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TLMA's 2009 Texas Longhorn Legacy Sale V on Track to Attract Over 600 Cattle Breeders

Texas Longhorn Cattle Auctioned in Hotel Ballroom Is a Formal Affair Recognizing Excellence in Breeding and Fundraising for Children's Causes and Cancer Research

On March 20-21, more than 600 of the nation's top Texas Longhorn cattle breeders will brush off their Texas Tuxes and file 100 of the best Longhorn cattle in the world into the Grand Ballroom of the DFW Marriott Hotel & Golf Club @ Champions Circle in Fort Worth, Texas, for the 2009 Texas Longhorn Legacy Sale V.

Produced by the Texas Longhorn Marketing Alliance (TLMA), the Legacy has established numerous records for Longhorn cattle sales, including last year's sale of SDR Candy Cane for $170,000, the highest selling Longhorn cow in modern history. Cattle sold at last year's event averaged $20,000 each at the black-tie affair.

"The Texas Longhorn Legacy Sale is the premier event for buying and selling the industry's finest animals," said Wes Chancey, CEO of the TLMA. "The caliber of Texas Longhorns auctioned at the Legacy Sale combined with the formal ballroom venue makes it a standout among cattle auctions, drawing breeders and enthusiasts from throughout the United States."

Over the past four years, the Legacy Sale has generated more than $620,000 for cancer research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and the Cancer Research Center at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, as well as contributing to numerous college scholarships. This year, in addition to making contributions to cancer research, money will also be raised for several children's charities, including the Autobahn Youth Scholarship Tour, which distributes over $200,000 in scholarship money annually to children who raise and exhibit Texas Longhorn cattle.

"Texas Longhorn Legacy Sale participants and TLMA members are an exceedingly generous group," said Chancey. "Our goal is to raise in excess of $100,000 for charitable causes this year."

Participants will gather Friday, March 20 for an informal banquet and fundraising auction. The main auction and additional fundraising auctions will be held Saturday evening in conjunction with a black tie-optional banquet. The Saturday evening auction will be broadcast live by RFD TV Network. Popular rodeo commentator and National Cowgirl Hall of Famer Pam Minick will host the broadcast.

More information is located at www.thelonghornalliance.com or by calling 1-512-556-0300.

More about Texas Longhorn Cattle

The first cattle introduced to the New World by Spaniards in 1493, Longhorns are the only breed of cattle to evolve without human management. They freely roamed West Texas for hundreds of years until American settlers discovered them in the 1830s. From 1866 until 1900, enterprising cowboys rounded up an estimated 10 million head of Longhorn cattle and drove them up the Chisholm Trail to railheads in Abilene and Dodge City. Because English breeds of cattle have fattier beef and Longhorn meat is leaner, the breed was largely ignored as a meat source by the early 1900s.

By the 1920s, the Texas Longhorn breed was nearly depleted. The United States Forest Service is credited with saving it by relocating a small herd of breeding stock to a refuge in Oklahoma. A few years later, people like J. Frank Dobie and others began gathering Longhorns in Texas state parks to preserve the breed and its place in Texas history. Today, there are over 250,000 registered Texas Longhorns in North America and other continents and thousands of Texas Longhorn breeders in the U.S., including actors Matthew McConaughey and Janine Turner, General Tommy Franks (Ret.) and Texas entrepreneur and philanthropist Red McCombs. The best Texas Longhorn cattle sell for tens of thousands of dollars, with a few selling for over $100,000, including a bull that was syndicated for $1 million. A more detailed history of the breed is located on the TLMA website.

About TLMA

The Texas Longhorn Marketing Alliance was established in 2007 to promote the dignity and integrity of Texas Longhorn cattle breed and to serve as voluntary stewards of the Longhorn legacy. Headquartered in Lampasas, Texas, TLMA's growing membership is comprised of thousands of dedicated Texas Longhorn breeders. The organization produces and sponsors several sales events each year. More information about TLMA is located at www.thelonghornalliance.com.