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:

lowlines@pecancreekfarm.com

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:

rmhmdpa@aol.com

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

info@slaba.us 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

RCdickson@juno.com

From the Great State of California

Paul & Monica Geiger P.O. Box 1831

Big Bear, CA 92315

909-866-4681

paulgeiger@verizon.net

From the Great State of California

Prime Lowline Angus

Jim & Amy Crawford P.O. Box 746

Hopland, CA 95449

707-744-1049

billcrawford@pldi.net

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

curtis@checkeredpastlivestock.com

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

chandlermk@aol.com

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

gwenacoleman@yahoo.com

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 dscc@tyler.net

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