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Tip number one... Do your research. It would be very difficult, if not nearly impossible to raise any kind of livestock without
having a broad knowledge of the animal you are raising. Some folks, just rush right out and purchase the first cattle they
can find, and then wonder why in a couple of years they are attending their own dispersal sale! Often times it is because
they did not bother to do the homework! Preparation is everything. You wouldn't buy the first car you came across if you were
car shopping now would you? A wise person would find out more about it, what options it has etc. No matter what it is you
are doing, successful people all have one thing in common. A broad knowledge base about what it is they are trying to do.
That goes for raising longhorns too!
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Tip number 2... Purchase quality cattle. Your seedstock is your genetic foundation. This is no place to skimp! No matter what
attributes you wish to breed for, it all comes from that little genetic package called DNA. Buy cheap, bargain basement cattle,
and thats what you will be raising. The problem is that excellent cattle that you can be proud of, eat just as much as the
poorer cheap cattle found at the backlot of the local sale barn. If you want to raise good profitable cattle, it stands to
reason that is what you should start out with!
Tip number 3....
Don't believe the myths! There is a lot of ingrained lore about this breed. In part some of these myths
may have been started when the English breeds came on the scene many years ago. What better way to get someone to drive the
kind of car you are selling, if you can tell horror stories about the competition! The point is, many people think longhorns
are mean, hard to keep fenced in, the meat is tough, or they lack good carcass traits. There are mean cattle in every breed,
no more and no less amongst longhorns. Disposition is something you need to check when looking to purchase. Most of the cattle
I have are very gentle, you can walk up to them and scratch their neck. As far as keeping them in, they don't get out anymore
often then any other breed. A decent fence along with a good electric fence is about all you need to keep longhorns in, or
Angus for that matter. The meat is very lean and tender and flavorful. It has much less fat, which means don't try to "flash"
cook it, there is less fat to cook away. Of course that means there is less cholesterol to clog your arteries as well! A 3.5
ounce serving of longhorn beef has 3.7 grams of fat, compared to a equal portion of turkey which has 5.0 grams.
Tip number 4...
Join longhorn cattle organizations on a local and national level. It is well worth it. They can provide
you with a wealth of information and you need to be able to register your cattle as your herd grows. There are 2 longhorn
associations that can register your cattle. One is the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association (TLBA) and the other is the International
Texas Longhorn Breeders Association. Both are very helpful with any problems you might have. You can find the websites under
the links section of this website.
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