In November, the ABBA will be hosting the Fall Board Meetings and the National Show and Sale at the Brazos County Exposition Center in Bryan, TX. Details are on the ABBA website. The Board Meetings are Tuesday and Wednesday (7th and 8th) and the Show runs thursday and Friday (9th and 10th).
On the evening of the 8th, ABBA will hold the 2023 National Show Sale with an offering of 19 donated lots of Brahman females and genetics. These lots and their proceeds are being donated to help put on the ABBA 100th Anniversary Celebration and Gala in Houston. Sale manager Chris Shivers, Auctioneer Leo Casas, Cattle in Motion, and The Brahman Journal have all donated their time, and I’m sure it will be a success. Thank you to everyone who has donated auction items and their time! Once the National Show and Sale are wrapped up, ABBA will move to finalize the arrangements for the 100th Anniversary Celebration and Gala in Houston during the International Show.
Watch for updates on the ABBA website. The ”Brahman Bucks” program, begun by the Marketing Committee to promote F1 Brahman females, has been highly successful in attracting the attention of the sale managers and consignors at the four F1 sales we have attended. The committee sets up a table with F1 Brahman promotional material and then walks the alleyways and catwalks to select what they consider, from a commercial standpoint, lots with the best F1 Brahmans.
It is preferred that there is a group of 3 or more (open heifers, bred heifers or cows, pairs or three in ones) in the lot. First place receives $300, second place $200, and third place $100. Although it seems like a small amount of added money, the winners are quite happy to receive it. The sale managers and auctioneers are enthusiastic about the program and make sure the buyers know when the winners come in the ring. In addition, we see a lot of folks we know and meet a lot of new ones! At one of these sales, there was a buyer from South Dakota who was buying F1 Brahman (and even some purebred Brahman) females, apparently a truckload (about 40 head) or more.
When asked why Brahmans the rancher said that he was tired of his cattle standing for hours in the water trying to stay cool and then having their hooves get so soft that they crack and get infected with foot rot! We can add that to the list of attributes of Brahman genetics. Brahman cattle already have dark or black toes on their hooves (like their skin) and dark hooves are tougher than white or red. Foot rot occurs when the hoof wall is weakened and bacteria enter though lesions in the space between the toes. A. J. Knowles put together a nice fact sheet on this that should be on the ABBA website. In early October, A. J. and I went to the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Station in Beeville, TX to meet with Dr. Milt omas and several others. Dr. Thomas’ work is using Brahman and other Brahman influenced breeds in a long-term study on adaptability evaluating everything from fertility to grazing habits. He is just one of many Animal Scientists wanting to work with your breed, the American Brahman!
– Joe C. Paschal
