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A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT ......

Welcome to the Live Oak Beefmaster Breeders Association website.  LOBBA is a satellite organization of Beefmaster Breeders United with a mission to provide marketing, educational, and data collection opportunities for its members.  The association also serves as a support group for BBU activities and functions.  Membership to our association is open to all and we welcome everyone.

LOBBA was started in October of 1974 by a group of  Live Oak County Beefmaster breeders who saw the need and advantage of such a group.  In March of 1975 the first Beefmaster sale was held at the Live Oak Auction Barn.  In 1977 the present sale barn was built and totally paid for by 1981.  In 1984 these generous  cattlemen donated the barn to the Live Oak County Fair Association.  An agreement was made for  both groups to use the barn and through the years the two groups have worked together to maintain and improve the facility.    That first board of directors of LOBBA set a remarkable example for others to follow.  Through the years, over 195 people have served on the board of directors and there have been 14 presidents. 

LOBBA starts the new calendar year with the established and well respected bull sale.  This sale is a pioneer in the marketing of Beefmaster bulls.  To maintain this reputation, keep pace with the times, and provide valuable data for consigners, members and buyers, a bull development program was started.  All bulls in the January sale are fed and cared for under the same conditions.  A variety of data is collected and bulls are visually evaluated twice.  This development program helps LOBBA members collect the performance information that meets the demands of today's cattle industry and has greatly improved the quality and uniformity of the bulls presented in our sale. 

LOBBA also provides two other sales during the year, one in the Spring and one in the Fall.  The featured lots are generally females and give buyers the opportunity to purchase open heifers, bred heifers, and pairs.  Young bulls may at times be part of the offering as well.  Many times on the day before our sales, seminars of various topics of interest to cattle raisers are presented.  As an association we feel the need to keep our members and any other interested parties educated on the happenings in our breed and in the industry as a whole.

LOBBA invites everyone to join our organization.  We have wonderful socials the evening before all of our sales and invite all to come enjoy great food and fellowship.  Please come join us. 

Melvin R Scherer Jr.

THE STORY: BEEFMASTER

HISTORY OF THE BREED

Tom Lasater, founder of the BEEFMASTER breed, was one of those rare individuals who knew from childhood what profession he was going to pursue. He was fond of saying that ranching is his avocation as well as his vocation. Tom Lasater's philosophies of cattle raising encompasses all aspects of the business from range ecology to merchandising. Perhaps his philosophy can be labeled "creative radicalism." A good manager must be in love with results. A sound breeding program, oriented toward results, should be based on the Five Commandments of Livestock Breeding.

• First Commandment is to select only for the SIX ESSENTIALS; Disposition, Fertility, Weight, Conformation, Milk Production and Hardiness.

• Second Commandment is to strive for reproductive efficiency.

• Third Commandment is to performance test in a constant environment.

• Fourth Commandment is to employ direct selection, which means selecting for the specific traits sought and not for a combination the breeder hopes will produce the desired results.

• Fifth Commandment is to utilize the adaptive powers of nature. Tom Lasater's policy was to ask the impossible of nature.

THE SIX ESSENTIALS

DISPOSITION:

Selecting for disposition is simple. At Weaning time, any difference in individuals is readily apparent in cattle raised under identical conditions. The bulk of animals with poor dispositions can be spotted at that time and culled. Thereafter, disposition is judged continually with any noticeably excitable or high-strung animals being periodically eliminated from the herd.

FERTILITY:

​The importance of fertility in the cattle business is obvious, and yet today's ranchmen have failed to produce cattle that are fertile. Selection for reproductive efficiency consists of a short breeding season; males and females bred at 12 1/2 months to 14 1/2 months and a calf from every cow every year - regardless. Reproductive efficiency also involves accomplishing the foregoing while keeping 80 - 90% of each heifer crop in order to intensify culling of the cow herd.

WEIGHT:

The vast majority of cattle are marketed on a weighed basis. The importance of weight is universally recognized. In selecting bulls for weight two factors are involved: (1) weaning weight and (2) post-weaning gain. The weaning weight reflects the milking ability of the mother; the post-weaning gain indicates the individual's own capability.

CONFORMATION:

In selecting for conformation, what is really under consideration is carcass conformation. As Tom Lasater said, "the ideal conformation is exemplified by that animal whose carcass will yield the most pounds of tender, lean beef per pound of live weight." Fortunately, selection for this characteristic is not difficult because, given the chance, nature correlates many of the desirable traits in beef cattle such as body length, weaning weight, fertility, feedlot performance and cutability.

HARDINESS:

"Hardiness is exemplified by those individuals which carry on their relentless production assignment year after year with minimum assistance,". Every environment tests cattle in some fashion whether it is the cold, heat, drought, too much rain, parasites, rough terrain, predators, low quality feed or any other of the many problems that affect the rancher. Cattle should be raised in the environment in which they are to be used. Given that prerequisite, they should be able to adapt to the particular disadvantages of their geographic location. If they do not, obviously they will be unable to breed at 13 months or to wean a heavy, long-age calf nine months old or older every year.

MILK PRODUCTION:

Selection for milk production is a simple matter of evaluating the cow's milking abilities as reflected in her calf's weaning weight. In the case of bulls, herd sires are selected from bulls with top weaning weights thereby perpetuating the blood from heavy-milking females. Heifers are culled on weight at weaning; cows weaning light-weight calves are also eliminated.

LOBBA Legend Award Recipients

Legend articles compliments of Beefmaster Cowman

   2021

   Lieke

   2020

   Kasper

   2019

 Siddons

   2018

  Larkin Jr.

    2017

Chapman

  2016

Carrillo

2015

Long

 2014

Walker

    2013

Welkener

    2012

Martinez

      2011

Wittenburg

2010

Carr

Legend Award Recipients . . .

2005 – Anthony Mihalski

2004 – Don Kasper

2003 – Don Moore

2002 – Pat Shannon

2001 – Humberto Garza

2000 – Jack Dunn

1999 – Ascencion “Chon” Martinez

1998 – Joe Hendricks

1997 – Leo Joeris

1996 – Joe Yarbro

1995 – Enrique G. Garcia

1994  - Jim Ed Rhodes

1993 – J.B. Kolb

1992 – Walker White

SALES & EVENTS

Upcoming Sales . . . 

( Click on cover to open )

Upcoming Events . . . 

2021-22 Heifer Development Program at LANDAIR, INC.

Arrival of heifers starts September 15, 2021

Program starts October 15, 2021. All heifers MUST be in place by October 1,2021.

If you have any questions contact: 

Melvin Scherer - 361.877.2577

Heifer Program Letter

Heifer Development Program

2021 LIVE OAK AWARDS....

2021 Member of the Year - Elton Lieke

2021 Director Emeritus - Billy Welkner

2021 Legend Award - Elton Lieke

2021 New Member of the Year -           

     Jennifer Halepeska Hahn

2021 Breeder of the Year - Santa Ana Ranch. Dr. Alvaro & Ana Restrepo

HIGH GRADED BULLS

Top Grading Bulls from Years Past . . .

THE BOARD

LOBBA Directors and Officers...

         President

    Melvin Scherer

  Meyersville, Texas

  Vice President

 Gary Halepeska

   Goliad, Texas

Secretary/ Treasurer

       Don Kasper

Three Rivers, Texas

       Ex - Officio

       Bob Siddons

       Austin, Texas

DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Billy Welkener

BOARD MEMBERS

Chris Cooley

Rubin Gitierrez

Tyler Gwosdz

Elton Lieke

Lauren Lyssy

Dave Moore

Tony Psencik

Tim Pollock

Kito Saenz

Bill Skoruppa

Bill Wilson

Joe Wittenburg

ASSOCIATE BOARD MEMBERS

Kris Fore

LOBBA dues of $30 are due and payable to :

Donnie Kasper, Secretary-Treasurer, Live Oak Breeders Association, PO Box 1169 

Three Rivers, TX  78071

MEMBERSHIP

(Click on Picture to Open )

Forms....

Membership Form

Breeding Soundness Exam

Ultra Sound Barn Sheet

Useful Info.... 

Foot Scoring Guidelines

Body Condition

Hoof Structure

Body Frame Structure

Leg Structure

Utter Structure

INDUSTRY LINKS