Executive Summary
Exciting Opportunities for Limousin
By Mark Anderson, NALF executive director
Welcome to the October tabloid issue of LIMOUSIN TODAY ®. If you are a commercial cowman reading through our issue, we appreciate your readership and interest in our cattle and seedstock breeders who are members of the North American Limousin Foundation. If you are one of the commercial cow-calf men who operate in today’ s challenging environment, who make their core living off the annual sale of your feeder cattle offering, welcome to this October issue. There is no better way to upgrade and increase your sale weights than with a set of today’ s Limousin and Lim-Flex ® bulls, particularly in a crossbreeding program on a set of English-based cows. As you look through the programs who have advertised in this issue, you will find producers in your area who can provide you with quality genetics to enhance your breeding programs.
Today’ s Limousin seedstock producers are providing functional cattle that increase the pounds produced at the scale, with the benefits of increased muscling, improved retail yield, superior yield grade, all while retaining the ability to hit the Choice Quality Grade. These are not the Limousin cattle you would have thought of 15 years ago. Today’ s Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle are a softer made, bigger-ribbed version that provide genetics for feeder cattle with superior feed efficiency translating to cheaper cost of gains in the commercial cattle feeding industry. The fall heifer sale season is underway throughout the country for Limousin seedstock breeders. Interested parties
10 | OCTOBER 2017 should contact NALF for the upcoming listing of sales or visit the Sales and Events page at www. NALF. org.
In July of 2018, NALF will be hosting the International Limousin Congress. It will also mark the 50th anniversary of the North American Limousin Foundation. If you are a breeder of fullblood cattle, this will be an excellent opportunity to display your cattle to the international marketplace. The European market could potentially benefit from an influx of new fullblood genetics. There will be an opportunity for breeders to obtain display pens at
This is a great opportunity for Limousin breeders to take advantage of exporting Limousin genetics through semen and embryo sales to regain a foothold in the international market.
various locations throughout the tenday event. Interested breeders should contact Katie Campbell at the NALF office to inquire about reserving display pens for your cattle. The Australian, Canadian, South American, and New Zealand markets are also candidates for U. S. Limousin and Lim-Flex genetics. This is a great opportunity for Limousin breeders to take advantage of exporting Limousin genetics through semen and embryo sales to regain a foothold in the international market.
NALF is going through an organizational restructure that will be benefit Limousin breeders in the future. NALF has contracted out various services with the National Center of Beef Excellence( NCBE) based in Kansas City, Mo. Mr. Brett Spader is the executive director of the NCBE. NALF will be moving its layout of the LIMOUSIN TODAY magazine to the NCBE. Limousin breeders will still place their advertising orders with our regional field managers, Andy Rest and Corey Wilkens. Jennifer Scharpe, NALF director of public relations and media, will coordinate information flow and content of the magazine from Denver and be the managing editor. Mallory Blunier, NALF assistant communications director, will continue to be the head contact for NALF’ s digital services.
Those who utilize Jennifer and Amy Clarkson, NALF art director, for ad and catalog services may continue to do so. Those who use outside ad designers and submit camera ready ads, may also continue to do so. NCBE will offer members the choice of three additional ad design companies that can be utilized at various fees. Inquiries about those designers can be directed to NALF or the NCBE.
NALF has also contracted, through NCBE, the services of Tonya Amen. She will be taking over the duties of Joe Epperly regarding our multibreed international cattle evaluations, herdbook, and EPDs. Tonya is a highly qualified individual who has previously worked for Zoetis and has handled similar duties at Angus Genetics Inc., for nearly four years. She will provide Limousin breeders professional service with their EPD analysis and will be available via the phone through the Denver office answering service or via