About Nancy Dunn, Rolling D Ranch

I’m originally from Monroe County, Alabama and grew up on a farm. I began raising registered Texas Longhorns in 1988. My granddaddy had dairy and beef cattle, so I’ve been around cattle all my life.

I like my cattle to have good conformation, excellent milking ability and a gently disposition. I like a cow with some depth of body. Most of my Longhorns are a little bigger than the typical old Western trail drive Longhorns people might expect. They aren’t bony. They have a straight top line, and my females have to look feminine.

One of my favorite traits is that Longhorns are almost maintenance-free. They're heat and insect tolerant, disease resistant, early maturing and have a long breeding life. Longhorn beef is delicious, lean and tender, and it’s the only beef I serve my family.

I got started with some longhorn heifers that we had roped for a while. It didn’t take me long to get interested in the history and genetics of the registered side. I sold those and went to all registered Longhorns around 1990.

I bought cattle from breeders around the country, notably Jimmy Jones from Greenville, Alabama, whom I call my mentor and close friend, and Terry King of Westville, Fla. It was Jones who, in 2004, sold me the prize cow, Horseshoe J Cadence, which won the “Tip-To-Tip” class at the 2011 Horned Showcase contest sponsored by the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association. The cow’s horns spanned a whopping 79 inches.

The best reward my Longhorns offer are the peace I find in the pasture among my herd. It’s very therapeutic just watching them.

About Nancy Dunn, Rolling D Ranch

Rolling Ranch