Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America (TLBAA) is a North American group of ranchers who breed and care for Texas Longhorn cattle. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, it was founded in 1964 to serve as the breed’s official registry.

The association was started by rancher Charles Schreiner III, whose family has a long history with the Texas Longhorn. The Longhorn helped shape the American cattle industry. Longhorns first arrived in Texas from Mexico in 1690, and by the 1800s they were widespread. After a period of decline, the federal government helped preserve the breed in 1927, with rangers forming the first herd for Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.

Schreiner founded the TLBAA in 1964, inspired by fellow cattleman Harry Pon of Oregon, but chose Texas as the home for the organization. The TLBAA held its first meeting in September 1964 with 30 members, elected officers, and Schreiner as the first president. As the association grew, regional groups were formed.

In 1979, the TLBAA became the first livestock organization to elect a woman, Norma Schreiner, to the South Texas Longhorn Board of Directors. The group’s mission is to protect the Texas Longhorn’s heritage, preserve the breed’s purity, and promote the Longhorn as a distinct breed through promotion, education and research. It runs breeder competitions across the United States and Canada, including a World Show every June in Fort Worth. Since 1964, membership has grown from 12 to more than 5,000, and it publishes the monthly Texas Longhorn Trails Magazine.