by Darol Dickinson

The TLBAA Horn Showcase has been for years an exciting official event for Texas Longhorn large-horn lovers. Satellite measuring sites were staged all across the nation for convenience of entries. Most producers can enter without driving across the nation and be added in the national competition either by a satellite measuring or the final Horn Showcase event somewhere in Oklahoma or Texas. All the measurements are done by approved "horn measuring" judges who have completed the TLBAA judge requirements. An excellent video was produced to define the exact method that all critters must be consistently measured.

The Horn Showcase attracts the most valued cattle in the breed. Both the highest selling cows, steers and bulls show up to prove, officially, their data. These are often the cream of the breed that are not for sale. It is the accumulation of breed genetic values far over any other sale, or show, or futurity. This is the big one.

Over the years many have criticized the breed saying, "you can't eat horn." The Horn Showcase is all about horn and only about horn. Coordinating with the Horn Showcase Committee, the TLBAA Beef Committee, with Charlene Nance Semkin, chair-lady, worked to add a new dimension. Starting with the 2020 event every animal was weighed at the final HS event. Some satellites who had scales also collected both horn and weight data. Now after the second year of both measuring and weighing more of a total animal can be identified. If people want horn, they have data. If they want weight and size, data is available. All this data was published in the January Trails Magazine. If producers demand both weight and tip to tip in one sire, the data is there for them to research.