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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1982)
cnuj} sjuaiuoj AJiri(}vuu r j Sl A/I \s c fici rnp io?i sire By CHERYL BURKE Impressives Copy is a unique horse in a unique situation. A champion Quarter Horse stallion, Impressives Copy has been at Texas A&M University for only- four years, yet he has already improved its quality of education. Impressives Copy’s job is to produce superb foals for Texas A&:M . These foals are used in the teaching programs of the horse section of the animal science de partment, and are then incorporated into the herd to improve its quality. Dr. Gary Potter, professor of animal science, describes Impressives Copy and his foals as representative of the caliber of horses found in the Quarter Horse industry today. “I have no aspirations whatsoever to teach students with plug horses,” Potter said. “Copy is not just a good stallion; he is an outstanding stallion, and he is able to transmit that into his foals.” Therefore students are able to ride and train horses that are typical of the kinds of horses they will see in the pro fessional industry. “Consequently,” Pot ter said, “when students graduate, we feel they are better prepared to relate to their particular area of the industry than if they had been riding pluggy old horses while here at Texas A&M. “And I don’t know of another educa tional institution in the country- that has a stallion used in its breeding program that is of the quality of Impressives Copy.” Another aspect of having a high cali ber breeding program involves public relations for both the students and the horses. Students in the training classes are allowed to fit, train and show the horses, locally at first and then to state shows. “What we are doing is putting the horses, and more important, the stu dents on display for the public to see,” Potter said. “We are saying here is the caliber of horses we have at Texas A&M, here is the caliber of students we have at Texas A&M, and here is the job they are doing with them.” And they are doing a good job, Potter added. Several of Impressives Copy’s offspring have been shown repeatedly and won class and reserve champion ships across the nation. Impressives Copy was recruited by Texas A&M in 1978 when he was only two years old, unproven as a breeding stallion. “We realized in about 1977 that we had gone about as far as we could go in improving the quality of the herd with the breeding stock we had,” Potter said. Potter first saw Impressives Copy at the 1977 All-American Quarter Horse Congress when Copy won the yearling stallion futurity, the highest award among his peers. When funding was provided through private donations to buy a new stallion, the first horse Potter began looking at was Impressives Copy. “I knew the minute they got him out of the barn that if we could afford this horse we would buy him, but I was afraid he would be out of our reach.” Potter said. “But we made the owner an offer, and he took it.” Texas A&M has had a history of in volvement in the Quarter Horse indus try and has owned many outstanding horses which have contributed to the breed, Potter said. “But there has never been a horse on the Texas A&M campus that is the caliber of Impressives Copy,” he added. feed possibility By PATRICE KORANEK Cottonseed has been used as livestock feed for a long time, but in the past de cade researchers have found a way to use it for human food. Now, a major prob lem facing researchers is marketing cot tonseed as a food crop. Many people try the seeds and want to buy them, but are disappointed when they find grocery stores don’t stock them, said Rhonda Simmons, research associate for the Food Protein Research and Development Center at Texas A&M University. The research center is part of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station and does a lot of product testing and recipe development, Simmons said. She is currently trying to find food com panies willing to market cottonseed as a food product. “The whole goal is to increase the value of the cotton crop,” Simmons said. When cottonseed becomes available to the consumers for use in salads, cas seroles and desserts, an increase in the value of cotton as a crop should result, Simmons said. Cottonseed contains a pigment called gossypol, which is toxic to non-ruminant animals, such as humans, poultry and swine. In the early 1950s scientists found a glandless cotton plant and by careful breeding produced a healthy plant with quality fiber. Glandless cottonseed, fit for human consumption, resulted. To process glandless cottonseed, the boll fragments and short fibers attached to the seed are removed and the hull is stripped from the kernel. The kernels can be used this way or they can be pro cessed further into flour and protein for tifiers. Photo by Cheryl Burke Impressives Copy takes a morning run at the Texas A&M horse center. center ready Meats laboratory manager Ray Riley said the meat could be moved to the new Meat By LESLIE BARR In the spring of 1983 students taking meat science at Texas A&M University will experience a change of scenery. The new and modern meat science and technology center will be ready ab out Jan. 15, said Dr. Jeff Saveli, assistant professor associated with the construc tion and design of the facility. center in about three weeks, although classes will not be scheduled there until next semester. The new center, located on west cam pus next to the Kleberg Animal and Food Sciences Center, was built by B.F.W. Construction Company of Tem ple and has an estimated construction cost of $3.9 million. soon There will also be a retail sales area in the new center, Saveli said. “Most of the customers of the present meats lab are faculty and staff members,” Riley said. “We are not trying to compete with the local merchants,” Saveli said. “We are trying to provide an exceptional educa tional training program for students, and offer a quality product to the public at a reasonable price.” AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATORS OF TOMORROW “Serving all aspects of agriculture.” Meetings: 2nd & 4th Mon., 7 p.m., Journalism Library, 301 Reed McDonald Bldg. President: Kitty Fraley 845-2211 Advisor: Doyle Gougler 845-4611 E—i CC "> I ■.. __| uy ? <n « moz/s' iv uoiiiivcltuo^ z i -p more than hobby By KELLI PROCTOR Showing Quarter Horses is not fun anymore. Mountains of money and changes within the industry have made showing strictly business. Bubba and Nancy Cahill of Madison- ville have been in the Quarter Horse business for 10 years. Cahill, a successful horse trainer, believes the Quarter Horse business has changed drastically, but for the better. Money is the major reason for change. The big money is not in Quarter Horses but in thoroughbred racing where there are futurities and high dol lar purses. Futurities are classes limited to a cer tain age group. To enter, expensive en try fees are paid several months in adv ance, ensuring a large purse. First place wins a percentage of the purse, with a decreasing percentage through the number of places. The customers, types of shows and kinds and styles of horses have also changed and have turned the Quarter Horse industry from a fun sport to a major business. The average person doesn’t go to the horse show anymore. The money is too high and the competition too great. “They just can’t compete because of the caliber of horse it takes to win,” Cahill said. Customers are more knowledgable. They know what they want and what we can get done for them, Cahill said. Be cause of the high dollars involved the “backyard horse person” that has been eliminated from the show ring, Cahill added. Cahill said the people in the horse business today want the best and will buy only top dollar horses. It is not uncom mon to spend $30,000 for a horse, or buy a share of a syndicated stallion for $5,000. “This is good for the horse business and good for the trainers. All horse trainers have the dream of selling the highest dollar horse,” Cahill said. “The thing that makes the horse busi ness go around is the great tax write-off that it is. It is legal and you can write off everything down to your long sleeve shirts,” Cahill emphasized. Why is the Quarter Horse business so competitive? Money is the key again, but the change in the style of horse is the reason, Cahill said. The horse that won several events 10 years ago has been replaced by the finely tuned machine raised for one event only, he said. For example a horse that won in five or six events 10 years ago competing against a horse of today, trained specific ally for one event, would not have a chance, Cahill said. “A person can own an outstanding halter horse or a really fancy western pleasure horse, but not both. They just don’t mix, ” Cahill said. The ideal horse would be an all- around animal beating the one-event horses. The problem is finding the ideal. Youth shows will be the shows where the all around horse is needed, Mrs. Cahill said. The youth usually have only one or two horses to show and have to teach the horse almost every event. A trainer, on the other hand, has a barn filled with horses to train. The trainer won't waste the customer’s money if the he doesn’t believe the horse has the potential. “A lot of horses probably miss their chance with a trainer, whereas a youth would stick with him and possibly find the horse’s potential,” Mrs. Cahill ex plained. The youth are an important part of the horse business too. The serious ones become the horse trainers of the future, Cahill said. Pari-mutuel horse racing can increase money, jobs By CATHY ANDERSON People might realize that legalizing pari-mutuel horse racing in Texas would increase the revenue within the state, but many probably don’t realize the number of jobs it would open for college gradu ates and unskilled labor alike. B.F. Phillips, Frisco, Texas, Chairman of the Texas Horseracing Association and head of the pari-mutuel racing cam paign in Texas, pointed out that pari mutuel wagering will contribute about $135 million to revenue every year. Five hundred million dollars to one billion dollars a year would be contributed to feed sales and verterinary care. For a first class track, like the one being planned for Texas, a population of at least one million people is needed. “We visualize 3 major tracks located in the Dallas-Ft Worth area, Houston and San Antonio, Phillips said. “At a first class track there will be about 2000 horses stabled and for every four horses they will need one em $2.3 million spent to convert pavillion By LIZ LaVALLE For the past year, anyone passing by the Animal Husbandry Pavillion has noticed a big change taking place. Long gone are the cattle, the horses and the dirt floor. These were replaced during the conversion of the pavillion to the new Texas A&M University registra tion headquarters. The first floor of the new building, which was the old arena, will be used for registration and Aggie ring ordering, and will include a snack bar and several offices. The second floor of the building will be used by the Student Activities Office and Student Financial Aid Office. The conversion is costing about $2.3 million and will probably be finished by the spring semester, said Registrar Bob Lacey, the project coordinator for the building. “From 1918 to 1934 the pavillion held all the pffices for the animal science de partment and some offices for the de partments of agricultural economics, poultry science, biochemistry and liberal arts,” said Associate Deputv Chancellor for Agriculture O.D. Butler. For many years the pavillion was used for scout jamborees, district scout fairs, and initiation for the Saddle and Sirloin Club and Ross Volunteers, Butler said. ployee,” he said. That means 500 more jobs, he added. Most of the jobs on the track will use unskilled labor and include groomers, stall cleaners, people to feed and exercise horses, and track maintenance workers. If the pari-mutuel gambling issuis pas ses, at least 1500 unskilled laborers will be able to find jobs, Phillips said. Tom Early, assistant secretary- treasurer of the Louisiana Thorough bred Breeders Association, said most jobs for people with degrees in agricul ture would be on breeding farms. Jobs on breeding farms will include stallion managers, secretaries, groomers, breeding technicians and trainers. It will also have a tremendous impact on the sale of real estate and the con struction industry. Some people fear that legalizing pari mutuel racing will cause an increase in crime and drug traffic. However, Gra ham emphasized that horse racing is a highly policed sport. Horses have to have blood and urine tests which will detect the illegal use of drugs. Be a Member of Saddle & Sirloin and Be a Part of This: «# % «& c? tr> TAMU Children's Barnyard Benefit Horse Show Ham Sales Special Charity Projects Dances & Picnics Little Southwestern: Showmanship Contest Judging Contest Ham Show & Sale Meetings: 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the Month Kleberg 115