18-135 zoom. It’s not high priced, but great sharpness.
Now it is just a matter of time.
Photo’s from Austria Credit: Micha Hamersky
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The Headquarters is home to a collect of Longhorn Memorabilia. Including one of history’s longest horn steers. Stockton Ranches, King of the Road
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Last month I had the privilege to speak at the Grassfed Beef Conference at Texas A&M University. It is always a wealth of information. I would encourage you to attend beef conferences or classes and watch Youtube videos available to learn all you can about the industry and to learn the many cuts of beef. It is important to know this information so you can answer your customers questions. Just like anything else you sell in life you have to know your product. I enclosed the numbers on the carcass breakdown. At the top of the page you will see it had a Live Wt. of 1,316 lbs. a Carcass Wt. of 781 lbs. The percentage of Carcass Wt. from Live Wt. is 59.3%. This was a 38-month-old Free Martin Beefmaster Cross heifer that was grass fed and finished. These numbers show the breakdown of the Forequarter, Hindquarter and Trimmings/Waste. It shows the weight of each of the cuts and the Wholesale dollar valve. The other chart shows what the percentages for each cut is of each side carcass weight and what percentage each cut is of the life animal. If you go down to the Trimmings/Waste section you will see that the Trim, Bone and Fat make up 55.9% of the carcass weight. Just the Fat and Bone make up 35.8%. Fortunately, Longhorns don’t have as much fat as other beef breeds so the Fat percentage will go down, but the Trim and Bone still make up a large percentage of the carcass. The numbers are important to know so when you get your beef back from your processor you know what you are looking at. People ask me all the time how do you know if I’m getting all my meat back from the processor? You need to know your numbers. The other thing is market your Trim which includes: your ground beef, breakfast sausage, stew meat, summer sausage, smoked sausage and snack sticks. Steaks sell themselves. I’ve never had a problem selling steaks, I have a waiting list for people that want steaks. If you have any topics on beef you want to cover feel free to email me at dowlingjoe@yahoo.com.
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