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Newly Consolidated Board of Directors unite Red Brangus and Brangus Breeders' Associations 
The membership of IBBA and IRBBA overwhelmingly passed the Bylaws Amendment which in effect established IBBA as the “Home Registry” for Red Brangus, in addition to Brangus. These are exciting times giving us a unique opportunity to unite and work together in ways that we have not been able to do in the past.
The Board and the Ad hoc Transition Committee have been working out details for implementation of our new Bylaws. Marcos Borges, the current president of IRBBA, and his IBBA counterpart, Dr. John Spitzer, assisted on the committee to fully complete the integration of both cattle and members, which occurred at IBBA’s annual meeting during the Houston Livestock Show.
Meet us at
the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo just around the  corner
The Houston Show is a
well-known Texas tradition acclaimed worldwide as an important
international event. The Houston Livestock Show is the largest
and most progressive livestock show in the Americas that takes
place in three connected, roofed, air-conditioned buildings which
cover more than 30 acres;
We would like
to extend you an invitation to join us in our booth at the show
and visit our ranch just 50 miles from the Houston Livestock Show
and Rodeo.
MBJ Red
Brangus announces the acquisition of selected animals from the Ed
Mears herd.
- Wharton, Texas / January 2004
 For
more than ten years, the late Ed Mears worked to produce top
quality Red Brangus by combining highly selected Nelore bulls
with his outstanding Leachman and McFee bred Red Angus females.
In addition, he used the genetics of the outstanding blood
bull, Copper Nine, and his son, El Cid. Mr. Mears hard work
resulted in cattle that were catching the eye of visitors from
around the world.
Eds
longtime friend, Marcos M Borges Jr, has purchased a group of
highly selected Red Brangus females from the Mears herd to start
MBJ Red Brangus. In a recent statement, Mr. Borges said, I
respected Ed greatly and I hope to develop the type of cattle in
which he would be proud. We selected our core herd based on the
performance of the females, using calving interval and average
weaning weights as our first selection criteria. The Nelore and
the Red Angus used in this program are proven in carcass
production. By selecting on reproductive efficiency and
performance, we start our program with problem free females.
From this solid base, we will bend the performance curves without
sacrificing balance.
IRBBA Director Awarded ABCZs International Merit
- May 10, 2003
 On May 10th
2003, the Brazilian Association of Zebu Breeders (ABCZ) awarded
Marcos Machado Borges Jr., Managing Director of Texas
Connection, Inc. with its International Merit Award, during
Expozebu, the worlds largest Zebu trade show.
Marcos
Machado Borges Junior, an economist and animal scientist,
descendent of the Machado Borges and Lamartine Mendes families,
both of whom have been pillars of the Zebu breeds in Brazil for
many decades, carries on with determination the trailblazing
spirit of the pioneers that first imported the Zebu to
Brazilian soil. A resident of the United States for the past 10
years, Marcos has taken on the responsibility of disseminating
the Nelore breed and its composites throughout various other
countries in the Americas such as Mexico, Costa Rica,
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Colombia. He has given
talks and participates in conferences whenever the subject is
the Brazilian Zebu. But his work is not limited to the American
continent, he has also traveled to such countries as Thailand
and Australia, among others.
Marcos
never forgets his heritage and constantly spreads the word
about Uberaba, Minas Gerais, - the Center of Zebu in Brazil -
its history and the difficulties overcome by and the dedication
of those who imported the first Zebus to Brazil. He
participates in livestock shows and in innovative scientific
research that highlights the advantages of the Nelore breed
with respect to its reproductive efficiency and its carcass
quality. The pioneering spirit of his ancestors is also with
him in his travels, particularly in some of the more hazardous
situations he has faced on occasion in countries were conflicts
and guerrillas are a fact of life. Proof that Marcos work is
fundamental in opening new markets is the fact that he is the
first Brazilian to open a cattle ranch in Mexico, a market that
had previously been considered difficult because of
competition. Together with another well-known cattleman, Rubens
de Carvalho, they were the first Brazilians to participate in
U.S. livestock shows and to introduce the Nelore to Texas A&M
University, whose herd, today, is one of the most respected
Nelore herds in that country.
The company that Marcos represents is called OB Ranch Texas
Connection; a company started by Uberaba visionaries Ovidio
and Paulo Brito. During its 15 years in the U.S. market, it has
demonstrated the potential of the Nelore breed, and has
demystified the erroneous idea that beef from Zebu breeds is
not comparable to those of European breeds. His research, in
cooperation with Texas Connection and Texas A&M University, has
proved that the carcass quality of some Nelore lineages is
actually superior to the meat of the average Angus animal,
considered to be the best beef in the United States.
Nowadays,
the raising of Nelore cattle is definitely on the upswing in
the country, denoting the importance of this Brazilians
determination who carries his genetic heritage of courage and
ability to show the world the truth of Brazil through its Zebu
cattle. |
