THE TEXAS LONGHORN

 

 

 

 

What makes the Texas Longhorn unique?
 


The Texas Longhorn is a truly "American" breed of cattle.  What makes the Longhorn different than other breeds is that the breed developed naturally from the first cattle that were brought to this country 500 years ago.  Natural selection and adaptation to the environment are the forces that shaped the development of the Longhorn. They reached their highpoint in the middle of the 19th century, but by the beginning of the 20th century, they were almost gone, due to fenced in range and new crossbreeding efforts to improve the quality of American beef. 

Due to changes in the economics of the cattle industry, there is new interest in the Longhorn and its characteristics of high fertility, easy calving, disease resistance and its ability to thrive on marginal range lands.

 

 

Graphic by KEVIN