Steer's Looking At You

The Texas Longhorns, bred to be drought-tolerant, are direct descendants of the first cattle introduced to the New World. Longhorns thrived in the open range and were notable for their leaner meat. However, as barbed wire fenced in the frontier, more settlers used the land for farming, and consumer preferences changed towards a more marbled beef that was now easier to produce, Longhorns nearly became extinct. Today, Longhorns are more than a novelty relic, and ranchers are crossbreeding for hybrid vigor with hopes of passing on some of the Longhorn's ruggedness to other common breeds.