2007 Fort Worth Stock Show Videos from the Autobahn Motorcar Group Youth Scholarship Tour Now Online

Just released on the Autobahn Motorcar Group Youth Scholarship Tour Web site are the 2007 Fort Worth Stock Show videos. Five videos, in all, are available for the Pee Wee, Junior and Senior Female, Bull and Steer classes. Relive all the fun and excitement again and again! To see the videos on the Autobahn Motorcar Group Youth Scholarship Tour Web site click this direct link for the 2007 Fort Worth Stock Show.

Click the banner above to visit the Autobahn Motorcar Group Youth Scholarship Tour Web site

TLBAA Members and General Manager Featured in Houston Chronicle

TLBAA member Debbie Davis, Hondo, TX, was featured in an article published in the Houston Chronicle on February 25, 2007, about Texas Longhorns and the future of the purebred breed. The article focuses on the breeding trend towards beefier Longhorns and its potential impact.Davis said in the article that she believes that crossbreeding Longhorns diminishes the overall species.

TLBAA General Manager Larry Barker was interviewed in the story as well and referenced the Longhorn’s dynamic traits as one of its best assets. Barker said in the article, “ You're always going to have people giving you an opinion of what a longhorn looks like. If you asked six people, you'd get six different answers, and all six of them would be correct."

We want to see Texas Longhorns! TLBAA Members Host International Dignitaries

By Joe and Debbie Assad

“We want to see Texas Longhorns,” was the answer Diamond Dehumidification’s Jeanne Haner got from visiting Chilean diplomats Claudia Melkonian and Marcelo Orellana when she asked if she could assist them with anything special.  Diamond Dehumidification sells dehumidifiers to the Chilean Navy and part of Jeannie’s responsibility is seeing that foreign visitors have a pleasant experience in cosmopolitan Houston.

Jeanne is no stranger to dealing with unusual requests from foreign guests. Usually it is, “How do we get to the Galleria?” or “Where can I find my daughter some high top Keds?”  The request to see Texas Longhorn cattle was unusual, but she got on the Internet and found Assad Texas Longhorns near Brenham, TX. She made arrangements for Marcelo and Claudia to visit the Kat-El Ranch, owned by Joe and Debbie Assad of Houston, TX.
Marcelo and Claudia are both citizens of Chile who work for the U.S. Commerce service to facilitate U.S. companies who want to do business in Chile.  They recently attended a Department of Commerce meeting in Houston from February 5-9, 2007.  Before their flight home, they had time to visit the Assad’s Kat-El ranch just north of Chappell Hill, TX.  Joe and Debbie Assad are life insurance agents in Houston, TX, but have been raising Texas Longhorns for over 20 years, just for the fun of it.  “We raise Texas Longhorns because of their history, their beauty, and because they are able to take care of themselves, since we only get out to the ranch on weekends,” said Joe Assad.
It was cold and overcast when Claudia and Marcelo visited the ranch Saturday, February 10, 2007, but the excited visitors ran the batteries down on their digital camera taking pictures of the colorful Longhorns. 

“This is just great,” Claudia Melkonian commented over and over, “I really wanted to see Texas Longhorns!”  “This was really a treat,” Marcelo chimed in. “Houston is a great city and the people are wonderful but this (gesturing at the longhorns) is Texas.”
It is not unusual for the Assads to have foreign guests to their ranch.  Recently, they sold some of the Texas Longhorns they raised to Brian Sonnier of Venezuela.  “Raising Texas Longhorns is a lot of fun,” said Debbie Assad. “We have met a lot of interesting people from all over the United States and now we are meeting nice people from all over the world.  We really like the Longhorns because they are so cute.  Calving time is like an Easter egg hunt because of the colorful calves.  Every color that God put on a cow can show up on a Texas Longhorn and no two look the same.  It is truly a surprise every time you see one of these new calves.  It has been said many times, ‘Texas Longhorns are a walking work of art, hand- painted by God’ and people from everywhere appreciate them.”
Marcelo and Claudia also got to sample some great Texas cooking from Ruthie’s Bar-B-Que in Navasota, considered by Texas Monthly one of the best barbeque restaurants in Texas.  Not only is the food good at Ruthie’s, the chief cook and former bronc buster, Charlie Henley, keeps everyone entertained with his constant comments.  Claudia thought the beef was the “most tender” and Marcelo went back for seconds.
“It’s kind of funny,” said Joe, “what these Texas Longhorns can get you into.” “When we started, we thought we were only getting a few cows for the ranch, but now I guess you could call us global.”

Best At West This Weekend!

What better way to welcome the warm weather and recent rains than to spend a day in West, TX, at the Best at West TLBAA Membership Sale. Cattle will be accepted on Friday, March 2, for the Saturday sale on March 3. If you don’t have any Longhorns to sell, why not come on down and buy a few? Welcome the warmer weather with your Longhorn friends this weekend at the Best at West. There has been a special semen donation lot added to the upcoming Best at West sale, please click here for details and downloadable PDF. Contact TLBAA Sales Manager Jim Curry for further information at (817) 625-6241.

TLBAA Board Meeting Announced

There will be a TLBAA Board of Directors Meeting held at the Stockman’s Club in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, TX, on Thursday, May 17, 2007, at 9:30 am. The Stockman’s Club is located in the Stockyards Station at 140 East Exchange Ave., Fort Worth, TX. For more information about the location please contact Pam Dodson at the TLBAA office.

New Show Announced for the Mountains and Plains Texas Longhorn Association

The MPTLA is having a world qualifying show in Lamar, CO, on May 12, 2007. Haltered, and youth shows will be held. Contact: Betty Civis (719) 940-5515, or Gary Cole (719) 372-3320.

Entries Still Being Accepted for Upcoming Bluegrass Double Judged Show

It’s not too late to get entries into the March 31 – April 1, 2007, Bluegrass Double Judged Show in Nortonville, KY. For more information contact Stella Cruce at (270) 836-7533.

Drought Conditions Update

Click here for information about the seasonal drought conditions and updated national drought information directly from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Here is an additional weekly drought monitor from NOAA.

Weekly Hay Report from the Texas Department of Agriculture

Compared to last week: Prices continue to be steady. Demand remains good and trade is light. Supply remains tight, as people are stretching old crop as far as it will go, which ranges from one to two months before new crop. There has been talk on new crop, but no real clear answer on where prices will be. In the Panhandle, dairy quality hay is becoming harder to find. In the West, growers are getting ready to start watering fields, and hay is extremely hard to find in that area. In some of the North Central and Eastern areas, it is starting to look dry again, and continues to dry out. Also in this area there is not much inventory on square bales, and round bales also seem to be disappearing as well. The State of Texas Department of Agriculture has the Hay and Grazing Hotline set up for buyers and sellers. The number is 1-877-429-1998. The Web site for TDA is www.agr.state.tx.us. For a hay report from a state other than Texas please click here.

E-Trails Note: To get your Association News front and center on the E-Trails, email the information to Cole@tlbaa.org.

-Cole Dowden