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Cattle Barons and Land Owners

Bill and Dusty Carr: Texas Beefmaster Breeders of the Year and Hall of Famers

A Texas couple active in the breed since the mid-1970s, built on performance data, visual appraisal and two foundation bulls.

Who are Bill and Dusty Carr?

Bill and Dusty Carr are Texas Beefmaster breeders who run Hilltop Beefmasters. Beefmaster Breeders United inducted them into its Hall of Fame in 2010, according to the BBU roster, and named them Breeder of the Year again in 2021.

Their home base is described two ways. A BBU ranch gathering report places the Carr Ranch in Wilson County, eight miles west of Floresville. A third-party breeder directory lists them in Laredo and names William R. Carr as owner. Sources differ, and this profile reports both.

Decades of service to Beefmaster Breeders United

According to the 2021 awards report, the Carrs joined BBU in the mid-1970s and have been active in the association and several satellite groups since. Their operation relies on performance data and visual appraisal.

The awards list shows steady recognition: Breeder of the Year in 1993, the Junior Beefmaster Breeders Association Helping Hand Award in 1996, an Environmental Award in 1999, Performance Breeder of the Year in 2008 and the Live Oak Legend Award in 2010, the same year they entered the hall.

The foundation bulls

The Carrs have promoted progeny from two foundation bulls, Classic Cotton and Cornerstone. Naming foundation sires is common in seedstock marketing because buyers can trace a calf's pedigree to animals whose offspring have been measured.

The BBU report does not give the bulls' birth years or the size of the herd, and this profile does not estimate them.

What Made It Work

The record points to consistency. The Carrs appear in awards lists across more than three decades, in categories that cover breeding, youth, land care and performance data.

They also opened their ranch to other producers. The gathering described by BBU drew more than 75 cattlemen and cattlewomen and offered continuing education units and beef quality assurance credits.

  • They relied on performance data and visual appraisal together.
  • They built on identified foundation sires, Classic Cotton and Cornerstone.
  • They took part in the association and its satellite groups for decades.
  • They earned awards for youth support (1996), environment (1999) and performance (2008), not breeding alone.
  • They hosted educational ranch events for other cattle producers.

Recognition across the decades

The Carrs' first Breeder of the Year title came in 1993, 17 years before their induction. The 2021 award, as the convention report places it, came at the 60th annual BBU convention in Fort Worth.

The same convention inducted Fred and Judy Long, so two South Texas couples with decades of association service shared that year's spotlight.

The Beefmaster background

Tom Lasater developed the Beefmaster in the early 1930s by crossing Hereford and Shorthorn cows with Brahman bulls. The USDA first recognized the breed in 1954, and breeders select for weight, conformation, milking ability, fertility, hardiness and disposition, as the Beefmaster article summarizes.

South Texas is the breed's home ground, so a Wilson County or Laredo operation sits close to the original Lasater country.

Visit or learn more

BBU reported that the Carr Ranch gathering welcomed visiting producers, and breeders often invite buyers to inspect cattle in person. For related reading, farm.FM has ranching stories and a farm.FM story about a South Texas ranch.

Timeline

  1. Mid-1970sCarrs join Beefmaster Breeders United
  2. 1993Named BBU Breeder of the Year
  3. 1996JBBA Helping Hand Award
  4. 1999BBU Environmental Award
  5. 2008Performance Breeder of the Year
  6. 2010Live Oak Legend Award and BBU Hall of Fame induction
  7. 2021Named BBU Breeder of the Year at the Fort Worth convention

Frequently asked questions

Who are Bill and Dusty Carr?

They are Texas Beefmaster breeders who run Hilltop Beefmasters, active in Beefmaster Breeders United since the mid-1970s and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2010.

What are the Carrs' foundation bulls?

BBU reports that the Carrs have promoted progeny from their foundation bulls Classic Cotton and Cornerstone, as part of a program based on performance data and visual appraisal.

Where is the Carr Ranch?

Sources differ. A BBU report places it in Wilson County, eight miles west of Floresville, while a breeder directory lists them in Laredo, Texas.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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