2013 HLSR International Lowline Show is in the History Books!

WOW!  WHAT A SHOW AND SALE!

I have been recovering all week after spending five days from early morning to night at the show and another four days spending a partial day at the show to keep the electronics up and running for American Lowline Registry Booth in the International Room.  How I wish I had the energy of my daughter's age again.  I've spent the last three days in recovery mode!

International Lowline Angus Sale was a huge success with just over $173,000 dollars worth of cattle sold.  The high selliing lot was MRG Rusty to a syndicate for $27,500.  Rusty is the 2012 Candian National Champion Bull, 2013 National Senior Division Champion Bull at the National Western and 2013 International Grand Champion Bull at HLSR.  We were absolutely thrilled!  In 2012 Flying J&L Ranch and Rocking B Farms purchased a semen interest in the bull and when Rusty sold we are a part of the syndicate.

We would like to thank BF Farms and 7C Lowline Cattle for the purchase of  our Lot # 24 Embryos,  4 Exportable Embryos Elandra Park Zoom x Sunset Vicky 913W.  This lot of embryos sold for $4800 tying the high selling price of $1200/embryo.  As promised Zoom HAS BECOME THE NEWEST HOTTEST IMPORT BULL!  Vicky's bloodline has become even more valuable with her maternal brother's MRG Rusty's International Champion win and syndication!  Vicky is open and ready to flush should you be interested to any of our bulls except Zoom.  We have other superior heifers and cows ready to flush.  Please remember we protect our customers with only flushing to our bulls one time to maintain value of the offspring to their owners.  We guarantee one live calf from each flush, too.

The International Show was extremely competitive and we are so excited to announce the wins in the Senior Heifer Calf Division of Miss FJL Tinker Bell 15/28Y as International Senior Heifer Calf Champion and Miss FJL Mathilda 13 was named International Senior Heifer Calf Reserve Champion.  Both of these beautiful heifers are sired by LTL Peyton, our Foundation Bull shown above.  Peyton is noted for siring pretty and consistently producing look alike offspring.  We will be purchasing their photos next week and I'll post a whole page dedicated to their wins.

Trends seem to be very evident this year in the overall improvement of the cattle being shown in the ring.  There is a distinct increase in size to the upper limit of the Breed Standard as it should be in my opinion on Fullbloods.  There is also a distinct increase in width and depth of the cattle as should be in my opinion of the Fullbloods.  The Percentage Cattle classes are showing a more distinct pretty picture with pedigrees showing an increase use of Club Calf  influence.  For the show ring this is a great thing.  On the farm producing meat not such a good thing in my opinion.  I do think in my opinion the influence of Club Calf  Sires allows for a distinct advantage for show steers and heifers with Lowline influence to compete in the show ring for kids who wish to show.  This is terrific addition to marketability for percentage Lowlines.

Overall the International Show was a huge success for the Lowlines.  The International Sale can now claim to be one of the top two Lowline Sales in the nation, the other the National Sale held at the National Western Livestock Show.  The International Sale led the way on averages in all categories between the two sales.  Congratulations to Jeff Canterbury Sale Manager and Auctioneer along with Larry, my husband, who is Sale Committee Chair for Southwest Lowline Angus Breeders Assoc. on a terrific sale.  I'm sure breeders will continue to consign their very best to this sale!  Be there in 2014 for the excitement this sale offers!

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo ALR Display International Room

It's been a busy week at the ranch with our first guests arriving tonight to lay over cattle waiting for Friday and move in day for the Lowline Angus.  I was up early this morning to get the American Lowline Registry booth up to the International Room!  A huge amount of credit goes out to Paula Kluding for getting this great display together.  What a thrill to walk into the room and realize only two booths already set up by the Charolais and Braunvieh. The Red Brangus was in the process of being set up.  I was thrilled to have a wide choice of places to set our booth up!  The Ag Economist mind kicked in and we truly had the best spot when walking out of the registration area where international guest enter and exit the room.  The Red Brangus had claimed 'the' best spot as their booth can be seen from the whole room.  Next year instead of 10:00am I'll be waiting at 8:00am!  I'd like to thank the volunteers of the International Committee for all of the tremendous work they do for visitors and for those breed representatives assigned to promote their breed!

I would like this opportunity to welcome all visitors and exhibitors to HLSR, but especially to our International Visitors.  We are so excited to be welcoming the Big Island Lowlines owned by the Gottas' of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada as exhibitors under the capable hands of Murray Skippen.  Other Lowline visitors will be representing Australia, Costa Rica and Belize.  Welcome once again to the largest and greatest international livestock show in the world, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo!  Houston is Rodeo Proud for the next three weeks!  The largest social event in the city!

FJL Alabama & Miss FJL Got Clout

I am truly excited about Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo!  More of our genetics are headed to HLSR under the capable hands of the Teague's!  Larry was super excited when James' past Brahma show heifer had a gorgeous half blood bull, FJL Alabama 58/4Z!  He is sired by RDM Megamark out of Horsegate 529.  Robert called a couple of days ago really excited about Bama's (as he's called) visit to the vet for his health papers for HLSR at Gulf Coast Large Animal Clinc.  Apparently several people were there with cattle for various reasons.  There was a couple of offers to know what he could be purchased for.  I wish I had a photo of this young bull to share as of this post.  You'll have to wait until after HLSR when we have a show photo of him.

The second calf being shown by the Teague's is Miss FJL Got Clout 59.  I knew from the moment she was born, the first person to show up at the ranch looking for a show heifer she would be snatched up.  Sure enough she went home with the Teague's!  Andrew was so excited at the 2011 TJLA Fall Classic when the judge gave her a hard look for Grand Champion against all breeds.  What an honor for a Lowline to receive that nod.  Their moderate size for many judges is just not something they can even begin to consider when shown against other breeds.  Again I do not have a current photo of this dynamite Purebred  Lowline Heifer but will after Houston.  Yet I do have a couple of photos to share with you.

Above is our foundation sire LTL Peyton (LTL Dillon x Miss Jet's Rapheal 258K).  Peyton is shown here at five years of age in March of 2010 as a 4 1/2 year old having only hay through the winter.  He's correct in structure, wide, long and sires pretty calves with superior temperments.  He's also a heifer producing bull to a rate of 3 heifers for every bull calf born.  His sire Dillion is a National Champion Bull by the great bull, Nevada.  His dam was one of the most prolific flushing embryo cows in the breed.  It's easy to see why Miss  Got Clout has the pretty feminine features she has.

I did a post on this layout a couple of week's ago.  Miss Got Clout's dam is in the lower right with the other pictures her half sister.  EZ Miss Clout 390M is sired by the National Champion Bull ALM Clout 27H who holds Registration #9.  He is sired by the great bull Admiral out of a Quartermaster daughter.  Miss Clout is shown here as a seven year old and at the age of 13 is expecting another calf this spring.  She will be re-bred to Peyton this year.  Miss Clout shows excellent longevity in the pasture, a trait highly sought after in the breed.  She has excellent efficiency in the pasture always keeping her weight and produces loads of milk.  We hope Miss Got Clout will show the same.

I personally would like to thank the Teague's for representing our genetics in Texas Junior Livestock Assoc. shows.  Stay tuned for this heifer's show photo from HLSR.

Please stop by if your attending the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo between Feb. 28th and March 4th.

Fitting

A little more of the work going on at the ranch!  It's Stock Show Season around the country.  Yesterday the Iowa Beef Expo Lowline sale was sponsored by the Midwest Lowline Assoc. in Des Moines.  Some nice cattle sold in the sale.  Unfortunately I don't have the sale report.  The San Antonio Livestock show is in full swing and we are exactly 2 weeks away from move in at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The work we do is enormous to get the cattle ready to strut their stuff in the ring. The cattle term is "fitting".  The person who "fits" is called a "fitter."  Fitting a calf for show encompasses nutrition, grooming (clipping, training hair on English and Continental breeds), and every day wash or rinse and blow.  Yes, there is that word "blow" not "blow dry."  Of course we teach the heifer, bull, or steer to lead and place feet to best present the animal to the judge.

FJL General Beauregard as six month old is in the trim chute with Lynn fitting the halter to his head.  We switch out halters quickly in the ready area so we need to know where the buckles need to be before showtime.  The photo was taken in February 2010 when The General was five months old.

If your attending HLSR from February 28th to March 4th please stop by and say hello at our stalls!

BV 2U aka Bonna

Hehe!!!   I truly rested from my weekend long crop the last two days, thus no blog posts.  But also played with making some Valentines cards. Hint....come back tomorrow.

In early October of 2008 we purchased a heifer at the Get Back to Grass Sale who later received the barn name of Bonna.  In the early summer of 2009 we sold her to Raincross Ranch in Hearne, Texas.  As I was looking for photos to work with Nuts About Sketches # 252 I came across these photos of Bonna.  Bonna was one of my first subjects to begin to practice taking photos of cattle.  I was studying angles.  Of the 32 photos I took these were my favorite five.  The best one and most striking just wasn't a close up shot so cut it down for the layout.  It's obvious of her standing behind the grass and mesquite bush.  This is the one that has show heifer written all over her.  The pictures were perfect as I was also thinking about how Bonna will be representing our genetics at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Last year we had Bonna return to our ranch for two months to be bred to FJL General Beauregard!  Bonna is entered in the Senior Cow/Calf class and consigned to the 2nd Annual International Lowline Sale at Houston.  She sells as a pair with her 2012 Heifer.  Bonna is a 3/4 Lowline Cow with nice size frame and has huge amount of efficiency in the pasture.  She is a BR Absolut 1L daughter out of a half blood Lowline/Gelbvieh cross cow.   Bonna's 2012 December calf is a purebred daughter of FJL General Beauregard (Ardrossan Neron x EZ Twyla 61T)  The General's calves have fast growth, correct structure, and a quiet nature.  The General has several division championships including the 1st International Champion Senior Bull.  He's highly efficient in the pasture correct structure and easy on the eyes.  So easy on the eyes you'll take a second glance at this "pretty" boy!  In fact he even thinks he's pretty and has had a theme song given to him, 'Sexy and I Know It'!  Remember if your at Houston make sure you take a good look at Lot 37, BV 2U.

International Lowline Angus Sale Catalog, March 1, 2013

Please check out our Bull Page for more information on FJL General Beauregard,  Flying J&L Ranch!