Management
Preserve the Limousin Standard
By Bruce Derksen
Back when I was buying cattle, I
eagerly anticipated the sights, sounds
and smells of the auction barn, from
the hypnotic song of the auctioneer,
the aromas of the fresh and not so
fresh sawdust combined with the
occasional hint of generic lunch
room hotdogs, to the continuous
bawling of the bright-eyed newly
weaned calves at the first fall sales.
price range. At times my allotted dollars
would manage to buy a few Limousin
calves and I would happily mix them
into the other packages that I bought.
Months later, upon realizing what
kind of returns I was getting for their
grades, muscling and carcass yields, I
decided to loosen the purse strings and
increase the numbers of Limousin cross
calves in my pens of finishing cattle.
I didn’t know as much about Limousin
Now when I visit the auction barns, I
cattle at the time, but quickly learned
am convinced that Limousin producers
that they tended to be close in price to
are doing a lot of things right. Pens
the top-quality groups of tan and yellow
of Limousin cross calves still bring a
cross-bred calves, which sometimes
premium across the board and while
Four State LToday Aug 18.qxp_Layout 1 7/9/18 3:15 PM Page 1
meant they were out of my constricted
some breeds from my earlier buying
years have diminished numbers,
there are now more Limousin calves
available than I ever had the choice of.
It takes effort to maintain and potentially
improve on a quality product. Producers
need to continue to pursue top quality
Limousin genetics including fertility,
maternal instincts, conformation and
docility, ease of calving, and vigorous
offspring with strong immunity that
will deliver leanness and carcass
yield. Work to preserve the sanctity
of the breed, so future generations
can enjoy the sights, sounds and
smells of the auction barn where the
Limousin standard will endure. I
CFLX 250X - AUTO BLK Dakota x BOHI Red Robin
She sells and is from the heart of the Counsil Family program.
Saturday, September 8, 2018
1:00 pm
Titus County Fair Arena
1800 North Jefferson Ave., Mount Pleasant, TX 75455
Selling 60 head of Limousim, Lim-Flex& Angus cattle
SALE CHARIMAN ... Kevin Counsil 281.808.5511
For more information, contact sale management ...
Randall O. Ratliff, 615.330.2735
[email protected] | www.RRMktg.com
P.O. Box 60097, Nashville, TN 37215
RLBH Air Force One’s influence will be highlighted thru females offered.
28 | AUGUST 2018
(L#2845)