GILLILAND
LONGHORN RANCH
We have a herd of 150 registered Texas Longhorns
in the Kansas Flint Hills at the Oklahoma border. We combine the art and science of breeding using artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer to create the best animal possible. Our goal is the complete
package prioritizing a low twisty hornset with great tip to tip measurements along with correct conformation, color, and disposition. That said, the most important
trait is the ability to reproduce those traits in progeny. We have gone
through each animal in our herd for several generations back to document
the number of 80ʼʼ–90ʼʼ-100'' TTT ancestors in each pedigree and see if one ancestor transmits a dominant horn set. We try to genetically fix that low twisty lateral horn length into each animalʼs blood line without compromising the total package. A
pedigree with many high TTT ancestors indicates a higher
heritability factor with more predictability. We also experiment with line breeding and periodic outcrossing to stack genes from similar and different pedigrees for additive effects.We have discovered certain pedigree combinations which are synergistic. When we discover them, the cow goes immediately into our OPU/IVF program to enhance our future results. We hope there are some animals in our
herd that could enhance your program.