SLABA Newsletter
SLABA has it’s own version of
the Big Eight.
By a vote of 6-1, the Executive
Board of SLABA voted to
amend Article II of the corpora-
tion by-laws so “Southwest”
shall include “the States of Ari-
zona, Arkansas, California,
Louisiana, Nevada, New Mex-
ico, Oklahoma and Texas.”
With this change, the breeder’s
association increases from the
five original SLABA states
(AR, LA, NM, OK, TX) to
eight states. We extend a
hearty welcome to the great
states of Arizona, California
and Nevada!
This change will bring some
challenges as we work with
such a large area. SLABA will
seek input from these new
members on how to best repre-
sent their states in the organiza-
tion.
SLABA SPONSORS OPEN L OWLINE A NGUS SHOW IN H OUSTON
W ELCOME NEW M EMBER STATES
SLABA sponsored the first
showing of Lowlines in the
southwest at the Houston Live-
stock Show & Rodeo on March
15, 2008.
Lowlines were shown in two
divisions, Fullblood and Per-
centage/Purebred. In the Full-
blood Division, 48 entries were
shown in 16 classes. In the Per-
centage/Purebred Division, 15
entries were shown in 8 classes.
Judging the entries was
Pasquale Swaner from Marlin,
Texas.
Grand Champion Bull in the
Fullblood Division is RML Top
Gun, FM3141, shown by Rick
Sekich of Torrington, Wyo-
ming. Reserve Grand Cham-
pion Bull is SC Shane, FM5623,
shown by Mellott Lowline Cat-
tle, from Carr, Colorado.
Grand Champion Female in
the Fullblood Division is DJR’s
Yes, I’m Classy, FF 2900, shown
by George Jenkins from North
Platte, Nebraska. Reserve
Grand Champion Female is
Double J’s Miss 176T, FF6239,
also shown by George Jenkins.
In the Percentage/Purebred
Division, Grand Champion
Bull is EBC Sharper Image,
XM6641 shown by George Jen-
kins. Grand Champion Female
is Nikki, XF5804, shown by
Rick Sekich.
SLABA participants included
Robert Mason, Patricia Seeley,
William Cabaniss, Larry and
Kim Watkins (Texas) and
Bruce & Sheri Dennis
(Oklahoma).
See the American Lowline Reg-
ister’s Ledger, Summer 2008,
for a complete list of entries.
(More story and photographs on
Page 7)
SLABA President, Robert Mason giving “orders” at the Houston Show.
Volume 2, Issue 1 Summer, 2008
SLABA FIELD DAY
AUGUST 23
• Learn how to give vaccina-
tions and routine injections
• Learn how to insert ear
tags
• Learn how to apply tattoo
identification
• Learn how to take a DNA
sample
(See story on page 2)
S o u t h w e s t L o w l i n e A n g u s B r e e d e r s A s s o c i a t i o n
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Field Day, August 23 2
Buy/Sell Opportunities 2
Web Perks 3
“Brucellosis Free” Texas 3
SLABA “Steps Up” 3
Opinion/Editorial (Op-Ed) 4
Cattle Corner 5
Member Notes 6
Houston Show 2008 7
Remembering Joel 8
F IELD DAY , AUGUST 23, 2008
SLABA Newsletter Page 2
An important field day and gen-
eral meeting is planned for Sat-
urday, August 23, at the home
of Rex and Sandy Myers near
Bastrop in Central Texas. Plan
to attend!
The meeting will start at 10:00
AM. Lunch will be provided
with a suggested “donation” to
cover the expenses.
Practical instruction and dem-
onstration on how to give injec-
tions and vaccinations, how to
insert ear tags and how to apply
tattoo identification will be pre-
sented.
Other general management as-
pects of Lowlines will be dis-
cussed. This should be helpful
to new breeders.
Contact Bill Cabaniss at:
or phone him at 512-365-5840
about attending this important
meeting. We need to know
how many are planning to at-
tend. Go to the EVENTS page
on the SLABA Web site for a
link to a map showing the loca-
tion of the Myers’ ranch.
Approximately 70 lots were
presented for sale, and 35 lots
were sold.
The first online auction encoun-
tered challenges with technol-
ogy (especially the software).
Online posting and bidding
processes were “fine tuned”
throughout the auction. How-
SLABA is seeking immediate
input from its membership re-
garding a second online auction
this fall for Lowlines.
The first online auction was
held last year in October.
SLABA members Mark Hoyle
and Bill Cabaniss coordinated
the auction .
ever, a second auction will run
more smoothly as SLABA
takes advantage of lessons
learned.
If you are interested in doing a
second online auction this fall,
contact Mark Hoyle at:
BUY /SELL OPPORTUNITY : 2ND A NNUAL SLABA ONLINE A UCTION , FALL 2008
Patti Seeley demonstrates mak-ing compost tea at October 2006 SLABA field day .
from Bismarck, ND.
The current offering is 75 lots,
including Fullbred and Pure-
bred bulls and females. The
auction is not accepting any
more bulls for the sale. How-
ever, there is a need for addi-
tional females, and they may be
bred or open.
Any SLABA member may con-
sign animals for sale. There will
be a fee for each animal entered
in the sale. For additional in-
formation contact:
Todd Smith 903-854-4504
Robert Mason 903-692-0958
For a full description of the sale
see the American Lowline Reg-
istry Ledger, Summer 2008.
Online bidding is available at:
liveauctions.tv
There will be a Lowline pro-
duction sale in East Texas on
Oct. 11.
The “Get Back to Grass” sale is
sponsored by two SLABA
members, Todd Smith (3S Cat-
tle Co.) and Robert Mason
(Daniels Switch Cattle Co.).
The sale will be held at 1:00 pm
at the Rusk County Youth
Expo Center, Henderson, TX.
Auctioneer will be Neil Effertz
BUY /SELL OPPORTUNITY : “G ET BACK TO GRASS” L OWLINE SALE ON OCT . 11, 2008
SLABA members Robert Mason and Sandy Myers at March 2007 SLABA Field Day.
deliver weak calves or produce
less milk. Brucellosis is highly
infectious, and may be trans-
mitted from other domestic ani-
mals or wildlife. The only
method of control is to identify
infected animals and eradicate
them.
“Brucellosis-free” status is not a
permanent designation. If in-
fections are identified in two
herds within two years, the
status could be withdrawn. “To
this end, we must continue test-
ing our cattle at the first-point
of concentration and change of
ownership for the next couple
of years,” says Dr. Bob Hillman
of the Texas Animal Health
Commission. It is highly recom-
mended that replacement heif-
ers be vaccinated between the
ages of 4-12 months.
tahc.state.tx.us/brucellosis
On February 1, 2008, the US
Department of Agriculture
(USDA) officially declared
Texas free of cattle Brucellosis.
The announcement marked the
first time in 74 years that all 50
states achieved “brucellosis-
free” status.
Brucellosis (also called “Bangs”
Disease) is caused by the
Brucella abortus bacteria. The
disease can cause cows to abort,
“B RUCELLOSIS FREE” S TATUS FOR T EXAS
Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 3
Mark Hoyle, SLABA member from Okla-homa, is serving on the Board of Direc-tors for the American Lowline Registry.
$15.99 on CafePress Website
recently created to help resolve
disputes regarding buy/sell
practices among Lowline breed-
ers. The ALR has asked for two
volunteers from each regional
association (at this time there
are six regional associations) to
serve on the Conflict Resolu-
tion Committee. The first term
volunteers representing SLABA
The American Lowline Regis-
try is the national organization
for Lowline breeders. The ALR
is headquartered in North Kan-
sas City, Missouri. Mark Hoyle
(Bennington, OK) is serving a
two year term on ALR’s Board
of Directors. Mark will be
chairing the new Conflict Reso-
lution Committee that has been
are Pat Caviness (Lampasas,
TX) and Sandy Myers (Paige,
TX).
For more information on the
ALR and this new Conflict
Resolution Committee see the
Summer 2008 Ledger on ALR
website at:
www.usa-lowline.org
SLABA M EMBERS “S TEP UP” TO W ORK WITH A MERICAN L OWLINE REGISTRY
W EBSITE PERKS FOR SLABA M EMBERS
SLABA launched a new web-
site this spring. The site is pro-
fessionally maintained by
EDJE Technologies. SLABA
has made a strong commitment
to keeping the website visually
pleasing and current with all
information.
Contact information is posted
for Officers, Directors, General
Members, Associate Members
and Junior Members.
There are special pages for post-
ing classified advertisements.
The process is explained on the
web page, and postings on the
“classified” page are free and
available to SLABA members
only. Also, companies (or
ranches) may have “banner”
advertisements placed on the
Home page. These ads may be
in color, include photos and be
animated. There is a fee for
this type of ad. Contact
[email protected] for information
on banner ads.
Other features of the site in-
clude a Calendar of Events
(updated monthly), Publica-
tions, Information about the
Lowline Breed, and the Photo
Gallery. Members are encour-
age to submit articles and pho-
tographs that help SLABA rec-
ognize, promote and market
Lowlines.
Check out the page for purchas-
ing promotional items for
SLABA.
www.cafepress.com/slaba
“Hearing the words ‘cattle
brucellosis-free’ is music
to the industry’s ears.”
Ernie Morales
Texas Animal Health
Commission
OP-ED: Is The ( Genetically Modified) Cat out of the ($) Bag??? BY : PATRICIA SEELEY
SLABA Newsletter Page 4
In this period of fast paced technology, our generation has been privileged to see the advent of the Nuclear Age, the Computer Age and the Space Age. These all came in through very few labs and most under intense scientific study. On the other hand, biotechnology has exploded into big business, and genetic modification of plants, animals and insects has proliferated through thousands of unsupervised laboratories throughout the world. Much of the research has been frivolous – just because the scientists now have the ability to splice genes didn’t seem stop them from asking the question as to whether they should be tampering with years of evolution, breaking the species barrier and creating unknown and therefore never before seen species of plants, animals and insects on this planet. We are being led to believe that genetically modified animals and plants and insects are just an extension of natural breeding, will improve the original greatly, will give us better, cheaper and more copious medicines, will feed the world, are just as safe as the original, and should be passed on to the consumer without their knowledge. We have already seen this attitude with the genetically modified grains sold and fed to us and our animals for many years without our knowledge or consent. We are now entering a time when the genetic base of plants, animals and fish and insects are being spliced together and modified. The introduction of the Polymerase Chain Reaction Machine has made it possible. This machine sits on a desktop and can make millions of copies of a specific DNA in just 45 minutes. DNA, the blueprint of life, protects itself from natural invaders but in nature, viruses and cancer-causing agents can get past it to wreak havoc on the entire organism. It is no different when genes are spliced or modified – the DNA is now reprogrammed to produce the new. It does not have to be just one gene that is inserted – many can be used from different species. These procedures result in the disruption of the genetic blueprint of the organism with oftentimes totally unpredictable consequences and unidentified damage to native genes. Genetic engineering is generally a hit and miss affair with DNA instability as a common feature. Good examples of this is Starlink, an insecticidal corn which ended up in the human food supply causing widespread allergic reactions, and Flavrsavr tomato (lost most of it’s nutrients but would stay on the shelf without rotting for months). The most troubling is the report on the GM pigs from the University of Illinois where as many as 386 potentially transgenetic piglets were sold for slaughter. Micheal Crichton in his book Jurassic Park stated that “life will find a way” and anyone who has studied the natural world knows that is accurate. The truth is that we simply don’t know what will happen when these new species enter our world. Some of these changed life forms have surprised geneticists with genetic func-tions that didn’t exist in the original organisms. Scientists who engineer organisms to create one effect more often than not end up with something altogether different. Many large companies have consistently glossed over or ignored problems so they wouldn’t have interfer-ence with their bottom line. Can we allow large corporations to gamble with the very future of life on this earth and our own food supply??? Commercial secrecy should never take precedence over human health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put these new “biotech lifeforms” under the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, and the fact is that the FDA has had a very poor track record with protecting us from drugs so far. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classed these under the Federal Insecticide, Fun-gicide, Rodenticide and Toxic Substances Control Acts, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has them covered under the Plant Pest Protection Act; Plant Quarantine Act; and Virus, Serum and ToxinAct. These agencies alone and their attempts at defining the problem of genetic engineering should make us sit up and take notice. It is estimated that 75% of our US processed foods contain some element of a GE organism through soybean protein, cottonseed oil and corn syrup. The world is now geared up to introduce a lot more GM products. We can insist that these foods, etc. undergo rigorous testing and clear labeling. We should have a choice as to whether to buy them or not. This author is a firm believer of grow local, sell local and buy local. As to whether the GM cat is out of the $ bag – you betcha-and it’s running too fast for us to catch up – or run away.
Patricia Seeley, BS Animal Science (Excerpted from an article submitted to the Price Pottinger Foundation)
“Just because
scientists now have
the ability to splice
genes didn’t seem to
stop them from
asking the questions
as to whether they
should…”
“Can we allow large
corporations to
gamble with the
very future of life
on this earth and
our own food
supply?”
Volume 2, Issue 1
CATTLE CORNER: T HE M EDICINE CHEST BY : SANDY M YERS AND PATTI SEELEY
Page 5
CATTLE CORNER : DNA SAMPLE T O V ERIFY PARENTAGE BY : B ILL CABANISS
This list contains many items we feel should be a in a cattle person’s medicine chest. Prob-lems invariably occur Saturday nights or Sun-days when the Vet is not available! PROBIACIN— “Stomach bugs” - to reintro-duce stomach flora after stress, antibiotics or diarrhea ELECTROLYTE POWDER —for dehydra-tion from heat, diarrhea or stress COLOSTRUM POWDER — Have this on hand, and if you can milk a newly freshened cow, save at least 2 quarts and put in the freezer CALF BOTTLE —also keep a small lamb nipple in case of a “preemie” calf. I like a glass bottle that holds 1 1/2 quarts BOTTLE BRUSH —to clean bottles and calf stomach tube, Clorox SURGICAL BLADES —Clippers, 10% Io-dine solution, Betadine scrub, Rubbing Alco-hol, to clean and flush abscesses STOMACH TUBE (small) AND/OR ORAL CALF FEEDER – to save a weak calf THERMOMETER – digital type from the pharmacy is fine
LUBRICANT – keep on hand PAPER TOWELS—–you’ll always need these! SUPER MAGNESIUM GEL —for grass tetany in cloudy rainy springs-you may never need it, but if you do, it’ll be an emergency to save the cow’s life SYRINGES – 3cc, 6cc, 12cc, 20cc ( Luer-locks) –at least 10 of each NEEDLES- 20ga x 1”, 18ga x 1”, 18ga x 1 ½”, 16ga —Keep a box of each SLAPSHOT -a device that allows the animal to jump all they want with no losing the needle or breaking it when giving an injection PENICILLIN Combi-pen Subcutaneous (under the skin) will last for 2-3 days with one shot for infections i.e. navel ill, joint ill check with vet on dosage (Must be Stored IN THE REFRIGERATOR) BAYTRIL – Subcutaneous (under the skin) good for respiratory conditions TETANUS ANTITOXIN - for banding steers and bad puncture wounds – (Must be stored IN THE REFRIGERATOR)
I restrain the calf in a working chute and tie his
head using rope halters. My veterinarian showed
me how to draw the blood from the large (and
very visible) vein that runs at the base of the tail
on its underside. I use a 1cc (tuberculin) syringe
to draw the small amount of blood that is needed.
The blood must be placed immediately onto the
absorptive sample card. Do not let it sit in the
syringe. It will clot very quickly.
Allow the card (with the applied blood sample) to
air dry completely. Be sure to write the necessary
identification on the card. Do not place the sam-
ples in plastic bags
I will be demonstrating this procedure at the field
day on August 23rd.
In order to register your Fullblood Lowline calf
in the American Lowline Registry, you must es-
tablish the parentage of the calf. All registered
animals must be traced back to the original
Trangie Research Herd in Australia.
The method for establishing parentage is a sim-
ple DNA blood test. The ALR will provide (free
of charge to members) the sample cards and
small gauge needles that are required for the test.
The instructions posted on the ALR website di-
rect the technician to draw a small amount of
blood from a vein in the animal’s ear. I person-
ally have found that to be a difficult exercise—
particularly on wildly uncooperative calves.
“Problems invariably occur
on Saturday nights or
Sundays when the Vet is not
available!”
Small syringes and needles work best for DNA test.
SLABA Newsletter Page 6
From the Great State of Arizona
Elk Ridge Ranch
Richard and Susan Dickson P.O. Box 293389
Tucson, AZ 85749
520-749-1942 520-327-0391
From the Great State of California
Paul & Monica Geiger P.O. Box 1831
Big Bear, CA 92315
909-866-4681
From the Great State of California
Prime Lowline Angus
Jim & Amy Crawford P.O. Box 746
Hopland, CA 95449
707-744-1049
From the Great State of California
Checkered Past Livestock
Curtis and Shelley Gravance 6722 Harrington Ave. Arbuckle, CA 95912
530-476-0758 801-607-8158 Fax
From the Great State of Nevada
Chandler Ranch
Mark and Esta Chandler 3539 Silverado Dr.
Carson City, NV 89705
775-267-5666 775-315-4790 Cell
From the Great State of California
Crossroads Ranch
Paul and Gwena Coleman P.O. Box 293389
Phelan, CA 92329
760-249-8853 760-644-9740
FULL V OTING R IGHTS GRANTED TO SLABA M EMBERS IN NEW STATES OF A RIZONA , CALIFORNIA & N EVADA
SLABA M EMBERS PLEASE NOTE !
REMINDER:
www.slaba.us The membership directory on the SLABA web page has been updated to reflect the names of all current mem-bers. If your name is not there, that means you haven’t paid your 2008 dues. You must be a member to sell any animal at the Fall Production Sale, Online Auction or to post ads on the classified section of the web page.
Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 7
SLABA SPONSORS F IRST OPEN L OWLINE SHOW AT
H OUSTON L IVESTOCK SHOW A ND RODEO
Program from HLSR 2008 Lowline Show.
Double J’s Miss 1KT shown by Robert Mason (TX) in Fullblood Junior Heifer Class.
Sasha Alexander, owned by Bill Cabaniss (TX), shown in Fullblood Junior Bull Class.
Double J’s Miss 24 T shown by Sheri Dennis (OK). MAVirginia, owned by Patti Seeley (TX), shown by Rhett Gentry (plaid shirt) in the Fullblood Junior Heifer Class.
Exhibitors visiting together outside the show ring.
Robert Mason President 418 CR 1151 • Carthage, TX 75633 903.693.7333 [email protected]
S o u t h w e s t L o w l i n e A n g u s B r e e d e r s A s s o c i a t i o n
REMEMBERING JOEL DENNIS (1940-2008)
Earlier this summer, SLABA
lost a founding member and
special friend in Joel Dennis.
Joel passed away in Ft. Worth
on July 1 following a lengthy
battle with cancer. He was 68
years old. He is survived by his
wife, Benita Irene, two sons,
Jay and Mike, a daughter,
D’Ann, four grandchildren, and
a brother, Robert.
Joel was retired from Lock-
heed-Martin, but he was an
active cattleman for many
years. He and his son, Jay, op-
erated Double J Farms Lowline
Angus Cattle in Springtown,
Texas.
In 2006, Joel was a moving
force in organizing the South-
west Lowline Angus Breeders
Association (SLABA). His
years in the business world,
experience in the cattle industry
and his soft-spoken and kindly
manner worked to bring to-
gether a diverse and often inex-
perienced group of cattle people
who shared a common goal of
developing and promoting a
cattle breed called Lowlines.
Double J Farms (Joel and Jay)
are visionaries in the Lowline
cattle industry. Joel and Jay
began breeding Lowlines in
2004. That makes them one of
the earliest cattle breeders to get
actively involved with Lowline
Angus in the state of Texas.
Double J Farms will continue
to operate under the manage-
ment of Jay Dennis and other
members of the Dennis family.
The reputation for quality and
integrity that Joel helped to
build will live on, but he will be
terribly missed. His passing
leaves a big hole in all our
hearts, and we at SLABA ex-
tend our deepest condolences to
the Dennis family.
Memorials may be made to the
American Cancer Society.
SLABA has been organized to promote the rec-ognition, popularity, and marketability of Ameri-can Lowline Angus cattle in the southwestern United States, including the states of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
W E ’ RE ON THE W EB ! WWW .SLA BA .US
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