Although ranching produced just a fraction of the Johnson's income, it constituted a major portion of the President's public identity. The Johnsons maintained two herds of cattle on the LBJ Ranch—one of them a commercial herd sold for beef, the other a herd of about 500 registered Herefords, sold for breeding purposes. The registered Herefords on the ranch today are descendants of the animals owned by President Johnson.
The show barn was the center of the ranching operation, where equipment was stored and the ranch's five or six employees reported to work. Here ranch hands prepared cattle for showing, both to prospective buyers and at shows throughout Texas. Herdsmen trained and fitted the show cattle. Each animal represented a considerable investment; at that time a prize-winning bull was worth between $500 and $1500.
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Grooming tools, harnesses, and other supplies were kept in a show box, like this replica, for easy transport to local fairs and cattle shows.
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LBJ's Herefords frequently won awards, such as this champion prize presented at the 1963 Kendall County Fair.
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Before he purchased the ranch in 1951, most Americans saw Lyndon Johnson as a small-town Southern senator. But with the ranch came the image of a Texas rancher and businessman—an impression more acceptable to the national electorate.
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