Purchasing A Legend

by Darol Dickinson

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Watching a Texas Longhorn steer's horns grow is not like watching paint dry, but more like the speed of watching thieving looters run with wide screen TVs.

Going up the trails in 1880, J Frank Dobie recorded in his book THE LONGHORNS that some steers had spreads up to 6 feet. However, with all the horns preserved, mounted and restored from Abilene to Billings, in every museum, none in that wide horn spread range are found today. As with some other things in Dobie's book, he was known to add a little extra color from time to time. The famous steer, Old Blue, taped just a fudge over 48." I understand his spread is hanging in the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum at Canyon, Texas.

With over 50 years of measuring, weighing and breeding for superior cattle, finally, the Texas Longhorn Steer has exceeded his own legend. Today a modern-genetic steer will twistulate over 6 feet during their third year. Then over 80" in the forth and on to 100+" in the 6 to 8th year.

Dobie also said some of the 1880 steers going up the trail were over 20 years old. Today valuable steers are twisting over 100" tip to tip at six years and even more. Through concentrated data collection, AI and serious matings, many cattlemen have added to the exceptionalism of the legendary Texas Longhorn.

Valdosta was born 4-13-2012 at Dickinson Cattle Co. His sire was Drag Iron and his dam was a daughter of The Shadow. He was purchased right after weaning time for $850 by Barney Noga of Oriskany, New York.

Each year at DCC more bull calve are raised than can be used for herd sires, or feeder steers -- those are tagged as exhibition steer prospects.  They are listed/pictured on the ranch inventory sale list and purchased all during the year to raise amazing pasture art. https://www.texaslonghorn.com/inventory/index.cfm?con=inv&Category=Exhibition_Steer&BreedCode=T

Today, if someone wants a steer really hammering the spread, Shoo Win by Clear Win is just age 5 and already pushing over 93.5" and not even starting to twist yet. He is for someone who don't want to wait. He is already amazing.

 

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