Texas Longhorn Trails: TLBAA History, Monthly Content and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
Texas Longhorn Trails is the monthly magazine of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America (TLBAA), the registry founded in 1964 to save and promote the cattle of the old trail drives. Created as the association's official publication in 1989 and edited today by Myra Basham from the Fort Worth Stockyards, it carries breed news, business and health information and education for Longhorn producers.
| Publisher | Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America |
|---|---|
| Magazine founded | 1989, as TLBAA's official publication |
| Association founded | 1964; incorporated in Texas May 8, 1964 |
| Headquarters | Fort Worth Stockyards, Fort Worth, Texas |
| Frequency | Monthly, with digital editions and the E-Trails email list |
| Editor-in-Chief | Myra Basham |
| Official website | TLBAA.org Trails |
History of Texas Longhorn Trails
Millions of Longhorns roamed Texas by the Civil War, but within about 40 years the breed was described as closer to extinction than the buffalo. In 1927 Congress assigned forest rangers Will C. Barnes and John H. Hatton to help preserve it, and they assembled the first herd for the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.
The idea of a breed association was raised by an Oregon rancher at the 1963 Refuge Sale. Charles Schreiner III pushed for a Texas-based group, the state issued its certificate of incorporation on May 8, 1964, and about 30 members attended the first meeting in Lawton, Oklahoma, that September. Schreiner became the first president, Claude Heck Shrader was hired as the visual inspector who decided which cattle qualified, and the first registered Texas Longhorn was Schreiner's cow YO Carmela.
The office started in San Antonio, moved to Karnes City in 1967, and found a permanent home after the association bought a site in the Fort Worth Stockyards in 1981. Membership grew from about 150 in 1969 to about 2,500 by 1982. In 1989 the TLBAA created Texas Longhorn Trails as its official publication.
Texas Longhorn Trails Today
Trails remains a monthly magazine, backed by digital media. The TLBAA posts issues from 2013 onward for online reading, runs the E-Trails email list and publishes advertising rates for breeders. Editorial content mixes business and herd health information with educational analysis meant to support the industry's growth, viability and traditions.
The association now counts more than 3,500 members in the United States and abroad, and its registry database holds pedigree records for more than 450,000 head. It sponsors regional associations and breeder competitions in the U.S. and Canada, including a World Show held each June in Fort Worth, all of which fill the magazine's pages.
What Texas Longhorn Trails Is Publishing Now
Shows and competitions
Results from the World Show in Fort Worth and other TLBAA-sanctioned events, with photos of champions.
Herd health and business
Management, nutrition and marketing advice for Longhorn producers.
Breeders and heritage
Ranch profiles, sale reports, regional association news and stories of the breed's trail-drive history.
Texas Longhorn Trails Editors and Staff
The TLBAA's Trails page lists:
- Myra Basham - Editor-in-Chief, Texas Longhorn Trails
Basham can be reached at myra@tlbaa.org or 817-625-6241, ext. 104, at the TLBAA office in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Founding president Charles Schreiner III and early inspector Claude Heck Shrader are central figures in the history the magazine often revisits.
Who Reads Texas Longhorn Trails
Readers are TLBAA members, Longhorn breeders, show exhibitors and ranchers drawn to the breed's history and famous horns. Texas leads the nation in cattle, and cattle and calves are the largest share of U.S. animal receipts, about 37 percent in 2021 according to USDA's Economic Research Service.
Longhorn breeders measure horns tip to tip and plan gate widths accordingly. For a lighter look at cattle country, farm.FM serves farm satire and farm humor with a deadpan face, along with ranch humor for anyone who has backed a Longhorn steer through a trailer door sideways. Its farm jokes are about as wide as a champion's horn spread.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
Texas Longhorn Trails Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- TLBAA: Texas Longhorn Trails Magazine - the magazine, archive and editor contact.
- TLBAA: History - the association's founding and growth.
- Wikipedia: Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America - an overview of the registry.
- USDA ERS: Animal product receipts - cattle as the largest livestock sector.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - cattle and ranch statistics by state.
Texas Longhorn Trails FAQ
Who publishes Texas Longhorn Trails?
The Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, based in the Fort Worth Stockyards.
When did Trails start?
The TLBAA created it as its official publication in 1989.
Who edits Texas Longhorn Trails?
Myra Basham is editor-in-chief.
How often is Trails published?
Monthly, with digital editions online.
From the Wichita Mountains rescue herd to the Fort Worth World Show, Texas Longhorn Trails keeps the breed's story moving every month.