Texas rancher fights to save longtime family business

As Hurricane Ike bore down on his ranch, Bill White made one last move to save his cattle. He flung open the gates of his ranch to let his 3,000 cows fend for themselves. White saved all but 200 of his herd that night one year ago. Today, he's not sure he can save his ranch, which has been in his family since 1819. Ike was only one of several calamities to hit this part of southeast Texas in the past year. The sixth-generation rancher is a hands-on cattle man. His dirt-flecked straw hat, worn Wranglers and scuffed boots make him hard to distinguish from his ranch hands. But the 55-year-old follows in the footsteps of his great-great-great grandfather, James Taylor White, known as the first Anglo-American rancher in Texas. After a year of setbacks, White is in an epic battle for survival. He's trying to refinance his entire operation – literally betting the ranch – to preserve a business that's been passed down for nearly two centuries. The odds aren't in his favor...DallasMorningNews