“There was a big demand for beef and hide and tallow up in the north after the war and there was a humungous supply of Texas longhorn cattle running wild in the south,” he says.
“So the demand was met when they started driving those big herds north, there were literally millions and millions of cattle walking north, it was the biggest overland movement of livestock the world’s ever seen.”
At the “longhorn loveshack”, Ms Bethel is entrusted with the process to preserve the quality and longevity of the herd.
“I love the excitement; I love the breeding side of it,” she says.
“[Demand] is growing in Australia; we get inquiries from all over Australia.”
It’s not just the quality of their cattle that the couple has improved but also, most importantly, the horns.
“They won’t grow the big horns unless they’ve got the good genetics,” Mr Bethel says.
“Can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
One of their young cows, Madonna, is bearing the fruits of their genetic labours.
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian has been known for his ability to recruit, coach and win with quarterbacks dating all the way back to the early 2000s. The former Alabama offensive coordinator continued this tradition with the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones and Bryce Young. The former quarterback has garnered so much respect that even unidentified coaches feel comfortable telling publications just how impactful Sark’s voice is to a young gunslinger.
“(Quinn Ewers) is a very good player. And in Sarkisian, you’ve got a quarterback whisperer,” the coach said. “I don’t know if Ewers is a first-round pick, but in their system, he’s talented.”
“I think Steve Sarkisian has really done like what Kirby Smart did at Georgia. Steve went to Alabama and soaked in the Saban way and adapted his personality to his player development, to his system, to his practices,” said another anonymous coach. “He’s made Texas a more physical operation. They really played like an SEC team last year.”
