Texas longhorn cattle in Wheel

Gregg Beeson and his grand champion bull Cherokee Wauka Chooch. (T-G Photo by Doug Dezotell) [Click to enlarge]

"Some people call it a hobby, raising these cattle," Beeson said, "but we call it a 'habit.' It's become a 24-7 habit for us. We have outside jobs, but the rest of the time we focus on our livestock."

Greg has a skid-steer service that he operates out of his farm, and Lori works in Brentwood for a manufacturer's rep, but they have both fallen in love with this special breed of cattle.

The Beesons have 30 cows, 5 bulls, 1 trophy steer, and 12 calves at the present time. They are hoping to sell some of the calf stock to anyone interested in investing in the fascinating breed.

The Texas Longhorn traces its origin from Texas to Mexico, to Spain and finally back to Africa. The Moors brought the cattle from Africa to Spain, and explorers from Spain brought them with them to the Caribbean and Mexico. Expeditions, explorers and settlers brought the cattle breed with them from Mexico to Texas, where it played an important role in the history of the "Longhorn State."

During the hard times following the Civil War, the Texas Longhorn became the financial salvation of the Southwest. Men returning home from the war soon found that their only source of income was the thousands of Texas Longhorns that wandered freely across the open range. They weren't worth much in Texas at the time, according to historical accounts, but people in the north longed for the meat they provided. The Longhorn could be fattened easily on the trail as they were taken north in trail drives.

During the beginning of the 20th century, the Texas Longhorn was near extinction. In 1927, the federal government spent $3,000 for the requisition and preservation of a herd of Texas Longhorns. In 1960, there were about 2,500 Texas Longhorns in the United States, and in 1964 the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association was created to preserve the cattle.

The cattle industry began to appreciate the fact that a Texas Longhorn bull was the best of all breeds to use on a virgin heifer. She can be bred at the youngest possible age, will carry the pregnancy to term and will deliver a healthy calf without undue stress or strain caused by the process.

According the breed journals, the offspring will be small and vigorous at birth, but will grow and wean at an adequate weight. The Texas Longhorns live longer than most European breeds, and it is not unusual for Texas Longhorn cows to calve well into their teens.

"There are very few calving problems with the Longhorns," Beeson said, "and that is due to the size of the calves."

Lori came up with the idea for them to start raising Texas Longhorns. Their son knew someone he worked with that used the breed for roping, and Lori convinced her husband to go take a look at some of the Longhorns that were for sale. Beeson grew up in a cattle-raising family in Texas, but wasn't that familiar with the breed, so he went with his wife to see what the Longhorns had to offer them.

"Once I saw them, I decided I wanted a few of them," Beeson said. "That was in 1998. We started out with five cows, and then we decided to buy a bull for breeding purposes. My wife's cousin in Oklahoma sold us our first bull, Cherokee Wauka Chooch, and we had our first calf crop in 1999 from Cherokee. He's a grand champion bull."

The Beesons have fallen in love with the breed and want to share that love with other cattlemen in the area.

"They're a unique and fascinating breed," Beeson said. "We've halter-trained our cattle, so they are about as tame and gentle as they can get."

The Beeson's trophy steer, Hondo's Warrior, weighs more than a ton, and has a total horn length of 85 inches. He is known as the "gentle giant," and he was supplemented with milk after birth, because his mother had only one milking teat. He was halter-trained and has been shown by many young people in steer and showmanship classes at Texas Longhorn shows all over the south since he was a weanling.

To find out more about the Beesons and Beeson Land and Livestock Company, call Greg Beeson at (615) 390-8286, or e-mail him at beeson@texas-longhorns.net, or visit their website at www.texas-longhorns.net.