Submitted

For the first time in Texas Longhorn History, one ranch won both The Ultimate Bull and The Ultimate Cow award in the same year. Landes Farms achieved winning both prestigious titles, with their bull Ironman HR and their cow Silent Love in El Reno, OK at the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association Event, Horn Showcase on October 4th. Landes Farms is owned by Aaron, Micah and Blaine Landes, located outside Jamesport, Missouri.

This is not a small achievement. It usually takes a lifetime to climb to the top of any breeding program. They have diligently used their experience and learned from other breeders. They built their herd by researching bloodlines, going to other farms and ranches, and applied the knowledge they were given by other breeders.

They put together some of the most famous and proven bloodlines into their program. Micah said, “If I find a cow that checks all the boxes for me and I can’t buy her, I try to find her mother or her daughters and purchase them.” Many times, she purchases the semen that had worked with their bloodlines. This has accelerated their program forward quickly.

Their first bull Cowboy Cassanova’s Pride was an older bull that had a lot of proven offspring. He is still seen on the pedigrees of many winning cattle. The Ultimate Bull, Ironman HR was purchased when he was a yearling, as a half interest with one of the top breeders of Texas Longhorns, Harrell Ranch. Landes Farms have grown and promoted him, and he is now not quite 4 years old. He has proven himself in his first calf crop. Breeders of the top cows in the nation are using his semen to do embryo work and artificial insemination. Landes Farms have produced futurity winners by him already. Silent Love’s mother, Silent Iron was the 2024 Ultimate Cow last year. Silent Love is a gorgeous cow, proof that the best can produce the best.

It is very unusual to see these high-quality Texas Longhorns coming from the Midwest. They are majestic animals and look beautiful on green pastures adjacent to corn and soybean fields. The Landes family have many out of state visitors coming to see their herd. They are always impressed by the quality of the cattle and the impeccable care they receive.