Tidy rows of pine trees grow where cattle once grazed through the rolling hills of East Texas.
Housing developments and lignite mines have swallowed prime pasture land.
Around Longview, cows and calves are dotting fewer landscapes, and local ranchers blame rising costs, fluctuating markets and changing lifestyles for pushing people from cattle production, a rural business with long ties to East Texas.
“The older generation is passing on, and the younger ones don’t pick it up,” said Byron Ford, a Hallsville rancher who runs the Longview Livestock Commission sale barn. “There’s not a lot of money in it, and it’s hard work.”
The number of cattle in the area has fallen by nearly half in the past three decades, but it’s hard to tell that on a Thursday in Longview. That’s when the livestock commission holds its weekly auction, where men in denim shirts and wide-brimmed hats still gather around the cafe at the sale barn just as they always have.
They chew on chicken-fried steak and shoot the breeze. Later, they’ll wander the catwalk high above the holding pens, inspecting the week’s offering. There will be breeding bulls, horses and goats, as well as heifers destined for somebody’s pasture and yearlings and worn-out mama cows destined for the feed lots and slaughter houses out west.
Among the onlookers will be only a handful of serious buyers. Though several East Texans still run large operations, many say they hold onto a few head of cattle as a hobby or for nostalgia. They’re just happy to break even on the endeavor.
“Most of our clients will be people with smaller herds. They’ve been in it forever and were raised in it,” Ford said. “It gets in you. People do it because they’ve always done it.”
Longview’s sale barn was built in the 1960s. There are other sale barns operating around East Texas, including ones in Carthage and Henderson. Ford expects that sales have slowed at all of the East Texas auction houses, and he said he wouldn’t be surprised if some begin to close in the years to come.
“If our numbers don’t pick up, everybody can’t stay in it,” he said.
A small-timer’s habit
These days, most small-time ranchers hold other jobs to pay the bills.
Among them is Danny Jordan, who retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture after 36 years and now runs a small herd and hauls cattle for a rural sale barn on the weekends.
“Back when I was a kid, back in the ’50s, that was when East Texas was fencing up, and my granddad had a few old cows. It wasn’t nothing because everybody had a few head of cattle,” he said. “Now it has evolved over the years that we have either got some big operators or we’ve got a lot of small operators like me that have a town job to support their habit.”
In the early part of the 20th century, Jordan said, many rural East Texans grew crops for their livelihood. Following World War II, they converted to cattle production. They didn’t have massive spreads like those found in cattle-producing areas of South and West Texas.
“The problem over here in East Texas is everybody’s got 80 acres of land,” he said. “We don’t have any real big landowners. As the cattle industry evolved over the years to better types of cattle, better breeding and better feeding, we had to expand or go out, and there was just so many people here, and I’m exactly what they are.
“Everybody had 75 to 100 acres, and it wasn’t enough to run cattle full time,” he said. “There wasn’t enough money there so they had to go to town and get a job.”
Jordan runs around 60 head of cattle on 92 acres in Laneville.
“I’m so small-time it’s ridiculous, but that’s what I want to do,” he said. “I don’t want to go fishing.”
Fewer cattle, more people?
The USDA figures that show a declining cattle population in East Texas might not tell the complete story, according to Greg Clary, an economist at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton.
“There may be less cattle, but that doesn’t mean there are less people involved,” he said. “We have so many small herds in East Texas and across the South, there’s just a lot of people that have some cows.”
Clary is among several Texas A&M experts who are leading a “grazing school” this week at the Overton facility, in which greenhorns learn about forage management, genetics and other basics of livestock production. Clary, who is also chairman of the Texas Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, said some small producers still make money from their cattle.
“The possibility is there,” he said. “There are more people that are not making money than are, but there are some that do make money. But you have to really pay attention to all the management aspects of it and keep track of what’s going on from a production standpoint and a cost standpoint.”
Back at the sale barn
Before Thursday’s auction began in Longview, a long line of trucks waited to unload their livestock for the noon sale. Around 600 head of cattle were expected to pass through the auction gates that day, and Art Dudley was next in line to drop off a dozen head.
Dudley, a full-time cattle producer in the Henderson area, said he was just doing what he has always done.
“It’s what I like,” he said. “I don’t want to work for anybody else.”
5,816 responses to “Cattle ranchers dwindling in East Texas”
Can you tell us more about this? I’d want to find out some additional information.|
Aw, this was a really good post. Spending some time and actual effort to generate a very good article… but what can I say… I put things off a whole lot and never seem to get nearly anything done.
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site is excellent, let alone the content!
Aw, this was a really nice post. Taking the time and actual effort to create a great article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and never seem to get anything done.
Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/theme of this blog. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s tough to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and visual appearance. I must say that you’ve done a very good job with this. Additionally, the blog loads very quick for me on Opera. Excellent Blog!|
Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thanks, However I am going through issues with your RSS. I don’t know the reason why I am unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody else getting similar RSS issues? Anyone that knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanks!
That is a great tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Short but very accurate info… Many thanks for sharing this one. A must read article.
Great blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely confused .. Any recommendations? Bless you!|
You made some decent points there. I checked on the net for more info about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this website.
I was excited to uncover this site. I wanted to thank you for your time for this particularly wonderful read!! I definitely really liked every part of it and I have you book marked to check out new information in your website.|
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon every day. It’s always useful to read through content from other authors and practice something from other sites.
I used to be suggested this blog by means of my cousin. I am not positive whether this post is written by means of him as nobody else recognize such specified about my difficulty. You are wonderful! Thank you!|
I used to be suggested this blog through my cousin. I’m no longer certain whether this put up is written by him as no one else recognise such special about my trouble. You are incredible! Thank you!|
There is definately a lot to find out about this issue. I love all the points you have made.
It’s hard to come by experienced people in this particular subject, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
I was suggested this web site by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my trouble. You are incredible! Thanks!|
I couldn’t resist commenting. Exceptionally well written.
Great article. I will be facing some of these issues as well..
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a colleague who had been doing a little homework on this. And he actually bought me lunch simply because I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to discuss this topic here on your site.
Amazing blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your theme. With thanks|
You should take part in a contest for one of the highest quality sites online. I most certainly will recommend this site!
You need to take part in a contest for one of the finest websites on the internet. I am going to recommend this site!
I used to be able to find good information from your blog articles.
I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s both educative and amusing, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is something too few men and women are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy I found this during my search for something concerning this.
Everything is very open with a precise clarification of the issues. It was definitely informative. Your site is very useful. Thank you for sharing.
This is a very good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere. Short but very precise info… Many thanks for sharing this one. A must read article.
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It’s always useful to read through articles from other authors and practice something from other web sites.
Having read this I believed it was rather enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this article together. I once again find myself personally spending way too much time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!
What’s up friends, how is everything, and what you would like to say regarding this piece of writing,
in my view its truly remarkable in support of me.
Thanks for your post on this site. From my own experience, occasionally softening upwards a photograph could possibly provide the photographer with a little bit of an inventive flare. Many times however, that soft clouds isn’t what exactly you had as the primary goal and can frequently spoil a normally good image, especially if you thinking about enlarging it.
Thanks for the helpful post. It is also my belief that mesothelioma has an extremely long latency period, which means that signs and symptoms of the disease may well not emerge till 30 to 50 years after the first exposure to asbestos fiber. Pleural mesothelioma, which is the most common sort and influences the area round the lungs, may cause shortness of breath, breasts pains, plus a persistent coughing, which may bring on coughing up bloodstream.
In line with my research, after a in foreclosure home is bought at a sale, it is common with the borrower in order to still have the remaining balance on the financial loan. There are many loan providers who make an effort to have all fees and liens paid by the next buyer. Nevertheless, depending on a number of programs, legislation, and state guidelines there may be a number of loans that aren’t easily handled through the shift of financial loans. Therefore, the duty still rests on the borrower that has got his or her property in foreclosure. Thank you sharing your notions on this web site.
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I may return yet again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.
Thanks for this wonderful article. One more thing to mention is that almost all digital cameras can come equipped with some sort of zoom lens that enables more or less of that scene to generally be included by way of ‘zooming’ in and out. These kinds of changes in {focus|focusing|concentration|target|the a**** length tend to be reflected inside the viewfinder and on big display screen at the back of the exact camera.
Hey there! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could get a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having problems finding one? Thanks a lot!|
You have made some good points there. I checked on the internet for more info about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this website.|
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and the rest of the website is very good.
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!
Everything is very open with a precise description of the issues. It was definitely informative. Your site is very helpful. Many thanks for sharing.
I’m amazed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s both educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I came across this during my search for something regarding this.
You ought to take part in a contest for one of the finest websites on the internet. I most certainly will highly recommend this blog!
An interesting dialogue is value comment. I think that you need to write more on this subject, it won’t be a taboo subject however generally persons are not sufficient to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a co-worker who was conducting a little homework on this. And he in fact ordered me breakfast due to the fact that I found it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to discuss this topic here on your web site.
Saved as a favorite, I like your blog!
It’s nearly impossible to find well-informed people about this topic, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be helpful to read through content from other writers and practice something from their sites.
Next time I read a blog, Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint me just as much as this one. After all, I know it was my choice to read, nonetheless I actually thought you’d have something helpful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could possibly fix if you weren’t too busy seeking attention.
I always used to read paragraph in news papers but now as I am a user of net thus from now I am using net for articles, thanks to web.|
Hey! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after checking through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back frequently!|
My partner and I stumbled over here coming from a different website and thought I might as well check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to checking out your web page yet again.|