Data A dd s
V alue
President’s Message
By Gary Fuchs, NALF president
Thank you to everyone for participating in the Herd
Reference issue of LIMOUSIN TODAY this year. Your
support of the publication and the Foundation
through your advertising is sincerely appreciated.
Before I get to the topic of the month, I want to
include a short report on the April meeting of your
Board of Directors. We met in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Included in our meeting was a tour of the Tyson
processing plant in Dakota City, Nebraska with
some discussion of the beef industry and a tour
of the Geneseek DNA Laboratory in Lincoln.
Both tours were very educational. I extend my
thanks to each person that helped organize
and lead these tours. I sincerely appreciate the
members of the board and their dedication
to our breed and their willingness to work
together for the breed’s future. I continue to
learn from each member every time we meet.
My writing this month is about information.
Specifically, the need for us, as breeders, to supply
as much data from our herds to the Foundation
for evaluation and compilation. Each piece of
data you supply adds value to information you
have about your herd and the entire breed.
We have many opportunities to supply data.
Examples are through the registration process;
these points include birth, weaning and yearling
data in proper contemporary groups. The value of
the data on your herd increases very much if you
register and report data on your entire calf crop.
More data points include docility scores,
scrotal or pelvic measurements, and ultra
sound measurements. Again, each information
point has future value for you the breeder.
Finally, I want to include DNA testing. The value
of GE-EPD’s for making decisions in your herd or
increasing the value of the product you sell to
your customers is great. The information gained
from this type of testing, when used correctly,
allows you the possibility of making more
sound breeding decisions. Along this line it has
become very economical to include parentage
verification in you DNA testing package. Using
the parentage verification options increases
the accuracy of our herd book by reducing the
possibility of human error in record keeping.
As Limousin breeders, we need to take a step
forward in our data collection and testing to be
competitive in the very competitive business
of selling commercial
bulls. It would be great
for Limousin breeders to
become leaders in data
collection and DNA testing.
Good luck with your
herds this summer. LT
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