Scott Pace once told me, "You are living the dream." As I thought about his comment, yes, being a Texas Longhorn rancher, raising great cattle, living in the big open spaces---no question that was my dream since a little kid. Yet, as time moves on, there are credit card scams, droughts, blizzards, blown-up truck motors, the top ranch hand leaves and takes a job selling diapers at Planned Parenthood. Crazy stuff.
With the dream are some unpredictable, unexpected, unavoidable, and undesirable events. But, the dream is still worth the effort. We are nothing without the dream.
A wonderful part of the dream is calving season--happening right now. At DCC we expect to top-out at just over 550 calves. Eight sets of twins have been born this last month. Calves are running all over the deep grass of the Appalachian foothills. The big project now is selecting matings--which bulls to put with which cows. Today, it is a fun thing to have a great set of bulls that have stood the test of time, the scales, and the measuring tape. Next year promises to be a better quality of calves than the year before.
Here is a fun story of the LINE UP EPISODE. This is part of the good dream.
On July 13, 2018 this little bull calf was born weighing 67 lbs. He was all there, a tiny head, trim neck, long legs and a pretty color. Yet, the pasture was full of equally well bred, pretty colored similar calves.
Looking at little calves is like going to a high school graduation. You watch the kids walk around with funny garbs, but who can know. Which kid will be a super achiever and who will live in his parents basement eating Cheetos his whole life. You can't tell by the corners of their square cap.
LINE UP in October 2019 was starting to bloom. He was sired by Time Line https://www.texaslonghorn.com/inventory/index.cfm?con=id&IDNo=13793&BreedCode=T&Category=Reference_Sire His dam was Precious Plum https://www.texaslonghorn.com/reference/index.cfm?con=reno&Reg=I-267292
Right at this point a big mistake was made. Due to the fact the ranch had several closely related young bulls, and was breeding his sire, he was sold to Brett Ranch of Texas. Brian Brett wanted him for his black herd and needed him for 2 years. Fortunately, due to a good friendship with Brian, DCC was able to buy back this mistake and take LINE UP back to Ohio.
LINE UP is maturing and soon to be age 4. In the TL breed some cattle develop fast and quickly slow down, others develop slow and get better every year.
LINE UP is pictured here at the end of breeding season in 2023. Lean and not an ounce of extra fat after a long hot Summer. He is long, trim and has the thick burley face-hair like his distant great, great, great, Don Quixote.
LINE UP today. He is nearing age 6, just slicked off his winter coat and ready to hit the breeding pasture. Check his progeny and family data at https://www.texaslonghorn.com/inventory/index.cfm?con=id&IDNo=15103&BreedCode=T&Category=Reference_Sire
LINE UP is a good genetic tool. He has conventional semen low priced at $50 and female sexed semen at $150. If you want heifer calves other sires available in sexed female semen are: Iron Span, and Showman.
If black is desired the following bulls are black to the core: Jet Black Chex, Line Up, Non Stop, Over Head, Over Kill, Quill, Showman (homozygous black) Spokesman, and Westward Ho. https://www.texaslonghorn.com/inventory/semen/index.cfm
The Texas Longhorn breed is exciting to watch, try to guess, and the dream just keeps getting better. No one would dream that Line Up as a baby calf would be the beautiful, big, correct bull he has turned into, and his calves continue the dream in upward improvement. It is fun to watch as the dream gets better and better. Visit Ohio and see his family, or better yet, check out the sale inventory and own your pick. https://www.texaslonghorn.com/inventory/index.cfm?breedcode=T Dickinson Cattle Co, #740 758 5050
