150 Years of Shorthorn Cattle | The American Rancher

coming up short on cattle are ideal for the beef industry because they cover the whole gamut they breed well they're people friendly and the quality of their beef has always been very good we don't ever trim feet cows calves on their own docility and zero maintenance shorthorn america's first beef breed next on the american rancher [Music] hello and welcome to the american rancher i'm pam minnick this year marks the 150th anniversary of america's first beef breed association short horns were the first british breed to call america home and played a key role in the expansion of agriculture across the country staying true to their purpose shorthorn cattle contribute economic traits like docility maternal excellence feedlot performance and tenderness these qualities make this breed the perfect match to crossbreed with angus and other british-based cattle our first look at america's first takes us to illinois where the mathers family is celebrating 170 years of leveldale farms leveldale farms started in 1852 with my grandfather's grandfather moving out from ohio people sometimes ask me is that a family name and i say no it's depicts the original farm ground which was level or flat that's where they started farming and raising livestock both my grandfather and my father were very active in the shorthorn association and they were both selected builders of the breed they were both presidents served as presidents of the association my grandfather's brother and my grandfather started exhibiting them in the 1920s and then went to exhibiting coast to coast for decades they exhibited over eight months of a year that was the promotion in that period of time how people got to know your herd my grandfather was the first invited to come to the united kingdom to perth scotland to judge the big short horn show in the 1940s the shorthorn breed and the people they got to know across the united states and other parts of the world kept enhancing their lives [Music] we're always looking for that attractive animal but never discounting utility traits we don't ever trim feet cows calve on their own structure function longevity docility and zero maintenance is our goal for ourselves and our customers [Music] now we're having a sale coming up this fall october 30th we classically call our sales an investment sale but we're calling this one leading in the celebration and that's the celebration of 2022 where the american shorehorn association turns 150 years old the oldest association in the united states of america and leveldoll farms turns 170 years in 2022. we're going to put in more cattle than we normally put in one of our sales we also have some tremendous consignors the leone family with peak view right here in illinois kagun cattle company and the bowmans out of eastern indiana so we'll have a good distribution of cattle many young attractive heifer calves that could win cattle shows as well as mature cows some of these mature cows are going to be proven over and over again and it produced top bulls they're now leading herds across the country so we're very excited about this upcoming leading in the celebration investment sale at lovelldale leveldale farms is hosting its leveldale investment sale on october 30th 2021 in mason city illinois the sale features top individuals from one of the oldest and most iconic shorthorn herds in america visit leveldale.com for details [Music] gentle quiet easy to handle the shorthorn is the perfect family-centric breed to teach children lessons of responsibility and stewardship next we head north of dallas to w-h-r shorthorns where bill racer continues his family's 100-year heritage of raising top quality shorthorn cattle we are at whr shorthorns up in van austin just north of dallas and it's in the blackland prairies my family started out in the 1920s and they were raising short horns at that time so we've had a strong shorehorn influence over all that time frame which is now about a hundred years my dad used short horn bulls didn't register many cattle but when i got in high school he helped me start a little herd back in the 60s then like say this particular herd of cattle we started in 1984 and built up on it since then our operation is centered around raising show heifers primarily we really like the show heifer business of helping young people get started in the cattle business and the short horns fit that bill very well they're very gentle at the same time they're very productive both from a fertility standpoint and also from the ability to produce beef we home raise our own beef here and eat it and we think it's as good of beef as you can find ladies and gentlemen well we're having our annual production sale which i think this is our 27th we sell a group of show heifers fall barn spring barns and of course we also try to sell some breeding cattle and our breeding cattle are all aimed at producers who like to try to produce show cattle we sell four or five bulls in every cell and we also sell a set of bread heifers it's a good time of the year every year to have our short horn sale here and we usually get a good crowd and our heifers usually go on and do pretty well for the customers that come in here [Music] [Applause] we take pride in in our customer service i think that's the most rewarding part of our business is the relationships we've made over the years and some of those relationships as i say have have lasted 30 years and through two or three generations of families and that'd be one of my favorite parts of the cattle business once a family gets hooked on short horns i think they stay there i think they uh the kind of breed of cattle you can tie to and stay hooked here i think they're easy keepers they breed well they're people friendly and the quality of their beef has always been very good they finish well i just think compared to all the other breeds that they've got a lot of characteristics that some of the other breeds don't have you have to give up some characteristics of getting others and i think the short horn is an overall can provide many of the needs that people are looking for i think in the next five or ten years we will try to continue the same business we've been doing and being involved in the show heifer industry and being involved in the production of beef cattle and some bulls and continue to see the shorelines be a part of our family up next we have a local custom cut butcher shop in town and do a direct retail operation through that short horns have really high carcass quality i mean obviously the big two driving forces are flavor and tenderness and so that allows for a higher quality product that people really appreciate see how short horn families are shaping the future of the beef industry that's after the break on the american rancher [Music] welcome back to the american rancher for the cattle industry to grow ranchers must raise the highest quality beef to supply the marketplace that's why indiana's smith family farms got into locally raised beef their commitment to livestock stewardship translates into the best shorthorned beef possible raised in a sustainable environment i really enjoy trying to make cattle better that's kind of always been my stance whether it's raising cattle for the show ring or managing our commercial herd of cattle i just really enjoy making cattle better and trying to improve them as a group we operate some family farms in pendleton indiana we run about 80 head of cattle and farm about 2 500 acres of row crops in hay and then we have a local custom cut butcher shop in town and do a direct retail operation through that real reason we have a lot of shorehorns is that's what we grew up showing we fell in love with that family breed mentality and so that's what our cow herd base really was built on shorehorns have really high carcass quality i mean obviously the big two driving forces are flavor and tenderness shorehorns actually marble really well which a lot of people don't realize but then on top of that also the distillery really ties into tenderness and so that allows for a higher quality product that people really appreciate shawn mothering ability is really good as far as an ability to take care of a calf when it's born then on the flip side shoulder and kettle cross speed really well adding some attractiveness so as far as feed efficiency we really think shorn's tying really well with them pushing mature size and market size up you know you want cattle that will put on fat in terms of marbling as well as muscular growth so they are able to convert feed but also continue to grow and reach a more optimum market size as we continue to want cattle to be bigger so i got the opportunity to work with the american children association in a couple different ways i actually got to serve as a president of the junior board and got to help run the fantastic events that they put on and really help building that family breed mentality that the shorns has built within the show industry and why those people are so loyal i think the association's doing a fantastic job really pushing the breed to commercial producers and really hitting on the shorehorn breeds growth as well as trying to push these genetics back into commercial producers we hope to continue to grow definitely want to continue to grow the show cattle side and then definitely just keep growing the store really trying to push some more volume through there and you know reach new people as this area kind of grows up here around indianapolis last year when the meat cases and major food retailers lay barren the american shorthorn association launched an initiative to help keep beef on the table their marketing program called short horned beef locally raised helps producers supply their communities with high quality short horned beef if you're interested in buying delicious short horned beef near you visit shorthorn.org or follow the american short order association on facebook for more information [Music] at livestock shows across the country america's next generation is hard at work learning skills to carry into the future this summer the national junior shorthorn show was one of the largest in history shorthorn juniors competed in and outside of the show ring while building a love for the breed we're standing here today at the 2021 national junior shorthorn show and youth conference the youth conference started right here in louisville kentucky in 1968. we get 400 450 exhibitors here we get somewhere between 600 to 700 head of cattle here we had 932 entries so when we really look at this this is where the families come this is where they share their children become bonded for life they are taught to stand up and talk in front of people they meet other people they come out of their shell they grow as young people they become our future leaders not only of this breed but of our communities and our country [Music] we work our cattle twice three times a day washing them getting their hair popping then feeding them my favorite part is showing and just like community and working with my animals just i just love animals i have my own children here and it's been just a fantastic way to to raise to raise them in a breed that's just very family oriented and at the end of the day they they feel some fulfillment of what they've accomplished and worked hard to do so they um learn a lot of responsibility because they're in charge of taking care of their animals not only at the event but before the event they have to feed them and prepare them for this event they have to wash and that's just on the animal side of it there's also multiple competitions for these kids there's a speech contest so they can learn speaking skills team sales they learn how to sell an animal or a product or market themselves i enjoy being a spokesperson for the horn breed industry and getting to talk to the different breeders and going to the different short horn shows and social events i enjoy the people at the shorehorn shows they become a second family i've got a daughter myself and to be able to tell her that my grandpa did this a long time ago really puts a smile on your face it's something that's pretty special to have so it makes me remember what my dad probably felt like when he took me to my first show that's something that's very special about this breed and it's always going to be that way we're a breed that has really had long-term family ties involvement for many many years and i think this just really epitomizes what we try to do to build a strong foundation with our young cattle breeders after the break we know they're easy to work with they're easy-going cattle and people can see that we want them to come and see and interact with the animals as we do every day because i think it's a really good selling point for the cattle they're docile they're easy to work with as a whole they are gentle cattle that genuinely like attention and affection it's voices from across the land sharing why shorthorns should be in your pastures you're watching the american rancher stay with us [Music] welcome back to the american rancher the shorthorn breed is more than a membership it's a team the shorthorn community is home to those who share a vision for breeding gentle cattle and providing a sustainable lifestyle for raising high quality stock short orange are what made me love the industry it was kind of the spark that struck the match of passion within me for the livestock industry was the shorthorn breed to us the shorehorn breed has meant family really it's what has kept our family close kept our family active the shorehorn breed is a family-oriented breed we've used different breeds of cattle here throughout our history but nothing has been able to keep up with the fast pace that the shorehorn cattle have this breed of cattle is the most adaptable to selection pressures in different environments and they work very very well for us i just love working with short horns their dispositions were what sold me they're very non-reactive they are beef cattle they gain well they grow out well shorter and cattle are ideal for the beef industry because they cover the whole gamut they are a versatile breed they obviously show very well they're easy fleshing they marble well they improve carcass qualities truly find the value in the cattle in terms of their maternal ability their marbling ability their docility you know they're going to lay down have calves raised calves produce heavy calves at weaning if you take them on the commercial side they're going to have adequate marbling and then also be very high cutability kind of cattle so they're very productive in the feed yard as well we know they're easy to work with they're easy-going cattle and people can see that we want them to come and see and interact with the animals as we do every day because i think it's a really good selling point for the cattle every cow on this place i can walk up to when they're here scratch them feed them there's nothing wild about a short horned cow our industry has a family feel also the cattle are easy going they're docile they're easy to work with as a whole they are gentle cattle that genuinely like attention and affection we are a family oriented breed but we're a business breed at the same time we're a great breed for kids to get started with in 4-h in terms of docility and more importantly they're a great breed for any commercial producer to have we're a wonderful breed that crosses great with the other breeds out there we add to the carcass quality that's there the capability lower birth weights just less problems in general it gives them some maternal ability and some milking ability and and hybrid vigor the short horns do a good job of that as well as temperament and docility of them makes an awfully good cross the shorthorn breed has done such a good job in recent years keeping track of those genetics dad and i talk about all the time utilizing our purebred genetic gene pool to optimize on heterosis and complementarity shorthands do a lot of things well but the one thing i know they do well is cross back on other cows you know one of the things that shorthand bull offers a commercial cow herd is maternal heterosis i mean they really bring a lot of hybrid vigor when you cross those back on an outcross breed there's no question adding in the feed intake and strengthening the carcass data that they have will really help move the short horn breed forward there's some outstanding people in this breed that work very hard are very dedicated to improving it but maintaining its strengths as well there's many reasons to get in the short-run business i mean there's many facets but it's family it brought our family together and i think it brought a lot of other families together that i believe is the strongest reason to get in the short horn breed the people within the shorthorn breed are like a family that's one of the reasons why we are so passionate about the breed because we're passionate about the people in the breed you know we have so many things going on in our lives every day and when i can enjoy just walking amongst the cattle and knowing that they're providing for our family that's that's fun [Music] we hope you enjoyed this journey across the country with america's first the american shorthorn association will begin celebrating its 150th anniversary next month in kansas city missouri as part of the festivities the association is proud to release shorthorn and the american cattle industry a detailed book about the history of the breed and its influence on beef production a special thanks to authors dr bob hogue and dr bert moore for their efforts the book will be unveiled at the association's annual meeting open house at the office on october 22nd the asa will also be celebrating the 150th milestone with a special program that will air right here on rfdtv the evening of october 14th learn more about everything shorthorn at shorthorn.org that's all the time we have today to find out more about us visit our website theamericanrancher.com or connect with us on facebook i'm pam minich for our entire american rancher team thanks for joining us we'll see you next time [Music] established in 1987 superior livestock auction is the largest cattle marketing network in north america we sell forward contracted load lots of ranch fresh cattle on video and internet auctions last year over 1.4 million head were sold by superior livestock auction and they brought top dollar world champion auctioneers present your cattle to buyers across the nation we have over 8 000 active and qualified buyers maximizing competitive bidding and true price discovery your cattle stay at the ranch until delivery and your superior rep writes you a check when it's done simple as that our job is getting you the best paycheck possible we know that most producers only get one 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Length: 22min 4sec (1324 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 28 2021