Within the next few paragraphs I am convinced that within the next few paragraphs we will discuss one of the most vital factors in the successful production of Texas Longhorn cattle. A factor that is the difference in profit and loss, major success and complete failure.

 

   This year our family will have been in the Texas Longhorn business for 27 years. I believe in the following paragraphs we are going to discuss one of the factors that allowed us to be successful and we hope that this will help you and your family as well in raising these beautiful cattle.

 

   What if John Elway determined as a young man that football was a dangerous profession, the opportunity for becoming crippled or continually suffering from fatigue and injuries was just too much of a price to pay?

 

   What if a child goes to his first Texas Longhorn show with his first calf and suffers from a case of inexperience? He gets placed last in his class and decides he will never show Longhorns again.

 

    What if Donald Trump would have determined in 1991 when the New York Times printed that his net worth was minus $975 million that it wasn’t worth it and gave up? Today he is worth over $6 billion and President of the United States. What caused him not to file bankruptcy at minus $975 million?

    I am of the opinion that many people fail in the Texas Longhorn business because they do not have the patience to raise Texas Longhorn cattle. For some reason they feel they can raise truly great cattle “in the blink of an eye.” Many people refuse to commit to any kind of a long range endeavor. In raising Texas Longhorn cattle there is a factor that many people have a problem with, it is called gestation. Once Red McCombs said the thing that bothered him the most about raising Texas Longhorn cattle was waiting a little over nine months to see the next calf. Texas Longhorn production is something that requires patience. A cow is normally only going to have one natural calf each year. If a person does not have the patience to develop a long range program and stick to it, in producing high quality cattle, then that person should be raising hogs.But if people want to be successful raising Longhorn cattle, they can’t achieve those goals in one, two, three, or even possibly five years. It takes time and commitment to raise a herd of quality and high value Texas Longhorns. Remember we all had to start out somewhere.

 

    Tomey Farms is looking forward to raising Texas Longhorns beyond our 27th year. We have seen some tremendously exciting things happen that took a lot of time to achieve. We have gone through numerous herd sires and females. We have done both natural service for our cows and A.I’d some of our very best to the best bulls in the breed. Still sometimes you don’t get what you expected, but don’t be discouraged by this. You’re not going to have a world class show winning calf every year, this takes time and patience. The best cow in the world may never produce a calf as good as she is or the smallest ugliest cow may produce show winning calves every time, the same goes for bulls as well. For every great herd sire developed, there will be a truckload of roping steers that evolve.

 

      I am convinced that patience is the quality necessary for serious Texas Longhorn producers to achieve their goals -- time, patience, love and a desire to produce the really great cattle.

     To people buying their first cattle who anticipate raising a great herd sire next year, I am sorry to inform you, great herd sires are very difficult to produce. If you demand to see prompt results buy a pregnant sow. If you have patience and will allow enough gestation time and enough love, and use great genetics, you will someday be rewarded with the joy of your cow giving birth to a great and very valuable herd sire. My advice is, “Use great genetics and just be patient.”

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This article was written by Darol Dickinson.