by Darol Dickinson

I saw my first Texas Longhorn cow eating cactus in 1977 at Lely Ranch of Presidio, Texas. As I watched her, in the West Texas heat, she just munched
along with an occasional drool and a look in her eye like John Oliver
eating smoked brisket.

Realizing that cactus was about as low of value as a used-tire for cost-of-feed, it pictured in my mind what a great profit this ability was for a cow to live and raise a calf on cactus. Texas Longhorn cows had a special ability to thrive on low value browse fibers unusual and different to other breeds. There was big money in this virtue—really big.

A few years later in Fort Scott, Kansas, Frank Doherty found that four Texas
Longhorn cows could run on the same amount of pasture as 3 Angus cows. And, Frank found the 4 cow’s calves would weigh more than the 3 Angus calves at weaning. Now something is starting to add up here.

Today, 47 years later a lot of the big ranches have found that a beef type Texas Longhorn can be very profitable on the worst, sorriest, desert or rocky ranch country. Even people in Israel have imported Texas Longhorn embryos to test the breed on the rockiest desert areas.

Not just on desert land, but lush eastern ranches are finding the ability for this breed to thrive eating weeds, tree leaves, and thorny locust bushes exponentially extends pasture carrying capacity. That is profit. When a cow can consume non-human edible fiber and turn it into a steak, that is something muy grande.

Now all of this is good, but sometimes Texas Longhorns take it way too far. Our good vet back in Colorado, Gary McIntire tells of a roping steer (Spanish origin) that was doing poorly. He had given him every possible thing and no sign of improvement. Finally, after weeks of treatment the steer died. Dr. Mac’s procedure was to always post any deceased critter of his clients at no charge. He was a dedicated vet that wanted to know why every animal died and perhaps the next time around he could save them. With a few incisions it was obvious. The steer had swallowed a complete pair of Levi pants—no sign of the cowhand that was wearing them was found. That steer was way too much of a browser.

Here in Ohio we don’t have bull nettles, cactus, goat heads, grass burrs, loco weeds, stinging scorpions, tarantulas or alligators, but we have other things. We have plastic, bread wrappers, balloons, wire, hay strings, etc. All of these are just as deadly.

The cow Precious Mark who won the Millennium futurity was raising a pretty heifer at the time sired by Ice Pick, also a futurity winner. She is owned by Kirk and Teu Dickinson. Precious Pick, now a year and a half old, just stopped eating. She would mosey off by herself and turned into a herd recluse in one day. Her body condition shrunk down to just below a Somalian burro. When offered water and good sweet feed she had no desire, she just wanted to die. It appeared she had a blockage in her throat—not a good place to operate right by the jugular vein.

Our Dickinson Cattle Co junior herdsman, Doug Burris whisked her away to the Ohio State University Vet School for diagnosis and hopeful treatment. A number of things were done. She was placed in intensive care and given intravenous liquids, endoscopy, angiocath, cubex, orogastric intubation and
found again a throat blockage deep down near the stomach entry. Efforts were made to twist and attach particles out with a special extended clamp. It only recovered small bids of cat-tail and brush. Although she was obviously in pain the intravenous was providing the substance and energy to keep her alive. She had been halter trained and was very cooperative during some harsh painful efforts.

On the second day when Precious Pick had not coughed anything up, nor swallowed down, she was put to sleep and her mouth was spread open with a tool I have seen used on horses to float teeth. Julia Horton, DVM, a student at OSU with a long slender arm was able to reach down the heifer’s throat. The wad of material was lodged and stuck for some unknown reason. It would not go down or come up. Julia twisted, pushed, pulled, twisted more and with a yeoman’s persistence recovered the glob of cat-tails wrapped
around a 3” long Rapala rattle bait treble fishing hook. It wasn’t going anywhere. She was hooked.

How can a serious fisherman catch anything when the Longhorns can come up and eat their hooks? This is taking the browse utilization way too far.

Precious Pick recovered, started eating good Alfalfa hay right away and acted as if nothing had happened. She is back at the ranch and amazingly appears to have no issues.