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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SONS FROM PAGE 14 

“We’re trying to raise the next national champion female,” he says. “We’re shooting for moderate-framed cattle. We’re cleaning them up a little bit with not as much leather on them, a little more thickness to them. We’re going for easy-

keeping cattle that will perform well.” But the program’s successes, including a national cham- pion yearling heifer in 2010, wouldn’t be possible without the help of many breeders in the Santa Gertrudis world. “You know, just about every breeder

Building up to having a grand champion bull, Morton says, couldn’t have come without the help from just about every Santa Gertrudis breeder in the country.

in the country has had a hand in this program, really,” Morton says. “The people in the Gert business have been really good to this institution. People have donated their bloodlines, and it’s been a lot of people.” The original heifers were donated by breeders such as the Cozgroves, Wassons, Alsups and Sizemores. Since then, 777 Morton gives the students all the credit for the big win because they truly do all the work building up to the shows – from halter breaking to feeding to, eventually, clipping and prepping the animal for show day.

Farms, Reynolds Prairie View Farms, Robert Silva, Rance Reynolds, Darrel Pitchford and the King Ranch, plus many more have helped build the program to where it is today. The next step for the program, Morton says, will be flush- ing some cows to try this proven cross again. They also have plans to cross Crap Shoot on some CSC cattle, and then Crap Shoot is headed to stud. The farm plans to draw and sell semen from him. With a name like Crap Shoot and a national champion title under his belt, the odds must be in his favor.

We Breed Proven Champions! Congratulations Landon Stem

Reserve Grand Champion Female 2019 National Santa Gertrudis Show Reserve Grand Champion Junior Female 2019 Houston Livestock Show Rafter Y’s Bristol Congratulations Belinda Wethington

 1997-1998 Santa Gertrudis Open National Champion  2002 Junior National Santa Gertrudis Champion  2003 Open National Champion Best of Polled  2003 Open National Champion Other Proven Performers

Rafter Y’s Mindy Reserve Grand Champion Female 2019 Houston Livestock Open Show

Y RAFTER Y CATTLE Pete and Maureen Yorek Anderson, Texas (936) 870-5193 • (936) 870-5596

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APRIL 2019 • WWW.SANTAGERTRUDIS.COM