Texas longhorn herd lean but not mean

By SUE MILLER

It's a long way from the arid ranches of Texas to the lush river terraces and steep hillsides that border the Rangitikei River and its tributaries.

But despite the very different conditions, a herd of eye-catching Texas longhorn cattle is flourishing there.

Texas longhorns earned celebrity status as the four-legged extras in numerous Westerns, as they were driven to the railheads to be transported to feed the rapidly expanding US cities.

But after their heyday, numbers of this surprisingly docile breed declined so much that the purebreed variety was an endangered species. Their numbers have picked up only in recent years, as their novelty value and special attributes have become appreciated.

Partners John Heron and Pat Davis, who farm north of Feilding, have a love of all things Western. Not only do they breed appaloosas and quarter horses, but also have what they believe to be the largest herd of purebred texas longhorns in Australasia.

But their passion for the breed is based on common sense and the knowledge that there is more to their stock than good looks and horns that can span nearly 2.5m.

The cattle produce the leanest beef available, they say. It is almost like venison.

But until stock numbers build, there is not enough meat available to market it except to a very small customer base, built through personal contact.

Until that time, they see bigger benefits in the dairy industry.

That, they say, is because dairy cows crossed with texas longhorn bulls never have calving problems. Dairy cows crossed with traditional beef breeds produce big calves which often have to be pulled out at birth, sometimes even using farm bikes. The cows can take a long time to recover, with months before they go on heat again, and in the worst cases, have to be put down.

But texas longhorn calves are much smaller. "They spit out the calves and once they are out, are up again and running like rabbits," says Pat Davis. "Dairy farmers with longhorn-cross will never have calving problems. In fact, we guarantee to pay their vet bills if they do. And we've never had to yet.

"We have had heifers calve and be back on heat again in four weeks. Not just one of them, but lots."

For the dairy industry, where getting cows back into calf and milk production is a priority, this has to be a major bonus. John Heron and Pat Davis are finding that their message is starting to garner acceptance among some dairy farmers, and demand for access to their bulls is starting to grow.

Smaller calves might be a disadvantage for those supplying the bobby calf market, but the couple believe longhorn-cross calves may quickly catch up and overtake other calves.

They quote one example from their farm of a jersey-longhorn-cross calf and a pure jersey calf, both born on the day, and both feeding from the same cow. Although starting from a much lower birth weight - the difference was about 5kg - the longhorn-cross calf quickly caught up, and by around five months was about 70kg heavier.

They want to investigate this further, as they believe it could be an attractive attribute for a different part of the beef industry.

Texas longhorns are not prolific milk producers.

"As milking cows, they are terrible," says Pat Davis.

"But there must be something good in what they produce, as the calves grow huge."

A friend on the Kapiti Coast is experimenting with milking friesian-longhorn-cross, and they are looking forward to getting detailed feedback if that works out.

The couple now have more than 130 texas longhorns, many of them purebred.

They acquired their first about 10 years ago, and about four years ago they bought 87 more animals from a farmer in Tauranga. Since then they have continued to build up their herd, and this year have around 100 cows in calf, a mixture of pure and cross breed.

John Heron and Pat Davis describe the breed as extremely hardy, relatively free from disease and parasites and great scavengers who eat anything, including thistles and scrub. The partners are monitoring one small group based in paddocks surrounded by willows - which contain a lot of natural tannins - and they believe this could remove the need for drenching.

In a country where most cattle are now polled, the longhorns' wide horns have a major impact on the average New Zealander - one car ended up in a ditch when the fascinated elderly driver couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The longest horns on the Kotuku texas longhorn farm are on the matriarch of their herd, which has a span of 1.5m, with several others close behind. But the couple have accidentally bred a naturally polled strain of texas longhorns, which they believe may overcome some of the resistance they are meeting from New Zealand farmers who are not used to working with cattle with horns.

The partners are now in the third generation of this line and have found a lot of interest among other breeders around the world in this development.

Despite being descended from the original Spanish fighting bulls, longhorns are placid round humans, and "keep their own space", says Pat Davis.

She has also noted an unusual tendency for the heifers to run their own "creche" for the first weeks after calving.