TASF Eternity 150E--2018 NJHS TASF Xtra Class 124E--2018 NJHS TASF Envy 161E--2019 NJHS
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TASF Forever Classy 216F--2019 NJHS
Back home at the farm , Chris and Lonnie make the breeding decisions together , but Lonnie and Clayton Schowe are the day-today manpower behind the cattle operation . “ Not everybody comes here to walk through our barns because we are so far East and that ’ s a battle we face . We have plenty of local bull customers and we also have bulls that sell to large programs across the country , but it makes it tough to sell show heifers ,” Chris explained .
“ We really enjoy the show heifer business — we get to meet a lot of new people and travel the country ,” Lonnie remarked . “ We try not to build our cattle all the same , that way we have variety for our customers .”
Each fall in October , the Thomas family hosts their annual Halloween Hunnies Show Female Sale . “ Doing this sale privately we are able to be more personal with our customers and figure out what they need and want ,” Lonnie said . “ Chris and I pick our cattle apart harder than most anybody else would so that we ’ re able to explain them and tell people about them . We want to give people a visual without having to come to Maryland ,” Lonnie said .
The operation keeps approximately 20 replacement heifers back each year . They also keep 15-20 bulls to sell and the rest of the females are available as replacements . In addition , they sell beef from 40 fat steers each year to private customers . “ We try to find the niche in everything , because we don ’ t like to waste a single calf ,” Chris said .
Today the Limousin breed is benefiting leaps and bounds from the exposure seen throughout the country . The new , increased demand for high-quality Limousin and Lim-Flex show females has opened an entirely new opportunity for Limousin breeders . “ As a result of such demand , we as breeders are able to do more flushing and place more quality females across the country . This is what the breed needs so that we are able to funnel the money spent on elite show females directly back into the breed to continue building and improving the breed . We can do more flushing , put in more embryos and acquire a
TASF Guardian Angel 300G--2020 NJHS
donor female from another Limousin breeder . That circulates money back through the breed . It brings a totally different perspective to the breed ,” Chris said .
For Chris , “ It ’ s not just the show cattle — it goes both ways . We have to give and take a little bit when it comes to performance and show cattle . You ’ ll create a market that everybody can see and utilize . If someone comes to our sale , my top show heifer might not be what they ’ re looking for , but my third or fourth best show heifer prospect has really big numbers , looks good and all of a sudden I have a double market . I have the show market and I have people coming in saying ‘ wow she looks good and has big numbers , I can breed her a lot of ways .’”
The future of the Thomas and Son Farms program is bright . “ I want to raise elite show heifers , but I also want those females to turn around and make the Limousin breed better as cows ,” Lonnie said . “ I would like to raise a few more elite Crown Royal-type bulls and I want TASF to be known as an overall elite Limousin breeder , especially east of the Mississippi . I want people to think of us not only for elite show females , but for cows and bulls as well ,” Lonnie said .
“ We take great pride in the fact that our cattle are well numbered . You can use our A . I . sires both ways and excel — performance wise and in the show ring . We have to keep in mind that it ’ s not just one way or the other , we ’ re all in it together ,” Chris said .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR : Sarah Anne Johnson raises registered Limousin & Lim-Flex cattle with her family and Coulton West in Ohio . She is a sixth-generation beef cattle producer , Sales Specialist , Marketing and Communications Strategist and is a District Sales Manager for Stine Seed Co . She exhibited Limousin cattle on the state and national levels since the age of four and served as a NALJA Board Member during her junior show career . Connect with her at 614-266-2646 or johnson . 6077 @ osu . edu .
50 • APRIL 2022