Clone Ranger

The old roundup may never be the same, thanks to Zech Dameron�s herd of genetically duplicate longhorns

A A A Comments By Thomas Korosec Thursday, Jun 12 2003

...continued from page 4

Mosser and his wife set a post-bust record last year when they paid $59,000 for Starlight's rival, an orange and brown female named Feisty Fanny.

Last fall, Mosser sent some cell samples to Cyagra, and now he has a small herd of Feisty Fanny clones on the way. "They're still in the oven, but the last time I talked with them, there were 11,'' Mosser says. The calving is expected to begin in a few weeks.

Mark Graham

Top: Two of the cloned offspring from Starlight, Dr. Zech Dameron III's champion longhorn cow. Middle: Starlight (licking her nose). Bottom: Dameron feeds one of the cloned offspring.

Mark Graham

Top: Dameron inspects one of the longhorn bulls on his ranch near Forestburg, Texas. Middle and bottom: Dameron surveying and feeding the longhorn herd on his ranch.

More About

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

"My wife and my daughter aren't really for it. They say you should let things happen naturally," says Mosser, who got into longhorn breeding because he likes the way his multicolored herd looks in the field. "I say it's like having a car with air conditioning. Once you didn't, and now you do. It's progress."

Mosser says he didn't give a thought to cloning until he saw Dameron's new heifers. Now, he says, he's grabbed Dameron's shirttail and is hanging on for the ride. "Zech's way out there ahead of most people," Mosser says. "He's built a road, and I'm going down it. Just set your watch. Three years from now, Zech and I are going to have some outstanding cows."

Check out this week's featured ad for News