Volume 2, Issue 4 July/August 2014NEWSLETTER

7 OriginalLonghorn Families

ETLA YouthAutobahn Results

ETLA at 50th TLBAA

Celebration

Meet Your ETLA Officers

w w w . fa c e b o o k . c o m / E a s t T e x a s L o n g h o r n A s s o c i a t i o nON THE COVER... During the Ranch Tour of our Annual Spring Meetingin the Pasture at Ron and Barb Marquess - “Shadow’s Jubilee” (a clone)and her calf pose with beauty. Photo by Amy Weatherholtz, ETLA Pres.

Next Issue August 2014 deadline is July 20th.But, don’t wait until the deadline, start sending the information in today!

E T L A N e w s l e t t e r

E T L A O f f i c e r s

E T L A Y o u t h o f f i c e r s

E T L A B o a r d o f d i r e c t o r s

e t l a Y o u t h a d v i s o r y b o a r d

Amy Weatherholtz7994 CR 1115 • Athens, Texas 75751ETLAPresident@gmail.com

L o n g h o r n L o v i n g s ,Amy Weatherholtz�

ETLA President

ETLA Fr iends & Fami l y ,

Editors Note: I will try to publish articles from Mr. Darol Dickinson, with Dickinson Cattle Co., Inc. he has been gracious enough to sharehis knowledge and photos. You can find more of his articles at www.dickinsonlonghorn.net.

If you have an article or would like to see a particular topic, please send an e-mail to

ETLASecretary@gmail.com, this would be great advertisement for your local longhorn production.

Whew! It must be summer for several reasons... 1 - It’s Al-ready TOO Hot for my liking! (Yes, I will complain about itbeing too cold too...) 2 - Kids are out of School and they justfinished the 2014 Autobahanza Show.

What an honor it is to be elected your 2014-2015 ETLAPresident. I hope you can tell my desire to learn, share andtalk longhorns. I look forward to this upcoming year andlook forward to hearing from you, this is your Affiliate pleaseinform us of suggestions, ideas, etc.

In this issue we have several articles, but take the oppor-tunity to read over “Meet Your Officers” and the ETLA YouthAutobahn Results.

We are gearing up for 2 shows in the Fall, so make sureand look at the Calendar of Events, too - but also makesure to attend or exhibit in these great shows! 

As word will quickly travel, I have accepted a position atthe Texas Longhorn Breeders of America Association asShow and Event Manager that will begin on July 1st. I willstill be heavily involved in all areas of my life as I am now,just having a different job and week-day location.

Best of wishes for a wonderful remaining Summer! 

Amy Weatherholtz, President903-681-0353

7994 CR 1115 • Athens, TX 75751ETLAPresident@gmail.com

Joel Norris, Vice-President972-533-4945

PO Box 821 • Kaufman, TX 75142joel1983@embarqmail.com

Timothy Roddam, Secretary903-852-5225

3061 VZ CR 4714Ben Wheeler, TX 75754

ETLASecretary@gmail.com

Lana Hightower, Treasurer903-963-7442

950 FM 1995 • Van, TX 75790glcattleco@aol.com

The ETLA Newsletter is published 6 times a year by ETLA Member, Amy Weatherholtz. This Newsletter is a courtesy to theAffiliate and can not be responsible for in accurate material, or er-rors. This is a non-profit publication. Weatherholtz does not receiveany fundage from any entitys for her contributions.

President - Madison OlliveVice-President - Haley Calhoun

Secretary - Tarah Moore Treasurer - Shyanne McClendon

Reporter - Alexzandria RiveraJunior Director - Avery Roesler Intermediate Director - Open Teen Director - Lanie LampierSenior Director - Tracy Weldon

Connie Ollive (past President), Gene Hightower, Brenda Oliver, Jesse Rivera, James Roesler,

Kurt Twining, John Powell, Tom Miller,and Jacob Weatherholtz

Timothy Roddham •  Amy Weatherholtz

August 6-9, 2014TLBAA World Show

Will Rogers Memorial Center • Fort Worth, TX (817) 625-6241

tlbaa@tlbaa.org • www.tlbaa.org Qualifying Haltered, Free & Youth.

September 26-28, 2014East Texas State Fair

The dates for the East Texas State Fair have been changedto Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 26, 27 & 28th.Haltered an Non-Haltered will show on Saturday andYouth on Sunday. Cattle must be in place by Friday at4pm. There will be less congestion loading and unloadingas we will be the only cattle breed showing on these dates.

For more information, contact: Lana Hightower903-963-7442 or 903-681-1093.

October 24-26, 2014Ark-La-Tex Annual Fall Show

George Henderson Expo Center • Lufkin, TXTina DuBose dubosetina@yahoo.comQualifying Haltered, Free & Youth

November 21-23, 2014 KPA Show

Henderson County Fair Park Complex • Athens, TX Come and Join Us for the 4th Annual Show! You don’twant to Miss It! Might be a NEW LOCATION, But still a

Good Show! For Show packets please go towww.kaufmanpoliceassociation.org or www.4NLonghornRanch.com

For more information, contact: Joel Norris at (972) 533-4945 or joel1983@embarqmail.com

Calendar of Events

ETLA MEMBERS PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR UPCOMING EVENTS, ACTIVITIES, SALES TO BE LISTED HERE, DESCRIPTION AT NO CHARGE. SEND YOUR INFO TO ETLASECRETARY@GMAIL.COM

RECAP OF ANNUAL ETLA SPRING MEETINGTwenty-five adults and 13 youth signed the ros-

ter for the East Texas Longhorn Association's an-nual meeting, May 17, held at Marquess ArrowRanch in Ben Wheeler, Tx and hosted by Ron andBarbara Marquess. Following a presentation byRon Marquess on Cattle Genetics, Youth andScholarship Committees and updates on upcom-ing shows at Tyler (East Texas State Fair, September 26-28) and Athens (sponsored bythe Kaufman Police Association, November 21-23) the following officers were elected for 2014-15: President - Amy Weatherholtz, Vice-President- Joel Norris, Secretary - Timothy Roddam, andTreasurer - Lana Hightower. New membersadded to the Board of Directors included GeneHightower, Brenda Oliver, Jesse Rivera, andJames Roesler. These join other directors withunexpired terms who are Kurt Twining, John

Powell, Tom Miller and Jacob Weatherholtz.Timothy Roddam and Amy Weatherholtz serve

as the affiliate youth advisors.Upon the conclusion of business, attendees

enjoyed a barbecue luncheon after which youthtargeted sessions on Parliamentary Procedureand Longhorn Showmanship (complete with liveanimals) facilitated by Sarah Galloway, Agriscience Instructor at Ferris High School. Theday climaxed with a ranch tour guided by RonMarquess. East Texas Longhorn Association wel-comes new members: Jamie & Tim Osborn,George Avalos, Scott & Kristi Rozell, Jesus &Diane Rivera, Jesse Rivera, Eric Smith, ElizabethWest and Jeff Skidmore. Calls for informationmay be directed to President Amy Weatherholtz(903) 681-0353 or ETLAPresident@gmail.comor Secretary Timothy Roddam at (903) 681-3161

Submitted by Timothy Roddam, ETLA Secretary

President

Vice-President

MEET YOUR ELECTED

Amy Weatherholtz903-681-0353

aweatherholtz@live.com7994 CR 1115

Athens, Texas 75751

Born and raised in East Texas, Amy Weatherholtz has been submerged in agricul-ture from day one. Not many people can say they had their dream job, and at theage of 4, she wanted to be a “pig farmer.” She was able to obtain that goal and raisedand exhibited pigs all across the State of Texas for 10 years, and eventually manageda large swine production farm. Amy married Jacob Weatherholtz in March of 2009 and shortly later they started

raising Registered Texas Longhorns on Blossom Ridge Ranch located in Athens,Texas.

Her dedication and passion for the breed only increases daily since their first purchase of these magnificent cattle which she believes represent; God’s Beauty &Grace, in one animal.

Amy has served last year as the East Texas Longhorn Association Secretary andcreated the ETLA Newsletter which is found online and served on the ETLA YouthAdvisory Board. In May, she was elected ETLA President. She has been very activewithin the affiliate; helping out at the shows and fundraising for the ETLA Youth.

Also, having 15 years experience in graphic design, editorial writing and photography, she looks forward to getting to know each and everyone in the showcircuit and sales events.

She received her Associate Degree of Arts in Communication from Trinity ValleyCommunity College and later received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with aemphasis in News/Editorial and a minor in Español from the University of Texas atTyler in 2011.

As of July 1st, Amy is employed by the Texas Longhorn Breeders of America Association as the Show and Event Manager.

Joel Norris972-533-4945

joel1983@embarqmail.comPO Box 821

Kaufman, Texas 75142

Hello, my name is Joel Norris from the 4N Longhorn Ranch in Kaufman, Texas. I'vebeen raising Texas Longhorns since May of 2002. I got my first Longhorn from myparents, Al & Glada Norris for my high school graduation present. I became a member of the TLBAA in March of 2003. I became a member of East TexasLonghorn Association several years ago and was elected on the ETLA Board of Direc-tors in 2012. I then was elected to be the ETLA Vice President in May of 2014. I'mready to help make a change.

I have shown this breed at longhorn shows for a number of years. I have a riding steernamed Measles Revenge. Measles & I love going to the shows & opening the showswith the National Anthem & much more!!! He & I go & ride in parades as well go to dif-ferent events to let people see the Texas Longhorn up close. We have people comefrom all over. I have also went along with then Kaufman Police Association & becomethe show chairman for the Kaufman Police Association Longhorn Show. Enough withme & Longhorns, I also work for the City of Kaufman as the Animal Control Officer. Ihave been there since June 2008 & I still love to go out and save & help animals if Ican.

I also work different rodeos all over. I work the Mesquite Championship Rodeo andhave been there for 10-12 years now. I also work the rodeos for the kids in Lone StarHigh School Rodeo Association. I love helping & watching kids whether it be at the rodeos or show the Texas Longhorns.It's a joy to watch them grow & learn and if I can be apart of that, it's a blessing! But, in all this I do, I cannot for the most important part of my life that has helped meget where I am today beside Parents, it is the good Lord above! This is my favoriteverse, I'll leave yoy with this from Philippians 4:13 -"I can do all thing through Christwho strengthen me!"

Secretary

Treasurer

Timothy Roddam903-852-5225

ETLASecretary@gmail.com3061 VZ CR 4714

Ben Wheeler, TX 75754

Elected as Secretary of the East Texas Longhorn Association on May 17 was TimothyM. Roddam who had served on the ETLA Board of Directors since 2009. He alsoserves as Lead Youth Advisor for the affiliate.

“Dr. Tim” as he is often called, is a native of Dallas and grew up in Mesquite and on afamily-owned far in South Dallas County. He graduated from Ferris High School asValedictorian in 1968, the same school from which his mother graduated as Valedictorian in 1937. He holds a B.A. degree in Biblical Education; a M. Ed. Degreein Classroom Counseling and Guidance; and a Ph. D. in Counseling Psychology. Anordained Assemblies of God minister, he has served churches in Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Colorado. He has also administrated and taught ina number of Christian day schools, plus working in a variety of settings delivering mental health services. He is currently employed as a crisis screener for the AndrewsCenter in Smith, Van Zandt, and Henderson Counties, and is certified in crisis responseby the American Association of Suicidology. Additionally, he is President of the TylerRecovery Oriented Systems of Care, a collaboration of agencies dealing with behavioral health and substance abuse issues, and is a clinician for Michael’s Houseof Hope in Tyler, a faith-based recovery program. He holds further certification in threeareas of life, group and team coaching and often employs “the coach approach” indealing with individuals and organizations.

Dr. Tim and spouse, Debra, have been married for 42 years. They reared five sons,three of whom were adopted with special needs. They are especially proud of threegrandchildren and two great-grandchildren in Colorado. The Roddams have raisedRegistered Texas Longhorns since 2004 and have been active in the show ring, aswell. Always invested in youth, Dr. Tim has been a leader for years with the HendersonCounty 4-H program and the Henderson County Livestock Show Association. Cometo an East Texas show, and you may just hear him announcing!

Lana Hightower903-963-7442

glcattleco@aol.com950 FM 1995

Van, Texas 75790

Dr Gene and Lana purchased their first Longhorns in the fall of 1993 and began a loveaffair with this magnificent breed of cattle. For the first ten years, their cattle programwas a concentrated effort to produce champions in the show ring with correct conformation, eye catching color and good horn. G&L Cattle company produced 13World Class champions, 1 Grand Champion and 1 Reserve Champion and recently, aHorn Showcase class winner. For the past ten years, specific horn genetics have introduced into the herd for increased horn length and twist.

Dr Gene & Lana have been involved with the East Texas Longhorn Association sinceits inception as the “Good Time Gang”. Lana has served as President, Vice President,Secretary, Treasurer and party planner. The ETLA hosts the Longhorn division at theEast Texas State Fair each year and the Hightowers have been the superintendentsfor this event for the past 18 years. The show has increased over the years from 22entries to over 260.

Lana is currently serving her 7th term on the TLBAA Board of Directors, with 4 yearsas Executive Vice Chairman. She has been involved in all levels of the Associationfrom Chairing the World Show circuit committee, serving on the Horn Showcase Committee, Building Committee and the 50th Anniversary Committee. She also enjoysjudging Longhorn shows, futurities and conducting judging clinics and seminars.

Lana has said “We are truly blessed to be living our dream with this magnificent Longhorn breed of cattle and are grateful for the friendships that they have made alongthe way”!

Together they have 5 Children & 18 Grandchildren.

LONGHORN HISTORYRevised 2-22-2012By Darol Dickinson

www.dickinsonlonghorn.netTEXAS LONGHORN cattle come inhundreds of shapes, sizes, colors andhorn configurations. These unique na-ture designed features have all beenpreserved by seven groups of peoplewith seven different origins and sevendifferent genetic bases. All seven arepure Longhorn, yet specific traits earmark each family with a special stamp.The true connoisseurs of the breedspot these characteristics and pointwith recognition concerning theirvirtues.

I've been asked by several people towrite this information down. I believe itto be correct as old timers and theirhave related it to me. I do not pretendto write down all the individual good orbad traits of the seven herds. I also donot criticize these old time producersfor their efforts, which may appearsomewhat lacking on records. No onepaid any premium for breed purity orany other of several similar virtues 50to 100 years ago.

Prior to the perpetuation of the sevenfamilies the wild cattle herds of Texaspossessed Spanish, Oxen and Euro-pean blood. They were and are todaya mix of breeds blended and refined bythe elements of time, stress and sur-vival.

At the beginning of the registry in1964, a 100% visual inspection pro-gram was implemented to assure pu-rity and type. Registered Longhornstoday trace to ancestry verified for pu-rity by this careful visual inspection.

Modern DNA methods have deter-mined a uniqueness of similarity in kin-ship among pure Longhorns and a

distant blood common to most otherprominent cattle breeds. Longhorn pu-rity cannot be determined by modernblood typing due to the lack of a database on all families of pure Longhornsduring the true time of breed origin.

The "seven families" were for the mostpart unrelated. They are Phillips,Wright, Butler, Marks, Wichita Refuge,Yates and Peeler. There are said to beother unrelated families, but the num-bers are very small and no othergroups with origins this old are com-monly referred to in Texas Longhorncircles. All "seven families" originated

in the early 1930's and before. Allseven were separate from other herdswith minimal exchanges of blood stockprior to 1932.

Each of the seven families introduceda blend of new genetics to avoid in-breeding after their herds matured.The major show winning and sale top-ping cattle are blend genetics, mostlya combination of Phillips, Butler,Wright and WR families in that order.The single family line-bred herds havenot sold well except in well managedButler family sales. The pure familyherd program doesn't allow breeders

Near the Ft. Worth., Texas Stock Yards the largest bronze monumentin Texas has been erected with seven bigger-than-life Longhornsteers to memorialize the seven pioneer Longhorn herds. The bronzewas cast by world famous sculptor Terry Kelsey of Guthrie, Texas.Within the body cavity of the Philips family representative was placedcertain actual bones from the most famous Longhorn sire of all time,Texas Ranger. This fabulous work of art is titled "Texas Gold."

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the out cross genetic privilege of theother six Longhorn families.

In 1939 J. Frank Dobie wrote "TheLonghorns", where the major themeencouraged preservation of the TexasLonghorn. Today with over 200,000registered, many read his book andjoin the preservation call. The breed it-self has been preserved. Only twosegments are nearly extinct. They arethe corkscrew horn and the wine colorfactors.

At Dickinson Cattle Co., Inc. no one ofthe seven pure families is bred assuch, but rather a "blend" of superiorindividuals representing the top genet-ics of the most popular pure families.Each family has one or more faults orweaknesses. Fortunately, each familycompliments another when properlymated. The major show winning cattlehave been "blends" of Texas Ranger,Butler, Wright and Wichita Refugefamilies. No pure family has achievedmajor show success when compared

to blends. The key is the ability toblend superior individuals to compliment the total correct result.

In summary, all seven families aregreat cattle. Each has strong andweak points. A Longhorn program designed for the future that is prof-itable and successful will need to carefully consider which family lines topursue. This decision will be the mostsignificant any Longhorn breeder hasto make if a profitable business is desired.

MARKS FAMILYMARKS cattle were the thrill and satisfaction of Emil Marks to raise andenjoy. The late Emil Marks was fondlyremembered by Maudeen and Traviswho actively pursued the goals of theirwise old father. Mr. Marks raised a lotof twisty horned, brindle cattle, withstrong red, dun and brown coloration.

Most of the pure Marks blood was lostin the late 1960's as a result of Bangsdisease. Hardly any high percentageMarks cattle remain. The old pure

Marks were often of a V shape hornstyle similar to Brahman. Marks cattlewere often very quiet and easy to trainfor riding or pulling wagons and believed to possess oxen origin. Thenumbers available today of the pureMarks blood have been diluted andare no doubt the smallest in number ofthe seven families.

Emil Marks was a friend of Cap Yatesand did at times trade or sell to theYates family. The Marks cattle were

then a part of the old Yates stock butprobably not a large part consideringthe massive number in the Yates herd.

The Marks herd ran on sprawling,coastal grass land, west of Houston,Texas. Today the Emil Marks land is to-tally covered with city.

The pure Marks blood is nearly, orcompletely extinct. No prominent producer is working to preserve theMarks line.

YATES FAMILYYATES cattle were bred during the lifetime of Cap Yates who passedaway in the late sixties. Most of theoriginal stock were dispersed by hisfamily just after his death. The Yatesherd was about 1500 head of ruggedcows in the Big Bend area of WestTexas, near Alpine. Mr. Yates felt thatno breed of cattle offered the rancherwhat Texas Longhorns did in thatharsh area of Texas desert.

He did, in my opinion, a great job ofpreventing outside blood from enteringhis program. He honestly felt any otherblood was inferior to a small Spanishtype rugged Longhorn.

The Yates cows have every qualityneeded to produce calves in thedesert. They are structurally soundand good mothers. They are a true result of survival of the fittest.

The old Yates cattleas a group probablyweren't impressive.Many were the smallest horned andmost solid colored ofthe seven families.Today we see somebeautiful coloredYates cattle whichwere not a normalthing years ago.Yates cattle lovershave selectively bredfor the families withthe most color and there are someover 50" horned Yates cows. Theseare often very twisted as they get old.Some Yates cows are very "longheaded", "sway backed", and havehigh tail sets. Of all the seven, theyrepresent the old traditional, coarse,small and rangy type. There were afew truly magnificent Yates cows for

horn. These few 50" cows in numberprobably were one in hundreds amongYates cows. The normal Yates cowhas a small circumference and shorthorn tip to tip.

As to Yates bulls, I have never understood how to mate them. ManyYates bulls have been used but I'venever seen one with truly long horns.

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Why aren't there some Yates bulls with50" horns like Yates cows? I have no answer for that one. Most of the Yatesbulls' horns average under 36" with avery few over that. Some well known

Yates bulls possess less than 30" horntip to tip. The big horn cattle of Yatesblood are steers, and some are verycompetitive in shows in their old age.Cap Yates liked the WR cattle and

over the years traded bulls with WRseveral times. Elmer Parker, an employee at WR, felt the Yates blooddid a lot to help the WR program.

WRIGHT FAMILYWRIGHT cattle are distinctly differentfrom all the others. The old family werenearly all duns, reds and line backs.There was a unique, slight dish face inmany. They were somewhat long inbody but not real tall. Some had a longgoatee like growth of hair hangingfrom the top inner ear protecting it fromtropical insects.

The Wright herd is now managed byTracy Wright. Prior to that, the lateM.P. Wright, Jr. and son Chico enthusiastically perpetuated the herdthat was mostly started by his purchase of the Uncle John Websterherd in the early 1900's. (see Dobie'sbook 1940).

About 10% of the Dickinson CattleCo., Inc. herd is Wright blood. Wrightblood flows in some of the best cows

in the breed.

The first cow in theLonghorn breed tosell for over$10,000 was"Wright 489" whowas dam of thegreat "Doherty698." Later, aWright cow namedAlma II becamethe grandam ofSenator.

Wright cows areextra feminine, trim necks and straightbacks. The combination of Wright female lines with modern popularblend families has produced some ofthe breed's most valuable cattle.

At one time the historic Wright bloodwas intensely inbred. To stop this prac-tice, Butler, WR and many other fami-lies' bloodlines were introduced to outcross. I personally like the old founda-tion Wright blood the best.

PHILLIPS FAMILYPHILLIPS cattle are one of the oldestfamilies. The late J.G. "Jack" Phillips,Jr. of Brazoria County, Texas and hisfather were born and raised with Longhorn cattle. The herd was expanded in the late twenties by Jack'spurchase of the Melgaard herd. A moredetailed account of this historical family was featured in the Texas Longhorn Journal Summer 1980 issueentitled the "Texas Ranger Legacy."

Phillips cattle are taller and longer thanthe other herds. Some interchanging ofbulls was done with Peeler. Also agood horned Butler bull was used bythe Phillips' during the 1950's.

The Phillips cattle are every color withpossibly more solid color than someherds due to the sun burning of whitecattle in the very hot coastal climate.More large horned and big beefy bullswere used in this herd than any other.

Some of the almost lostTexas twist hornfactor is still retained inPhillips cattle.The Phillipsblood is one initself. They areindividualisticand no otherherds look exactly like theydo. They havelong legs andslightly coarse bone.

Some almost homely heads and narrow faces may be found. The Dickinson Cattle Co., Inc. herd hasabout 35% Phillips blood with a good30% or better just the Texas Rangerpart of that family.

Texas Ranger, the all-time leading sire,was raised by Phillips. The longest,tallest and most rapid gaining Longhorns all trace to this great bull. Atthis writing, every world or InternationalAll Age Champion Bull traces to TexasRanger lineage.

The Texas Ranger blood is the favoriteof leading commercial ranchers and

Wright 489

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PEELER FAMILYPEELER cattle were the first cattlepurchased by Dickinsons. In the fiftiesand sixties many people started rais-ing Longhorns because of the colorfulold Graves Peeler, a retired TexasRanger, of Atascosa County, Texas.

Peeler's efforts to establish his Long-horn program were started about thesame time as WR, in the late twentiesand early thirties. The other five herdsstarted from ten to several dozenyears earlier. Some of these old familyherds just don't have any recorded be-ginning. The Peeler, WR and Butler allhave a dated beginning. The WR herdwas the latest of origin.

The Peeler cattle are truly professionalrange cattle. He wanted his cows tocome in every year with a fat, live calfand no excuses. They lived in semi-desert, lots of mesquite, diamond backrattlers and timber wolves. Graveswanted lots of fight in his cattle. I'vebeen to sales in the late sixties thatGraves attended. When a fighty cowcame in the ring, most breeders were

not that enthusiastic. They sureweren't going to pay any extra premi-ums. Not so with Mr. Peeler. One timea WR cow come in the ring, ran overto Elmer Parker, who was horseback,and promptly tried to hook his horsedown. Elmer wheeled and got away.Mr. Peeler let out an Indian war hoop,stood up leaning on his cane andplaced the final bid. No one bid againsthim after that. This was his kind of cow. . . with fight!

The old herd that he established werefairly big cattle. Generally speakingthey were larger boned than mostLonghorns. They were excellent milk-ers and raised big fat calves. Most ofthe Peeler stock were sold at the SanAntonio Stock Yards, so pounds ofmeat were his goal. He was successfulin raising that. Some Peeler cows giveso much milk their udders becomedamaged and their productive life isreduced.

Like the Yates cattle, only a few Peelercows had the long horns. Many had a

slight Brahman look and a V shapehorn, rather than the straight out, lat-eral shape so popular today. Peelerprobably was more careless in allow-ing non-Longhorn blood to creep intohis herd than any of the other six. Whocared anyway in 1929? No one offeredany premium for purebred Longhornsthirty years before the first Longhornswere registered.

The King Ranch was the main strong-hold of Peeler blood. Some have aslight roman nose and the prominentcolor is red. Very few people usePeeler bulls today but the heavy milk-ing cows are appreciated by thosewho do.

The Peeler cattle have size, lots ofmilk and they are protective mothercows deluxe. Today the Peeler familyherd is under the management ofJustin Peeler. The Dickinson CattleCo., Inc. herd has about 3% Peelerblood.

major show winning exhibitors. Thisfamily, when properly mated, will produce adult bulls weighing 1,800 lbs.to 2,100 lbs. with horns in excess of55" tip to tip. Texas Ranger is thestrongest male line in the breed. Moreof his progeny are used in frozen

semen and embryo transfer than anyother line. Some say if it had not beenfor the growth factor that Texas Rangeradded to the breed, commercial ranch-ers would have never appreciated andrespected Longhorns as they do today.

Texas Ranger

BUTLER FAMILYBUTLER cattle trace a family matingprogram back to the early twenties.Milby Butler and son, Henry, operatedranching interests south and east ofHouston at League City.

A detailed article on the history of thisfamily of cattle appeared in the Winter1979 Texas Longhorn Journal.

Only about 1% of the registered cattlecould trace to any Butler blood prior to1975. Today they are one of the mostsought after families for those whobreed for horns.

Many Butler bulls became popular,such as Classic, Superior, Unlim-ited, Blue Horns, Dixie Hunter,Tabasco, Dixie Rebel, Conquista-dor, Bold Ruler, Man O' War,Monarch, Holman B1, Sam andothers. This family is the most pop-ular out cross to other foundationstrains.

The Butler cattle are known fortheir lateral horn. Most of thebiggest horned bulls of the breed havesome Butler blood. The Butler cow,Beauty at 58" set an early record and

her son Classic at 61" topped all bullsprior to 1980.

Classic

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WICHITA REFUGE cattle have thebest known history. The sixty-ninthcongress in 1927 provided "that not toexceed $3,000 . . . shall be expendedfor the purchase and maintenance ofa herd of long - horned or Spanishbreed of cattle . . . to the end that thepresent few examples be preservedfrom extinction." The herd was startedin the late twenties by selecting individ-uals from numerous south Texasherds. Two government forest rangerswere in charge of the $3,000 and com-pleted the task. (no one knows whygovernment forest rangers were dele-gated to the job). None of the WR pur-chases were from other major herds ofthat day. The other families of Marks,Yates, Wright, Phillips, Butler were notused as a source for the foundationWR stock. The WR cattle were se-lected from smaller obscure herds, al-though the rangers travelled right inthe same area of the major herds ofthat day. The original, traditional WRcattle were not of the horn growth,conformation or pretty colors theirmodern cattle possess. In 1968Graves Peeler serving as a LonghornAssociation inspector, commented thatthe WR had done a good job gettingthe badly swaybacked, traditional cat-tle culled from the herd.

Probably the most appreciated thingabout the WR cattle is their fine set ofpedigrees. The government herd al-ways had staff carefully record this in-formation. Until 2001 WR cattle hadcomplete pedigree records back to the

beginning of their herd. This infor-mation was appreciated by pro-ducers and had been neglectedyears ago by the other six families.A new policy was implemented bythe 2001 WR leaders to halt allpedigree records and raise a mul-tiple sire herd. Fans of WR cattlewere devastated by this seventyyear policy change.

The most famous WR bull of alltime was "WR 2935." His weight was1,260 lbs. and his horns were over 42".No other WR bull has had the popular-ity of WR 2935.

Don Quixote is believed to be the all-time leading contributor of quality ge-netics representing the WR family. Hehas sired more over 50" progeny thanany other WR bull. His progeny aremostly black and very trim of under-line. Their growth and correct typecommand respect. Nearly all pureblack longhorn cattle today trace toDon Quixote.

The WR cattle are intensely inbred.Possibly due to this, many WR cattleare somewhat smaller in size, lengthand height than other families. A directout cross to larger families will correctthis.

The WR herd in Cache, Oklahomahave calved unassisted and in manyways are managed much like wild an-imals. Each cow calves within a fewminutes walk of hungry government

protected coyotes. This means everycow learns to be a good mother orends up without a calf.

Probably more solid color bulls havebeen used on the WR cows than mostherds. There is a commitment by WRmanagement to perpetuate Spanishtype or Longhorns as they historicallywere. It is not felt the old cattle wereconsistently highly colorful, which I'msure is correct in general. The dynamiccolors seen today, have been bred intoherds by special selection because ofpublic appeal. These were not tradi-tional colors.

More WR blood is available in the na-tion than any other family. This is dueto availability as a result of their manyannual surplus sales. Roughly 50% to70% of all Texas Longhorn cattle pos-sess high percentages of WR blood.This availability creates WR bulls inlarge numbers and therefore they nor-mally sell fairly economically. Thislarge number of WR cows makes it im-portant for producers to utilize bulls ofthe other six families. WR is not well

WICHITA REFUGE FAMILY

It appears the old Butler cattlehave practically no blood foundin the other six families as far asdirect association. They are verydifferent by body type and DNA.

Record prices in the Longhornworld were paid for Butler cattleduring the 1980's. Blend Butlerblood still tops most sales. It isdifficult to predict progeny colorof most Butler cattle. They fall toa white color often with dark

ears, nose, eyes and ankles.

The Butler cattle are nearly as intensely inbred as WR. Many Butlercattle are also small, much like WR.

About 15% of the Dickinson Cattle Co.,Inc. herd is Butler blood. They theleading source of the old corkscrewhorn twist.

Droop Horn

Measles

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appreciated for herd sires.

Over the years WR has made an effortto place a small amount of new bloodin their herd. Several bulls were ac-quired from Yates. One Phillips andone Butler bull were used. The bull,Bold Ruler, was donated to WR by theDickinson family and his WR brandedcalves were the highest selling in thehistory of WR.

When evaluating WR bulls, their hornsare more curled forward and up likethe Spanish fighting bulls, rather thanthe wider lateral horn spreads that aremore popular today. Most WR bullshave a clean sheath but many haveexcess lower neck and brisket skincausing a somewhat buffalo like sil-houette. This is not the case with allWR bulls. Probably less than 10% of

the bulls raised by WRever reach up to 40" hornspans. Most mature WRbulls weigh 1,100 to1,400 lbs. depending onhealth conditions. Theirshoulder height willrange from 52" to 54".Which reveals theirSpanish influence.

WR cows are very femi-nine. Some are colorful.They are consistentlyabove average for milk production be-cause the fattest heifers were for yearsretained for replacements, concentrat-ing this factor. Dickinson Cattle Co.,Inc. is about 30% WR blood.

The most famous cow ever producedby WR was "Measles." Her blood is

highly sought by most prominent Long-horn producers. WR cattle are moder-ate in size and horn growth. They arethe most numerous of all seven fami-lies because of availability at an an-nual surplus auction which began in1942. Due to the major numbers ofWR cattle sold annually, they often sellfor low prices.

Don Quixote

Dr. Timothy M. Roddam, delivered the keynote address at the annual Ferris FFA banquet on May 8 atFerris High School. A sizeable number of Ferris students have exhibited Longhorn cattle for over adecade. Dr. Roddam, a FHS graduate and Valedictorian of the Class of 1968, spoke to the students on a new campus, much larger and morecontemporary than the campus he attended, and emphasized the following guideposts for living a life ofsignificance and meaning that he learned while at Ferris:

1. It is never right to do wrong to achieve a favorableoutcome (the end never justifies the mean).

2. Do right if the stars fall! Never mind the cost.

3. Little things stop little people. "The test of your char-acter is what it takes to stop you."

4. Always decide issues on the basis of principle,never make a decision on the basis of personality,popularity, prestige, or price.

5. It is a crime to do less than one's best.

6. Happiness is never found by pursuing it. It is always the by-product of fulfilling one's duty, (the noblest word in the English language.)

7. Make your "mess" your "message" and your "test"your "testimony".

Roddam who is also Secretary of the East TexasLonghorn Association and active in the HendersonCounty 4-H program and Henderson County Livestock Show Association, closed his address by relating how his mother overcame abuse, family dysfunction and Depression-Era proverty, in EllisCounty to graduate at age 15 from Ferris High Schoolas the Valedictorian of the Class of 1937, receiving herdiploma as she walked across the same stage Dr.Roddam would walk across 31 years later. He stated,"Her embodiment of these principles established afoundation for my life at Ferris and up to this very moment," and expressed gratitude for the relationshiphe continues to enjoy with Ferris FFA.

M E M B E R S I N A C T I O NETLA YOUTH ADVISOR GUEST SPEAKER AT FERRIS FFA BANQUET

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Barb & Ron Marquess and Sandy & Doug Stotts

Diane & Jess

e Sr. Riveria

Lana Hightower & Connie Olilive

ETLA members attended the TLBAA 50th Celebration in Mayheld at the River Ranch in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Photos on this page by: Alex Riveria and Jacob Weatherholtz

James & Amy Roesler

Jesse Jr. & Alex Riveria

Mike Coston

Joel Lemley & Crowd

Leather & Lace Fashion Show Models

Betty Baker & Lana

Hightower

Youth SHOW NEWS

Submit your show experiences to ETLASecretary@Gmail.com

Emily Calhoun 6th place in the Junior Showmanship,5th place with Steer VL Iron Man, 3rd place in theJunior Sculpture Art Contest.

Savanah Calhoun 5th place with Bull VL QuantiumWings, 9th place with Steer BRR Wild Lightening Bill,3rd place in Intermediate Livestock Judging, and 1stplace in Relay Race.

Haley Calhoun 7th place with Heifer BRR DoubleStuffed, 5th place with Steer VL Quantium Rodeo, 5thplace with Bull VL Jet Eye, 4th place with Bull SCCNorigard, 7th with Heifer BRR Pistol Peach.

Avery Roesler All Around Junior Showmanship, AgMechanics 2nd place, Essay 3rd place, JuniorHeifers - R4 Carrotcake 7th place, Sanddollar Journey 2nd place, Intermediate Heifers - R4 RedVelvet 1st place, HD Buttermilk 1st place, Senior Females - R4 Trail of Roses 3rd place, Bulls- R4 Mr.B 2nd place, Junior Steers - R4 Captain America 8thplace, R4 Resistance 2nd place, Senior Steer - R4Wolverine 4th place

JP Roesler 5th place in Junior Showmanship

Madison Ollive 4th in class 14 with Sarcee MajesticLady, 4th in class 20 with C7CC Lieutenant, 10th inclass 38 with MOJO Shadow Dancer, 4th in class 53with Sourdough, 3rd in livestock judging in the teendivision.Won the teen division in wood and got woodgrand champion.

Alexas Hynes heifer G&L Sidewinder Sue got 3rd,and Steer Rojo got 7th.

Shyanne McClendon Junior Photography 1st place,Ag Mechanics - 1st place, Speech - 7th place, Extemporaneous Essay - 2nd place, Quiz - 2ndplace, Livestock Judging - 3rd place, Showmanship- 2nd place, Jr All Around Exhibitor (2 yrs n a row).She exhibited 9 head and had 1 class winner(w/heifer Shy's Darlene), 1 second n class (w/ heiferShy's Star), 4 third in classes (2 jr heifers Shy's MerryMary n Shy's Red E Girl, 2 steers - Shy's Patch n 4KKing Richard), 7th place w bull, 4K Dancer, and a10th place w bull 4K Little Nickle.

Other ETLA Youth Exhibitors but no results reportedby time of press. Jorge Avalos, Crystal Avalos,

Tarah Moore, Alexanderia Rivera, and Carter

Smith.

AutobahnanzaSubmitted by: Alexanderia Rivera,

ETLA Youth Reporter

The 2014 Autobahnanza is a wrap! It was a lot of funand a lot of memories! At the show there was every-thing from a relay race, where you rode a mechanicalbull and milked a goat, to the always competitive speech contest! Not only was the showfun, it was also educational; it pushed the kids to workhard and be responsible.

If you have never been to any of the Autobahn YouthTour Shows, I would highly suggest you attend, pull acow out of the pasture, halter break it and walk in!What do you have to lose? You will get your moneyback and then some! If you aren’t so excited about theshowing cows’ part of it, then pay a small fee to enterinto every other contest! Autobahn is fun for the whole family; you get to participate in exciting events, meet new people, and just hang out!

This year was definitely one to remember! Be sure to attend the next Autobahn YouthTour Show!

* The following results are not official they havebeen submitted by the youth and/or parent.

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