Longhorns???

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TxLongHorn920

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Nicholasville, Kentucky
Hey yall

Im new to this thing...so howdy
im currently studyin in ag and am plannin on a cattle farm in oklahoma with my family... Ive been researchin a lot on the texas longhorn lately and was wonderin if anybody out there runs em... or even just a little on the side. If so, do yall find em efficient? I know theyre a little leaner and wont hold the wait like the traditionals... But dont they do well in the fertility and disease resistance department? My family runs mostly mixed angus with some brahman but Ive become greatly interested in the makeup of the longhorn...just wanted to hear some expert opinions...
thanks
 
There are a couple of Longhorn breeders on these boards with some very impressive cattle, who should be able to give you some info.

As far as them being as you said "leaner and not hold the weight like the traditionals", as far as I can figure out, there seems to be two 'strains' of longhorn, a show type versus a traditional or horn type. Take a look at Ryans animals compared to the other Longhorns posted here. They tend to have muscle patterns similar to more traditional breeds, and are certainly long and thick.

Good luck with it :D
 
Hi! Welcome to the board!

Yes, there are different "thrusts" from breeders of longhorns. The historic, traditional longhorn that roamed Texas and areas of the USA several hundred years ago were "lean, mean, and wild."

HOWEVER, in recent times, they have been bred to have better bodies, mild temperaments, etc., etc.

IMO, the "Show" Longhorns are not always the representative look of the Texas Longhorn: they have more of a "beef" look at the sacrifice of their namesake "horn" which do not seem tobe the focus of the show people...and those judges. Do not be misled by the "look" of the show cattle: go to various websites of Longhorn breeders. One excellent source of many breeders websites and samples of their stock is: http://www.longhornsalepen.com which is located in South Kansas. Breeders from all over the country have listings there.

Anyway there are many LH breeders that are breeding for a "balance" of traits: excellent horn + quality body.

On a final note, check out Running Arrow Farm's website (see signature line this post). We are striving for a balance of body, horn, color, and other stuff.

As I have already noted, the "Shows" are not representative of the characterictic look of the Texas Longhorn in pasture condition and environment, as is typical of most livestock shows.
 
Welcome to the Boards!

Longhorns are a leaner breed. Again you are right about the disease resistance and fertility. They also have tremendous longevitity and maternal instincts, and cross well with many different breeds. They are extremely adaptable, and can be found being raised efficiently everywhere from deep south Texas all the way up into Canada (the Alberta Texas Longhorn affiliate is celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year). I have seen Longhorns crossed with Angus, Brahman, Red Angus, Charolais, MaineX, Simmental and Limousin. All the crosses looked good. THey are born small and hit the ground running and growing. On their own they do not compete with other breeds... however, when crossed right, and starting with quality stock, Longhorn crosses do very well, and Longhorn cross moms are excellent.

Thank you to Keren for the compliment on my animals. If you take at look at the website for the ranch I work for you can see what she is talking about: http://www.shopsanddollarranch.com . We run them about an hour or so northwest of Fort Worth, and we are very happy with them. We raise them for show, but emphasize beef, structural correctness, and functionality. We will not win any awards for horn, but all of ours have them. We continually strive to breed the best animal we can, and have been very successful in the show ring with them.

As I have already noted, the "Shows" are not representative of the characterictic look of the Texas Longhorn in pasture condition and environment, as is typical of most livestock shows.

I would disagree with this statement. As not all longhorns in the pasture condition and environment are the same. That is one of the great things about longhorns is their versitility and differences within the breed. Our show animals do very well in the pasture and the show ring. I go to many shows across the country every year, I know the show side of the industry very well, and would say that the animals at the show tend to do very well in the pasture. The selection, management and overall goals of breeding programs are geared different for the show ring versus breeders trying to develop horn or not showing in general. Not saying either are better at selection or management, just they are different, but both can be successful in the pasture.

I wish you good luck if you do get some longhorns. I believe if you start with good, quality stock you will be very happy with the longhorns. They are a great cow with a tremendous history, and can still be extremely useful in the beef industry today.

Ryan
 
I did not mean to imply that "Show" Longhorns were not suitable for the "pasture."

What I meant was (and applies to ALL breeds) is that animals going to the Show arena are supposedly a producer's "pick of the litter" in terms of body condition, grooming, and temperament: the objective is to display one's top end stock, advertise, market, and network...of course, it always helps to win ribbons to promote one's program....

As such "pasture condition" IMO refers to any breed, any genetics, any average or better management practices which display the animal in a more "natural" environment. The show ring is not a natural environment for any species of animal.

As such, one can find bony, rangy, cruddy livestock in any breed (or pasture) as well as quality, well-fed & cared for animals. It pays any individual to research as many different breeders as possible to get a good idea of the variety of Longhorns (or other breeds) that are available.

Then, and then only, can one develop a functional picture in their mind what the characteristic breed of animal does and/or should look like.
 
thanks for the information guys. Ryan yall got some beautiful animals on that ranch...a gorgeous place too. Probably a dream for most people on here. And about the cross breeding... What mix would be best suited for south central to south western oklahoma if only raised for beef or horn and no interest in shows? How are the Brahman mixes? I would assume those would be extremely adaptable and withstand the hot temperatures of the southwest with ease. And the Angus cross would be a great choice for beef I assume. What mix (if any) would you perfer. And how common are they? Also, what are the advantages/disadvantages of the Longhorn when compared to the traditional breeds?
 
Just for the record I didnt mean to say that the 'show' type Longhorns were better than the traditionals, I just wanted to point out that there are the various types.

Ryan, you do have some great looking animals on your site. I like the young bull Iron Will.

Wish I lived in America. I would be seriously thinking about getting into Longhorns. Closest thing we have around here is the RM Williams logo :lol:
 
I think the brahman cross would be somewhat counter-productive. You would breeding for the strengths of both breeds (versatility, disease resistance, heat) and that would also highlight the negatives both breeds share (generally less than ideal beef). The most common cross for longhorns is Charolais. However if you were to use a very heavily muscled black angus you could do just as well, maybe better, since the calves would be black. One thing about the Char X calves is, eventhough they may come out spotted, by weaning age they tend to have a solid cream colored appearrance. You could always use a solid red simm/limm bull and get mostly red calves. Whichever you like best, I think the longhorn cross would work well in that area, i know some purebred longhorn breeders in that region that do very well with them, not much crossing... but they say they work well in that region.

Ryan
 
Use the Charolais to breed the spots off of them. I learned this from an old sale barn operator. Spotted cattle will get you a discount when you are selling.

On a positive note, I have only seen one or two longhorn cows with udder problems. That is one of their strengths. Just need to breed for a solid color and a little more beefiness.
 
we have a longhorn/limo cross that is showing to be a great momma, her fisrt calf was this year and she was bred to a beefmaster bull, this lil heifer calf she dropped is blowing the pants off of my beefmaster calves and my angus/beefmaster calves, i am really impressed with the cross, on top of that she was the cheapest price heifer i ever bought at 1 yr old, $300. and man i would buy more if i could find em
 
For current and/or prospective Longhorn people, there are some excellent lists easily obtainable of Longhorn breeders around the country. In particular, the ITLA (International Texas Longhorn Association) http://www.itla.com has an online list of members/breeders that you can view and/or print out by State. I do not think that TLBAA (Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America) has that option and/or service to those who inquire (as well as their current members).

Also, another good source of breeders, including some mini webpages as well as links to their websites, location, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. can be found on http://www.longhornsalepen.com

The above sources are good for the inquirer to view all different types of Longhorns that are being produced and marketed in the USA.

I think one "secret" to getting involved in Longhorns is to view as many different types as you can and not be "brainwashed" into think any one bloodline, phenotype, color pattern, show record, etc., etc. is the "final word" in the Longhorn industry.

JMO ;-)

A final caveat: Full color, full page advertisements of cattle in the trade association journals do not necessarily reflect the "best" producers, etc., ... it merely reflects those who have big bucks to afford these impressive advertisements. Some of the "best" breeders in the industry rarely, if ever, advertise...their business is acheived via reputation and word-of-mouth advertising... Of course this tactic is also well represented in all forms of business enterprises.
 

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