The Texas Longhorn is a breed of cattle Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius. Cattle are raised as livestock for meat (beef and veal), as dairy animals for milk and other dairy products, known for its characteristic horns, which can extend to 7 feet (2.1 m) tip to tip for steers and exceptional cows, and 36 to 48 inches (0.91 to 1.2 m) tip to tip for bulls. Horns can have a slight upward turn at their tips or even triple twist. Texas Longhorns are known for their diverse coloring. The Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America and the International Texas Longhorn Association serve as the recognized registries A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young. The terms "stud book" and "register" are also used to refer to for the breed. Texas Longhorns with elite genetics can often fetch $40,000 or more at auction with the record of $160,000 in recent history for a cow.[1] Due to their innate gentle disposition and intelligence, Texas Longhorns are increasingly being trained as riding steers.
The Cattlemen’s Texas Longhorn Registry Certified Texas Longhorn Registry (CTLR), is the recognized breed registry dedicated to preserving the purest Texas Longhorn bloodlines. Using visual inspection of cattle by the most knowledgeable Texas Longhorn breeders and the use of bloodtype analysis to further identify parentage, CTLR has the ideal of preserving fullblood Texas Longhorn cattle for posterity.[2]
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History of the breed
A Texas longhorn cowThe first domestic cattle to reach the Americas were imported from Spain from about 1493 and spread out to form a hardy race adapted to the local conditions, becoming semi-wild in places. It is likely, but not certain, that cattle imported by settlers from the British Isles 1 These are the official languages of the eight jurisdictions within the British Isles. Other languages are spoken, including several other native languages and dialects that have regional or special status contributed to the stock after about 1600, and more certainly from the 1820s and 30s.[3]
The leaner longhorn beef was not as attractive in an era where tallow Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, processed from suet. It is solid at room temperature. Unlike suet, tallow can be stored for extended periods without the need for refrigeration to prevent decomposition, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation was highly prized, and the longhorn's ability to survive on often poor vegetation of the open range was no longer as much of an issue. Other breeds demonstrated traits more highly valued by the modern rancher, such as the ability to put on weight quickly. The Texas longhorn stock slowly dwindled, until in 1927 the breed was saved from almost certain extinction by enthusiasts from the United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres. Major divisions of the agency include the National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, and the Research and Development branch, who collected a small herd of stock to breed on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the principal city of the Lawton, Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. Founded in 1901, Lawton lies in southwestern Oklahoma, near the Wichita Mountains. Lawton is the cultural and commercial center of the area. Lawton is home to large granite deposits as. A few years later, J. Frank Dobie James Frank Dobie was an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range. As a public figure, he was known in his lifetime for his outspoken liberal views against Texas state politics, and for his long personal war against and others gathered small herds to keep in Texas state parks. They were cared for largely as curiosities, but the stock's longevity, resistance to disease and ability to thrive on marginal pastures quickly revived the breed as beef stock. Today, the breed is still used as a beef stock, though many Texas ranchers keep herds purely because of their link to Texas history.
In other parts of North America this breed is used for much more. Longhorn cattle have a strong survival instinct and can find food and shelter during times of rough weather. Longhorn calves are very tough and can stand up sooner after birth than other breeds. Longhorn cattle can breed for a long time, well into their teens. There have been cows that have bred for up to thirty years. Some ranchers keep Longhorns for their easy calving. A Longhorn cow will often go off on her own to a safe place to have the calf then bring it home. They are also known to hide their calves in safe places to avoid predation, sometimes causing difficulty for ranchers, who may need to work on the animal.
Purpose
Most breeds of cattle fall into either beef or dairy. The Texas Longhorn is a beef animal and is known for its lean beef, which is lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than most beef.[citation needed] Texas Longhorns are also used to add hybrid vigor and easy calving when crossed with other breeds. However, they continue to represent the romance of the American Old West The American Old West comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the period of the later half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century. After the eighteenth century and the push beyond the Appalachian Mountains, the term and are often retained for their beauty and intelligence.
The Texas longhorns show great variation in coat color- Tip to Tip - The length from each tip of the horn, a straight line. This is a common measurement.
- Total Horn - The total length following the horn and always greater than the Tip to Tip
- Base (or Poll) - The circumference of the horn at the largest point.
These measurements can be adjusted to a Horns per Month of Age (HMA) which is calculated by dividing the number of months of age into the horn measurement. For example, a 48 month old animal with 50" of horn would be 50 / 48 or 1.04" per month of age.
It is not uncommon for commercial ranchers to cross breed longhorns with other breeds, thus increasing hybrid vigor and easy calving characteristics. Smaller birth weights reduce dystocia Dystocia is an abnormal or difficult childbirth or labour. Approximately one fifth of human labours have dystocia. Dystocia may arise due to incoordinate uterine activity, abnormal fetal lie or presentation, absolute or relative cephalopelvic disproportion, or (rarely) a massive fetal tumor such as a sacrococcygeal teratoma. Oxytocin is commonly for first-calf heifers. The breed is claimed to do well in warmer climates.
In popular culture
Bevo Bevo is the name of the mascot of the sports teams at the University of Texas at Austin, a Texas longhorn steer with burnt orange coloring. Bevo is one of the most recognized college mascots and has even been called "the toughest-looking animal mascot in sports". The shape of the Longhorn's head and horns gives rise to the school's hand, the mascot of the The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university located in Austin, Texas, United States, and is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. The main campus is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Texas State Capitol. UT Austin was named one of the original eight Public Ivy institutions. Founded in 1883,- The Texas longhorn is the Texas State Large Mammal.
- The Texas longhorn is an official symbol for the city of Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the seventeenth-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city within the state of Texas. Located in North Texas and the western edge of the American South, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly 300 square miles in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and Wise counties, serving as the, which is nicknamed "Cowtown".
- The Longhorns Texas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin. These teams are referred to as the Texas Longhorns , taking their name from the Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and are now the official "large animal" of the State of Texas is the name used for the sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university located in Austin, Texas, United States, and is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. The main campus is located approximately 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from the Texas State Capitol. Founded in 1883, the university has the fifth-largest single-campus enrollment in; the school colors white White is a color, the perception which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness and burnt orange This article is a catalog of notable tints and shades of the color orange recall the natural coloring of the animals. The school mascot The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fictional spokespeople for consumer products, such as is a longhorn named Bevo Bevo is the name of the mascot of the sports teams at the University of Texas at Austin, a Texas longhorn steer with burnt orange coloring. Bevo is one of the most recognized college mascots and has even been called "the toughest-looking animal mascot in sports". The shape of the Longhorn's head and horns gives rise to the school's hand.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife maintain an official "State Longhorn Herd", created by Sid Richardson and J. Frank Dobie James Frank Dobie was an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range. As a public figure, he was known in his lifetime for his outspoken liberal views against Texas state politics, and for his long personal war against. Portions of the herd are kept at various state parks within Texas.[4]
- Around 1933, pioneer Texas Longhorn breeder Graves Peeler mentioned that some of the Longhorn cattle that he had been collecting recently were for the western movie The Western is a genre seen in film, television, radio, literature, painting and other visual arts. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in what became the Western United States , but also in Western Canada, Mexico (The Wild Bunch, Vera Cruz), Alaska (The Far Country, North to Alaska) and even star Tom Mix Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features. He was Hollywood’s first Western megastar and is noted as having helped define the genre for all cowboy actors who followed, and over the years at least four other publications repeated the Tom Mix Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features. He was Hollywood’s first Western megastar and is noted as having helped define the genre for all cowboy actors who followed story. Later, it became known that Mr. Peeler was actually collecting the cattle for western movie The Western is a genre seen in film, television, radio, literature, painting and other visual arts. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in what became the Western United States , but also in Western Canada, Mexico (The Wild Bunch, Vera Cruz), Alaska (The Far Country, North to Alaska) and even star and Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment, and operates as an imprint of the Columbia/Epic Label Group. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, recording star Gene Autry Orvon Eugene Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s. Autry was also owner of the Los Angeles/California Angels Major League Baseball team from 1961 to 1997, as well as a television station and.
- The 1966 film The Rare Breed starring James Stewart James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart was an American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime Achievement award. He was a major MGM contract charts the replacement of Texas Longhorns in the 1880s by British Hereford Cattle Hereford cattle are a widely used breed in temperate areas, mainly for beef production.
- The United States of America Computing Olympiad problem Heat Wave mentions Texas Longhorn cows as being "not so adept at creating creamy delicious dairy products."
- Longhorn is the codename of Windows Vista Windows Vista is an operating system expressed in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Windows Vista was known by its codename "Longhorn." Development was completed on November 8,.
NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston maintains a small herd of Texas Longhorns as part of its Longhorn Project.
Notes
- ^ Herskovitz, John. Texas Returns to Passion of the Longhorn Reuters Reuters Group Limited, Reuters Group PLC , now a subsidiary of Canadian corporation Thomson Reuters (2008) (pronounced /ˈrɔɪtərz/) is a United Kingdom-based news service and former financial market data provider that provides news reports from around the world to news media. News reporting once accounted for less than 10% of the company's via Environmental News Network. November 26, 2004.
- ^ Certified Texas Longhorn Registry
- ^ The Handbook of Texas online Retrieved 2009-12-21
- ^ History of the Official State Longhorn Herd, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website, February 9, 2007.
See also
- Bevo (mascot) Bevo is the name of the mascot of the sports teams at the University of Texas at Austin, a Texas longhorn steer with burnt orange coloring. Bevo is one of the most recognized college mascots and has even been called "the toughest-looking animal mascot in sports". The shape of the Longhorn's head and horns gives rise to the school's hand
- Texas Longhorns Texas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin. These teams are referred to as the Texas Longhorns , taking their name from the Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and are now the official "large animal" of the State of Texas
References
- Will C. Barnes, "Wichita Forest Will Be Lair of Longhorns", The Cattleman, April 1926.
- Dan Kilgore, "Texas Cattle Origins", The Cattleman, January 1983.
- James Westfall Thompson, History of Livestock Raising in the United States, 1607-1860 (Washington: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1942).
- James Frank Dobie, The Longhorns (Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1980) (ISBN 029274627X).
- Don Worcester, The Texas Longhorn: Relic of the Past, Asset for the Future (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1987) (ISBN 0890966257).
- Premier Longhorns-Information About Texas Longhorns
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Texas longhorn cattle |
- Cattlemen's Texas Longhorn Registry organization that preserves and certifies the purest breed of Texas Longhorn cattle
- Longhorn Cattle from the Handbook of Texas The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association . The original Handbook was the brainchild of TSHA President Walter Prescott Webb of The University of Texas history department. It was published as a two-volume set in 1952, with a Online
- The Longhorn Roundup News monthly newspaper to the Texas Longhorn industry
- Texas Longhorns in State Parks
- Texas Longhorns Breeders Association of America organization that promotes and preserves the Texas Longhorn cattle history
- "The Gathering of the Texas Herd" - early development of Texas Longhorn breed by Graves Peeler, Sid Richardson, Gene Autry Orvon Eugene Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s. Autry was also owner of the Los Angeles/California Angels Major League Baseball team from 1961 to 1997, as well as a television station and, J. Frank Dobie James Frank Dobie was an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range. As a public figure, he was known in his lifetime for his outspoken liberal views against Texas state politics, and for his long personal war against, there are also many important and relative historical library references.
- - audio report by NPR NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to 797 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. This act was signed into law by President Lyndon B
Categories: Cattle breeds | Texas culture
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Several years ago, after he bought a ranch in Westby, in western Wisconsin, he began raising longhorn cattle there. His neighbors, all dairy farmers, ...
