Absolutely not. If the butcher and the chef knew what they were doing the steak would PROBABLY be acceptable. Now ask a packer if he can tell a Longhorn carcass from a good Angus carcass or if a feedlot can tell the difference between Char x Hereford cross steers and straight Longhorns. I guarantee you there is a real difference on that end and those people are the customers who actually write us our checks.
Longhorn Colors
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bwflonghorns
Member
Rustler,, good post. I have been raising longhorns for 15 years. Do fairly well with them, and my largest money maker is selling Longhorn bulls to commercial breeders.. average about 12 bull a year to ranchers that realize that putting a LH bull on their first year heifers is a good economic choice. I do admit that I have 5 generations of solid black LH's..but.. that does not mean they will never get colors, spots, specs, brindle whatever. They do and I have several as well. I have several repeat customers who just love the bulls, do pretty well on the calves and their young ladies bred back fast as they are not all ripped up from having their 1st calves. They have also commented on how fast those LH babies get going after birth.. tearing around the pasture at a few hours old, healthy as can be. I have run into a few that just cant get past the wild and crazy longhorns of the late 1800's and early 1900's.. my response? I ask what other business decisions they base on truisms of 100+ years ago.
They are the easiest breed to raise, make excellent beef, if you prefer all natural and not gobs of fat.. intelligent critters, quess u know all that!
Happy Longhorn Trails to you
They are the easiest breed to raise, make excellent beef, if you prefer all natural and not gobs of fat.. intelligent critters, quess u know all that!
Happy Longhorn Trails to you
Rustler9,
In my experience purebred longhorn beef is the best eating that I've come across. I talked to a guy in South Dakota a few years ago that I noticed was fattening two steers. I asked him about it and he said that they produced tender and heavily marbled steaks that were great. He had even sold longhorn beef to his some of his angus producing neighbors. He had invited them over for a barbeque and they asked if they could buy some to take home with them.
I run mine on grass and hay until they are two and then put them in the lot. The fact that they need more time to get enough frame, probably excludes them from the assembly line commercial beef business, but I want the best eating steak for myself, so I'll always use longhorn.
In my experience purebred longhorn beef is the best eating that I've come across. I talked to a guy in South Dakota a few years ago that I noticed was fattening two steers. I asked him about it and he said that they produced tender and heavily marbled steaks that were great. He had even sold longhorn beef to his some of his angus producing neighbors. He had invited them over for a barbeque and they asked if they could buy some to take home with them.
I run mine on grass and hay until they are two and then put them in the lot. The fact that they need more time to get enough frame, probably excludes them from the assembly line commercial beef business, but I want the best eating steak for myself, so I'll always use longhorn.
Actually, one of the reasons the angus CAB program is changing their program to a tagged and traceable system is the fact that used longhorn ropers were meeting CAB specs at a much greater percentage than angus. One of the sayings at the packers is "once the hides off they're all angus". And, I sure don't blame the angus assoc. for trying to do something about it. Everyone is trying to jump on the bandwagon that their brilliant marketing program created.
DOC HARRIS
Well-known member
warpaint-warpaint":zso6jlbn said:
I accept your "compelling" argument without question! Well presented, and coming from a Longhorn breeder's point of view, I concur exactly. If everyone wanted exactly the same thing, - - everybody would be after my wife! And she doesn't have horns, or a speckled hide! But she is a darned nice "heifer"!
DOC HARRIS
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
For fear of being redundant and fighting a losing battle with "non-Longhorn" breeders...
I fully concur with the comments of Rustler9, bwflonghorns, and Jensen. They pretty much said it!
On a sidebar...
The cattle industry would be a much "nicer" and more "sociable" place if people would just stop knocking the programs, breeds, and benefits/disadvantages of ranchers that don't agree with them...
Seems like too many people get their bananas peeled by running down others' programs... Kicking someone down doesn't make the kicker stand taller...
;-) :stop:
I fully concur with the comments of Rustler9, bwflonghorns, and Jensen. They pretty much said it!
On a sidebar...
The cattle industry would be a much "nicer" and more "sociable" place if people would just stop knocking the programs, breeds, and benefits/disadvantages of ranchers that don't agree with them...
Seems like too many people get their bananas peeled by running down others' programs... Kicking someone down doesn't make the kicker stand taller...
;-) :stop:
Running Arrow Bill":zz8mkdgg said:
Hey Running Arrow
You know my opinion of the LH - you are sounding defensive - maybe not trying - but to me you are getting there.
The animal crosses with everything, tastes good, can live under abysmal conditions, eats almost nothing, grows well even when hungry, never has a prob calving and is a real good "first time bull on heifers".
There are those who know and those who do not. Let those who know keep coming back for more. Let those who do not know learn by you guys just repeating the same story over and over again.
Had 'em in the past, would have them again if I needed them - and would laugh at those who think I am the fool.
Bez!
Running Arrow Bill":1ktxrsr8 said:
We have used a Longhorn heifer bull here before and didn't lose or pull a calf (sadly he got culled after my Grandfather fished him out of a neighbor's pool; but I don't hold that against the breed). I MIGHT use a Longhorn heifer bull in the future so IF I choose to throw stones it is meant purely as constructive criticism.
I can point to a couple of dozen posts where Longhorn breeders in the past have savaged the cattle of other Longhorn breeders who they felt were too "beefy". IF a beefier Longhorn can be criticized for looking too much like a beef cow; then it is only fair that a lite muscled Longhorn that was bred solely for long horns and a pretty hide can be criticized for it's faults.
warpaint
Well-known member
Brandonm,
I know the two dozen or so posts you are talking about. A beefier longhorn is ok. How you go about getting it is where the criticisms come in. There are some breeders out there that cross their animals with a beef sire or cow and try to pass them off as purebred just for the sake of getting beefier calves.
I also would like to raise bigger and better, but not at the risk of diluting the breed. The process of using genetics to gain this end is slow, but that is the route that I am taking. I will not sacrifice horn or hide to gain this end.
I know the two dozen or so posts you are talking about. A beefier longhorn is ok. How you go about getting it is where the criticisms come in. There are some breeders out there that cross their animals with a beef sire or cow and try to pass them off as purebred just for the sake of getting beefier calves.
I also would like to raise bigger and better, but not at the risk of diluting the breed. The process of using genetics to gain this end is slow, but that is the route that I am taking. I will not sacrifice horn or hide to gain this end.
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
Bez... didn't mean to sound "defensive"...I'm anything but that (in reality). Issue is that there is MUCH to learn from cattle people of all breeds... bovines are bovines. If I appear defensive it is not about Longhorns... it is about "intolerance" of those who bash other's breeds. 
We butcher one of our Longhorns every year. Love the taste and lack of backfat. Lean, yes. We by choice eat a lot of ground beef... and roasts, steaks. I'm a picky meat eater and can't stand obvious fat on my fork... thus, Longhorn beef highly appeals to me.
We've sold a number of bulls and some lease-outs of LH's to area commercial ranchers. Some had been having 20+ % losses and a lot of pulling (Charlolais, Brangus, Hereford, Angus, Beefmaster, and mixed breeds); and, these area ranchers are considered to be "successful" and long-term ranchers. The ranchers that have used our Longhorn bulls have not had to pull ANY calves and haven't lost or damaged any of their heifers or cows. Enuf said... ;-)
We've updated our website with some new pictures.
Yes, our calves hit the ground running at just a few hours old, and are up and nursing in less than an hour. (Only lost 1 here in past 5 years...was breech birth, mama didn't breed back... she went to sale barn).
Yea!! We finally got some slow rain... almost .8" so far and more forecast over next 24 hours
We butcher one of our Longhorns every year. Love the taste and lack of backfat. Lean, yes. We by choice eat a lot of ground beef... and roasts, steaks. I'm a picky meat eater and can't stand obvious fat on my fork... thus, Longhorn beef highly appeals to me.
We've sold a number of bulls and some lease-outs of LH's to area commercial ranchers. Some had been having 20+ % losses and a lot of pulling (Charlolais, Brangus, Hereford, Angus, Beefmaster, and mixed breeds); and, these area ranchers are considered to be "successful" and long-term ranchers. The ranchers that have used our Longhorn bulls have not had to pull ANY calves and haven't lost or damaged any of their heifers or cows. Enuf said... ;-)
We've updated our website with some new pictures.
Yes, our calves hit the ground running at just a few hours old, and are up and nursing in less than an hour. (Only lost 1 here in past 5 years...was breech birth, mama didn't breed back... she went to sale barn).
Yea!! We finally got some slow rain... almost .8" so far and more forecast over next 24 hours
Rustler9
Well-known member
topsquar,
Don't know where you're seeing sheath-not alot of that in a Longhorn. As for hide-yeah, it's nice to look at isn't it? Not so boring as some of the other breeds where they're all the same color.....
Don't know where you're seeing sheath-not alot of that in a Longhorn. As for hide-yeah, it's nice to look at isn't it? Not so boring as some of the other breeds where they're all the same color.....
