Historic Herd Award

Clark Angus Ranch, Crockett, Texas, received the Historic Herd Award given by the American Angus Association in 2006. William Clark has owned and operated this ranch for about 55 years. This ranch (and family) has continued to produce registered Angus cattle since 1952.

He purchased his first cattle from the Tommy Brooke Ranch, San Saba, Texas and has exhibited his cattle throughout the Southwest including the national stock show in Denver and stock shows in Houston, Ft. Worth, Dallas and Louisville, Kentucky.

Mr. Clark has served in numerous capacities, primarily serving as president of the American Angus Association in 1975 and has served as president of the Texas Angus Association.

A friend to many, Mr. Clark is affectionately called “Mr. Texas Angus” and has helped the local area Angus associations in promoting and selling their registered Angus cattle.

A*L*O*T would like to add our congratulations to those of Texas Angus and American Angus and say THANK YOU for your many years of service and help and for being a trend setter when it comes to raising Angus cattle. Thank you for your time and effort working with our organization and the other regional organizations. We appreciate you very much.

How May We Help?

On January 26, 2007 Randy Roden assumed the leadership roll of president, Texas Angus Association. His first question and challenge to the organization was, “How may we help?” How may Texas Angus help each of the Angus breeders, both registered and commercial? In the event you did not see the Texas Angus Newsletter for February, 2007 here are items of interest:

1. Each member of Texas Angus received the Texas Angus Newsletter. It offers each of you advertising opportunities which reach registered Angus breeders and bull customers. Members may advertise in the classified section of the newsletter free of charge twice each year. The membership is growing and this would provide each of you with a wider area of circulation and exposure.

2. Texas Angus web site (see below) is updated continuously and provides you with an additional source of information.

3. Dues and other charges may now be paid by credit card on line.

4. The Best of the West Bull Sale, Stars of Texas Female Sale, Breeders Select Female Sale, Annual TAA Field Day are four (4) of the annual events for Texas Angus members.

5. Good news for Texas Angus Breeders: Texas Angus/Ultimate Genetics NEXT Bull Development program has exciting potential for all Texas Angus Breeders. We ask for your participation and its success is our goal for you. There are guidelines published in the Texas Angus Newsletter and nomination packets are available upon request. Write
   Texas Angus Association
   C/O Randy Roden
   P O Box 91
   Grandview, Texas 76050 or call Randy: 1-817-874-8537. Check this out.

6. How can Texas Angus help? Call Randy or one of the Board of Directors listed in the newsletter.

7. How can A*L*O”*T help? Call or email the board members listed to the left of this column. Let Texas Angus and A*L”*O”T hear from you.

Check out the Texas Angus Association website at: texasangus.com or email:taa@sbcglobal.net

Thank You

A*L*O*T would like to thank Minnie Lou Bradley for her years of service to Texas Angus Association (TAA) and to the American Angus Association (AAA). As chairman of the delegation from Texas to the Annual AAA convention in Louisville, Kentucky, she helped make this year a “red letter day” for Texas Angus and the Texas delegation to AAA annual meeting. Her tireless efforts along with those of Past TAA president, Lee Roy Pyssen, helped make Texas number one in voting delegates and helped elect Steve Olson to the board. We have some outstanding workers and breeders. Come join us! Thanks again, Minnie Lou and Lee Roy!

We Thank You for Your Help and Request it Again in 2007

Texas Angus members have proven they are serious about Angus by representing Texas at the Annual Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. For the second consecutive year, Texas has had the largest number of voting delegates at the convention. This is due to the continued growth in membership and registrations. TA A a n d A*L*O*T appreciate your commitment to and attendance at this important annual event.

Steve Olson, Hereford, was elected to the Board of Directors, American Angus Association. He will serve on the Activities and Events and Industry Relations Committees. All Texas Breeders should be proud that you represented our state and did your part to make Steve’s election happen. We need to continue to take these efforts seriously and work diligently to keep this great man on the AAA Board.

Oklahoma needs your support for the President of American Angus, Jot Hartley, Vinita, OK. He has been a board member for several years and was elected as president in November, 2006. As Association president he will serve as chairman of the executive committee and work closely with the directors to lead the board this next year. In talking with the Texas Angus members at their annual meeting in Ft. Worth, Mr. Hartley challenged each of us to continue to work toward making and keeping Angus the best breed and to do that we have to continue to improve, produce quality cattle, track the source, and educate our commercial buyers.

Mr. Jarold Callahan, Edmond, OK another AAA board member was in attendance and thanked Texas for voting for Oklahoma. The Texas delegation worked with Al DeClerk, Pocohontas, AR to be elected to the AAA board. Al will serve on the Activities & Events, Breed Improvement and Industry Relations committees. He is also on the Angus Foundation Board. With this in mind, A*L*O*T challenges each member from Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana to put next year’s annual meeting on the calendar, plan to attend, work to get yourself nominated as a delegate and commit to asking at least one other person to do the same.

Husband and wives may both be delegates as long as they both hold individual memberships in American Angus Association. Look for the delegate election form that you will received in the mail from AAA about mid-year. It is very important to vote for representatives that are willing and able to attend the meetings in Louisville, Kentucky, November 10-12, 2007. A*L*O*T would like to hear from the Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma associations, both Angus and Junior Angus. We would love to publish your information. Send any information you would like published to A*L*O*T, C/O Beth Wicker, A*L*O*T secretary (909 Hwy 82 West, New Boston, TX 75570, 903-667-5581, Contact form) or send to your A*L*O*T state director and they will pass it along to us. We want to represent all four (4) states.

By Floron C. Faries, Jr., DVM, MS — Professor and Extension Program Leader for Veterinary Medicine, Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University System

During the time of the year when a beef rancher is calving cows and heifers, moving and mixing these cows and heifers, and bringing in bulls to them, the nursing calves are at high risk to fatal diseases beginning the day they are born. At the same time the baby calves can have low immunity and be highly susceptible to these diseases. Sources of these deadly germs in the pasture are the ground and the cows, heifers, and bulls.

When a pasture trap is used year after year for close observation of calving cows and .heifers, the ground becomes heavily contaminated with germs from manure that kill baby calves with the scours and septicemia. This contamination is long standing during cool, wet weather by a build up of manure from the calving cows and heifers and scouring calves. Scours are caused by bacteria, viruses, and protozoa in the intestines. Septicemia is bacteria in the bloodstream. To reduce the calf mortality related to scours and septicemia in a cow herd calving over a period of several months, more than one pasture trap will be needed to provide clean maternity areas. Also, an annual vaccination program needs to be established to provide immunity in the cow's colostrum (first milk) for the new born calf. Causes of Calf Scours: Viruses: Rotavirus, Coronavirus, BVD; Bacteria: E. coli, C. perfringens, salmonella; Protozoa: Cryptosporidia, and coccidian. A calf having scours in the first 5 days of birth is most likely to have E. coli, bacteria caused scours. A calf with scours in the 5 to 15 day time frame is most likely caused by the rotavirus or the coronavirus. Cryptosporidia protozoa and C. perfringen B, C bacteria can be the cause of scours from 5 to 30 days of age. The bacterias Coccidia and salmonella can cause scours from 15 to 30+ days. The virus, BVD, and the bacteria, C. perfringen D can cause scours in calves 30+ days old.

Cows, heifers, and bulls that are not vaccinated annually for pneumonia germs quite often shed bacteria and viruses from their lungs and by close contact infect newborn calves. Death occurs from pneumonia soon after exposure, or dormancy of the germs occurs in the calf’s lungs, and later pneumonia develops before or after weaning. Either cold or hot weather is the common stress which triggers the germs to break out of dormancy in nursing calves, whether or not they are vaccinated. There are over 50 different viruses and bacteria that cause calf mortality associated with pneumonia, many of which there are no vaccines available. Annual administration of the available vaccines to pregnant cows and heifers provides immunity to the newborn calf through the cow's colostrum. Causes of pneumonia to vaccinate against are: Viruses: IBR, PI3, BRSV, and BVD; Bacteria: Pasteurella and H. somnus.

Susceptible baby calves are those that do not receive an adequate amount of good quality colostrum during the first 24 hours after birth. They should receive an amount equivalent to 5 percent of their body weight in the first 6 hours after birth, and again over the next 18 hours. (Ten percent of 80 pounds is 8 pounds or 1 gallon.) An 80 pound calf needs 1 gallon of colostrum during the first 24 hours of life to receive protective immunity.

The cause of calf mortality in a cow herd can be determined by a veterinarian performing a post-mortem examination of the tissues of the dead calf. Laboratory tests conducted on the diseased tissues can reveal the specific causative agent to determine the effective drugs and vaccines for the treatment and vaccination programs.

To reduce the calf mortality in a cow herd caused by scours, septicemia, and pneumonia, the rancher needs to reduce the level of exposures to infectious organisms during calving and breeding seasons, to increase the level of immunity in colostrum, and to have all calves nurse first day of birth.

For the protective immunity to be in colostrum, against the fatal baby calf diseases, the pregnant cows and heifers need to be vaccinated late in pregnancy. Vaccines containing: E. coli, Rotavirus, Coronavirus, and C. perfringens B,C,D control calf scours and IBR, PI3, BRSV, Pasteurella, and H. somnus control calf pneumonia.

• The Texas Junior Angus Association (TJAA) will host the State show on June 1-3, 2007 in Fredericksburg. This is the same location as last year. Watch for new TJAA website linked from TAA website.

• The 2007 National Jr. Angus Show (NJAS) will be in Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 1-7 at Expo Square. We always need to be supportive of our youth, but since the 2007 Nationals are this close to home (Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas) we need to be doubly supportive!

• "The American Dream Embryo Lottery" - 1000 tickets will be sold, $100 per ticket, to support the operating expenses of the 2007 NJAS. Random drawings for 22 embryo packages will be held during the event. To learn more about the Angus youth activities visit www.njaa.info. For more information on the 2007 NJAS visit www.njas.info or contact Keith & Janet Grissom, 405-382-7678 or janet@grissomonline.com.