2010 May 13-21 Congress By: Kori Conley Guests from around the world gathered to celebrate the 2010 World Charolais Congress. The tour kicked off in Oklahoma City, Okla. with a big cowboy welcome and finished with a gala in downtown San Antonio, Texas recapping the weeks events. Charolais breeders across the area were gracious in hosting the international guests, as well as those that were native to the country. 62 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0
The welcome reception was hosted at the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Guests were welcomed by a Champagne toast and the sounds of country swing by the A Bar Bunkhouse Band. Following a fun-filled evening, the tour buses headed north to Perry, Okla. to begin the 8-day journey at M&M Charolais. The soggy weather and cool temperatures did not detour the guests from taking a detailed spin through the powerful set of cattle on display at the ranch. After a steak and eggs breakfast, it was south to Lehman Charolais, Tioga, Texas to take part in showcasing the youth members in a Charolais Junior Heifer show. The exhibitors impressed all onlookers with The traveling pace changed on May 17 as the guests loaded a charter plane to head to Harlingen, Texas in preparing for the visit to Thomas Charolais Ranch, Inc., Raymondville, Texas. A Mariachi band welcomed everyone off the buses for a special treat of authentic Mexican food and music. After hearing about the operations at the ranch, a tour was provided for the guests to see even more of the cattle and exotic pets of the Thomas family. As the temperatures rose, so did the enthusiasm of the group en route to a city with a slightly different flavor, Corpus Christi, Texas. Next stop, Graham Feedyard, Gonzales, Texas for a complete look at feed processing, planning and monitoring feeder cattle, their dedication to the animals and outstanding showmanship skills. Before dinner, a Purina Mills representative provided a presentation on the importance of proper feed management and conditioning. The long afternoon wound up in the one and only Cowtown, Fort Worth, Texas. After settling in, the guests took the opportunity to browse around the downtown area. The following morning, guests were invited to Marti Charolais, Cleburne, Texas. This event was co-hosted with Bar J Charolais, MOGO Charolais and OBBCO Ranch. As the buses rolled in, so did the cowboys driving a small herd up the fence line alongside the buses. The herd bull display caught a lot of attention leading up to the real live branding demonstration by the cowboys of Marti Charolais. At the conclusion of the ladies event at the Marti lake house, guests boarded the buses once again to return to Fort Worth for an evening of live honky tonk music and dancing at Billy Bob s Texas. many of Charolais influence. Unpredicted rain storms brought a sloppy surprise to the feedyard, but gave the Graham cowboys extra time to answer the lingering questions of the guests. Upon arriving at the final destination in San Antonio, Texas, guests had a free evening to explore the Riverwalk. On Wednesday, the excitement continued to build for the 2010 World Charolais Congress Sale. The sale featured 17 Genetic Package lots, showcasing the high-selling lot of 1/4 interest in HAMM Mogo U23 commanding $7,000. The Genetic Packages averaged $4,025. Not venturing far from San Antonio, guests explored the historic town of Fredricksburg, Texas in Hill Country. The day filled with shopping and special activities, brought the event to a close with a formal reception and banquet. Awards were presented from various countries, while recognizing those who made the event possible. Details were also released for the 2012 World Charolais Congress in the United Kingdom. Photo at Marti Charolais, Cleburne, Texas J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0 63
May 7-13 Ranch Hosts Eaton Charolais, Lindsay, Mont.; DeBruycker Charolais, Dutton, Mont.; Cobb Charolais Ranch, Augusta, Mont.; Brevig Charolais, Lewistown, Mont.; Lindskov-Thiel Ranch, Isabel, S.D.; Hubert Charolais Ranch, Oakley, Kan.; Rocking Arrow Charolais, Valentine, Neb.; Hebbert Charolais Ranch, Hyannis, Neb.; Rambur Charolais, Sidney, Mont.; Maddux Charolais, Mooreland, Okla. Pre-Tour participants began their tour a week earlier than the rest of the World Congress traveling through 7 states representing nearly 50 percent of the United States beef cow herd. Guests arrived into Great Falls, Mont. to take in the breath-taking mountain country visiting leading Charolais ranches. The tour continued east through Montana, venturing into North Dakota and South Dakota driving through Standing Rock Indian Reservation and Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. After these historical visits, the group continued on through the Badlands and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, continuing the journey through the northern plains. On into the High Plains of Nebraska to enjoy the scenic Nebraska Sandhills. The tour into western Kansas included stops at feedlots and visits to Charolais producers in the area. The night wrapped up in the historic cowboy town of Dodge City, Kan. The Pre-Tour participants joined the World Charolais Congress Tour on May 14 in Oklahoma City, Okla. 64 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0
With plenty of time to relax and settle in from long, strenuous travel schedules, guests took a look around the city visiting the historic Bricktown, Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum and the Oklahoma City Stockyards. The event kicked off with an exciting welcome reception to let everyone get acquainted and meet up with friends old and new. The sightseeing continued on Friday leading up to a night filled with cowboy history and country music at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. After taking a stroll through the museum and broadening their knowledge of cowboy history in the United States, a prime rib dinner was served and followed up by dancing. J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0 65
Perry, Okla. During our tour in the United States each of the breeders put emphasis on calving ease, the ability to produce high weaning weights and carcass merit in spite of very different surroundings. The character of each herd gave us something to aim for! Zoltan Domokos, National Association of Hungarian Charolais Cattle Breeders Director 66 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0
Following a steak and eggs breakfast, Manager Kevin Wiley, outlined the basics of the program, highlighting several of the donor females, herd bulls and calves from the M&M ET program on display. Wiley, who has been with M&M for over 28 years emphasized producing quality bulls for commercial cattlemen in Oklahoma and adjoining states. AICA President, James Hayden, presented Kevin Wiley, M&M Ranch Manager, with a token of appreciation for enlightening the group with information about the program at M&M. J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0 67
Tioga, Texas Robbie and Larry Lehman were recognized for hosting the World Congress group and their dedication to the junior Charolais program. 68 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0
Champion Female Reserve Champion Female The visit to Lehman Charolais was extremely encouraging. We saw the Lehman s so obviously committed to encouraging the Charolais youth program. This involved both the commitment from not only the children, but the parents too! David Benson, British Charolais Society Chief Executive Next stop, Tioga, Texas! Lehman Charolais welcomed the 3 tour buses with open arms. In the barns along side the herd bulls on display, the Junior Heifer Show was in full swing. Guests recognized the hard work and dedication that each of the young exhibitors displayed in preparation for the showring. Champion Female was awarded to Kendra Elder, Blum, Texas with TR Ms Firegirl 8652, an October 3, 2008 daughter by TR Mr Fire Water 5792RET. Reserve Champion was awarded to LC Ms Gunner 9036 P, a March 18, 2009 daughter by Link Mr Gunner Wind 317 P. The long afternoon wound up in the one and only Cowtown, Fort Worth, Texas. After settling in, the guests took the opportunity to browse around the downtown area. J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0 69
Cleburne, Texas Co-hosted with Bar J Charolais, MOGO Charolais and OBBCO Ranch Marti Charolais OBBCO Ranch Bar J Charolais MOGO Charolais Each of the four ranches were recognized with a gift for their collaborative efforts in making the visit to Marti Charolais an extremely memorable tour stop. What a great sense of cooperation! For all of those breeders with common goals to get together, coupled with the generosity of the Marti family to put on such an impressive display will leave lasting memories for all of those who participated in the Congress. Jack Henry, Charolais Society of Australia Ltd., General Manager 70 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0
Leslie Stelzer welcomed the women on the World Tour to the Marti lake house for a special women s event. The event hosted handmade jewelry, unique handbags and sparkling accessories. The women were able to enjoy the glamorous shopping experience with an outstanding view from the lake house! As the buses rolled in, cowboys on horseback set a breathtaking scene as they drove a small herd of cattle alongside of the Charolais Congress caravan. Upon arriving at Marti Charolais, guests took the opportunity to look through the full French genetics on display. The fun certainly did not stop there as guests returned to Fort Worth and strapped on their dancing shoes for a night of dancing, music and fun at Billy Bob s Texas. Marti Charolais, in cooperation with Bar J Charolais, MOGO Charolais and OBBCO Ranch provided World Congress guests with the ultimate ranching experience including driving and branding a small sampling of their herd of commercial cattle. J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0 71
Raymondville, Texas Temperatures soaring over 100 degrees did not crack the enthusiasm during the hayride tour around the Thomas Ranch. Portions of the ranch were previously known as the King Ranch providing the guests with a very scenic tour winding through South Texas. After the excitement of authentic Mexican food and an outstanding Mariachi band, it was back on the buses to head to Corpus Christi, Texas for the evening. Then on to the final destination, San Antonio, Texas. Many of the guests took a stroll along the Riverwalk to check out the sites, while some opted for a relaxing boat tour of the area. 72 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0
The children of the Thomas Ranch were eager to show the guests their favorite parts of the ranch, as well as hand out gifts to everyone. Mitch and Tonnyre Thomas were recognized for bringing a South of the Border feel to South Texas! Our visit was a wonderful experience! The hospitality was outstanding and the scale of the whole operation was mind boggling!! We saw some very good cattle, and particularly liked the feminity of the females. Six generations of family involvement is something we really appreciate in Ireland! Nuala Hourihane, Ireland J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0 73
By: David Hobbs Late Wednesday afternoon, with a sense of excitement in the air, World Congress attendees gathered in the San Antonio Crown Plaza Hotel Riverwalk Ballroom for the 2010 World Charolais Congress Sale. After introductions by the sale manager, Greg Hubert, Hubert Cattle Sales, Colonel Dennis Metzger auctioned a fast paced, spirited sale. Lots were presented in a power point presentation. Many in the crowd were intrigued by the use of ringmen, internet bidding and phone activity during the sale. Highlighting the sale was onequarter semen interest in the 41st National Reserve Grand Champion Bull, Hamm Mogo U23. Presented by Mogo Charolais, AL, and Bar J Charolais, TX, a group of Missouri breeders, Wild Indian Acres, Hale Farms, Jason Kisner and Kirk McElrath had the winning bid at $7,000. In addition, export semen packages on the bull totaled $7,200 selling to Erwin Klassen, Paraguay; Ian Cameron, Australia and Graham Smith, Australia. Topping the flushes was a presentation by EJ Shepherd Charolais, Iowa, EC Lady Duke 2022 P, the dam of EC No Doubt 2022. The winning bidder on the phone was Costello Pastoral Pty., Ltd., Australia. In conclusion, the sale averaged $4,025 on 17 Genetic Package lots with 20 buyers from 11 states, Paraguay, Colombia and Australia. Foreign selections accounted for 35% of total sales. The banquet held the final evening in San Antonio was an opportunity for everyone to present gifts to one another and enjoy the company of friends made on the tour. Everyone was able to exchange stories from the weeks events and make plans to attend the next World Charolais Congress. Leaders from participating countries joined together for the final event of the journey. Many gifts and laughs were exchanged throughout the presentations from country to country. Participants from the United States left the tour full of knowledge about programs that many had never had the chance to visit. 74 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0
2010 Australia Brazil Canada Czech Republic Denmark Congress Countries Represented England France Hungary Ireland Mexico Northern Ireland Scotland Sweden United Kingdom United States of America Ranch Hosts: M&M Ranch, Perry, Okla. Lehman Charolais, Tioga, Texas Marti Charolais, Cleburne, Texas OBBCO Ranch, DeLeon, Texas Bar J Charolais, Liverpool, Texas MOGO Full French Charolais, Florence, Ala. Thomas Ranches, Raymondville, Texas Corporate Sponsors: Texas Department of Agriculture United States Livestock Genetics Export Bovine Elite, LLC Purina Beef Magazine Oppenheimer/Blend and Tate, Bruce Mitchell British Charolais Cattle Society Breeder Sponsors: Eaton Charolais, Eaton Families, Lindsay Mont. Hayden Farm, Bardstown, Ky. Windy Hill Charolais, Cedar Hill, Mo. Riverdale Land & Livestock, Sunset Hills, Mo. OBBCO Ranch, DeLeon, Texas Chomiak Charolais, Mundare, Alberta, Canada Faraway Cattle Company, Alexandria, Va. J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0 75
Don t miss the 2012 Congress in the United Kingdom 76 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 0