Hill Country Best of the Breed Sale

The weather was hot and so was the bidding at the Circle T Arena in Hamilton, TX, on Saturday, August 19, 2006, during the Hill Country Best of the Breed Sale. Mike Crawford and Pam Watkins, Zephyr, TX, deserve a cool mountain vacation for hosting their first sale.

The venue that Pam and Mike chose to hold the sale, the Circle T Arena, opened September 2005 and the Hill Country Best of the Breed Sale was the first to be held in the “one of a kind” arena. Complete with a full “al fresco” bar, restaurant, RV hook-ups, swimming pool and more, consigners and guests enjoyed taking in the scenery and questioning…why Hamilton?

Answer, the one-of-a-kind breed, Texas Longhorns, deserve a one-of-a-kind place to be exhibited. The Circle T Arena fit the bill that got the dollar bills bidding on 114 lots.

Kudos to Mike and Pam and to all who braved the heat, wore a cold wet rag, unloaded and loaded, worked the ring, made a bid, won a bid, fed and watered or just showed up for a look. We all had a great time!

The Sale Hosts were Mike Watkins and Pam Crawford, Zephyr, TX .

Auctioneer: Bruce McCarty, Weatherford, TX.

Commentary: TLBAA’s Larry Barker.

Sale Management: TLBAA Sales Management Division.

The Sale Grossed $188,750.00 with a per lot average of $1704.00.

Volume Buyers: Glenn E Phipps, Santo, TX; Randy Briscoe, Kingfisher, OK; Doug or Darnell Muenchow, Floresville, TX; Stanley Tidwell, Midlothian, TX; Khaos Cattle Company, Monroe, NC; Michael Luce, Las Vegas, NV; Spikes Peak Ranch, Weatherford, TX; Allen Brantley, Virginia Beach, VA; Mike Crawford & Pam Watkins, Zephyr, TX ; Lisiane Ranch, Fort Worth, TX; Ben Gravett, Catlett, VA; Jackie Mullinax, Cypress, TX; and Joe West, Gautier, MS.

Volume Sellers: Becca and Joe Munsch, Emory, TX, with Ben Gravett, Catlett, VA.

Volume Sellers: Panther Creek Ranch, Marlin, TX; Joe Munsch, Emory, TX ; Hudson Longhorns, Lott, TX; Struthoff Ranch, San Antonio, TX; Lee & Gay Gaddis, Austin, TX; J T Wehring, Houston, TX; El Coyote Ranch, Kingsville, TX; Cedar Creek Cattle Company, Cedar Creek, TX; Mike Crawford & Pam Watkins, Zephyr, TX .

The High Selling Lot: $13,500 – DELTA AMBER (1992 daughter of Emperor and Delta April). Consignor: Lisiane Ranch, Fort Worth, TX. Buyer: Moore-Kinder Partnership, Gainesville, TX.

Buyer of the Second High Selling Lot: Glenn Phipps, Santo, TX, with Sale Hosts Mike Watkins and Pam Crawford, Zephyr, TX .

Second High Selling Lot: $9,500 – 585 BLUE MOON (2003 daughter of GF Southbrooke and 585 Hot to Trot). Consignor: Joe Munsch, Emory, TX. Buyer Glenn Phipps, Santo, TX.

Third High Selling Lot: $6,300 – FCF AIN’T MISBEHAVING (2000 daughter of FCF His Majesty and FCF Honeymoon). Consignor: Star Creek Ranch, Somerville, TX. Buyer: Allen Brantley, Virginia Beach, VA.

Gene and Lana Hightower, Van, TX; Mike Mc Clanahan, Lees Summit, MO; Susan and Dr. Bob Kropp, Perry, OK.

NASA/CCISD Longhorn Group To Host TLBGCA Annual Meeting

Members and visitors to the annual Texas Longhorn Breeders Gulf Coast Association (TLBGCA) meeting will have some extra treats awaiting them, according to Cindy Schnuriger, NASA/ CCISD Longhorn Project sponsor. In addition to the meeting and election of officers, the group can enjoy the Longhorns and western heritage pavilion, tour the newly opened Saturn V at Rocket Park, take advantage of the advanced agriscience equipment recently donated to the center and even visit Space Center Houston (entrance fee required).

The day begins at 10:00 a.m., September 30, at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Guest speakers include Dr. Gary Briers, a professor in the College of Agriculture at Texas A&M University. Dr. Briers is a firm believer in the use of Longhorn bulls on all first-calf heifers, and will discuss this alternative market for Longhorn bulls.

Earl Johnson, 94, will also be on hand to discuss early days of ranching in the area. He is one of the original cowboys on the West Ranch, which is now the NASA Johnson Space Center.

The NASA show team and sponsors will be hosting the event and will lead tours of the Agriculture project. A barbecue lunch will also be served.

FDA moves forward with regulations on transport and sale of hay

Ignoring the concerns of producers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to implement the second stage of regulations that require extensive record keeping by individuals who sell or distribute hay.
Regulations for operations with 11 or more full-time employees went into effect on June 6 of this year; smaller operations have until December 9, 2006, to comply.
The regulation is a result of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, which was enacted “to improve the ability of the United States to prevent, prepare for and respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.”
Designed to enable the FDA to trace any contamination problem back to its source, the requirements apply to “persons that manufacture, process, pack, transport, distribute, receive, hold or import food.”
Because the FDA includes animal feeds in its definition of food, feed manufacturers, grain elevators, alfalfa processors and other entities that process or store farm products must comply.
“Farms” are exempt, but an FDA spokesman confirms that commercial hay growers are not.
“If they receive hay for redistribution or if they transport hay to another farm under a different ownership, they would need to establish and maintain records for that portion of the activity,” says the spokesman.
Records must be maintained for at least one year. If requested by the FDA, they must be made available within 24 hours.
“We need our members to get involved,” emphasizes Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) President C.R. “Dick” Sherron. “Write your elected officials, including your agriculture commissioner.
“Challenge the necessity of these regulations and ask them to advise FDA to meet with industry representatives to discuss concerns and to forego enforcement of the regulations until such discussions take place.
“TSCRA supports efforts to protect animal and public health from bioterrorism threats,” Sherron affirmed. “But,” he added, “there is no evidence, science or risk analysis basis for requiring producers, distributors and transporters of hay to keep onerous records.”

Texas Longhorn – Hondo’s Warrior – invited to attend Tennessee State Fair

Executive Director of the Tennessee State Fair, David Jeter, has invited Gregg and Lori Beeson to bring Hondo’s Warrior and display him at the State Fair next month. Congratulations on getting a Longhorn displayed at the Tennessee State Fair!

Farmers and Ranchers in Drought-Declared Counties May Be Eligible for Linked Deposit Program

AUSTIN-Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs announced that farmers and ranchers in primary disaster-declared counties who suffered crop and livestock losses from drought may be eligible to apply for the Texas Department of Agriculture's Linked Deposit Program for assistance. 

“The Linked Deposit Program is available to help producers who lost livestock or other agricultural commodities," Combs said. "Eligible producers can work with their local lender to refinance existing debt or help re-establish their operation at a reduced interest rate through the program."

Producers eligible for the Linked Deposit Program must have suffered an agricultural loss in a county that has received a primary Presidential or Secretarial Disaster Declaration from a natural disaster.  Eligible producers must have a loan approved by an eligible lender who then will submit the completed application to the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority for approval.  If approved, the bank's loan rate would be reduced to an interest rate that is established at the time of closing. The maximum loan amount financed for disaster relief under the Linked Deposit Program is $250,000 per applicant. Linked Deposit loans under the natural disaster category are eligible for the lower interest rate for a maximum of 15 months.

Linked Deposit funds may be used for agriculture-related operating expenses or expenses related to replacing or repairing assets damaged by the drought. A loan under the natural disaster category may be applied to existing debt. This is the only circumstance where a Linked Deposit loan can be used to refinance existing debt.

2006 U.S. Drought Information Web Site

With dry conditions gripping much of the southwest, lack of rain has become real news for the Texas Longhorn industry. 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 Texas Department of Agriculture

http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/AM_GR310.txt

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