registrations
The Paper Trail of
Preservation
By Bruce Derksen
As a rule, the topic of registering or not registering
cattle is aimed at the purebred breeder, although
the benefits spill into the universe of the
commercial cattleman, feedlot owner and rancher.
With the mutual advantage that can materialize
for all points on the spectrum, it is unfortunate and
confusing that there are still pockets of resistance
to the process. “It’s just a piece of paper,” proclaims
the naysayer. “The bull or bred female is still the
same animal whether the paper exists or not.”
This is true, but also completely short-sighted.
All purebred operations are at the very core
“breeders,” who as a primary role have intentions
of producing breeding stock for other purebred
owners and commercial cattlemen.
Wikipedia summed it up nicely when it defined
breeder as “Those who practice the vocation
of mating carefully selected specimens of the
same breed to reproduce specific, consistently
replicable qualities and characteristics.” With the
importance of this focused and deliberate task
displayed for the agricultural community at large
to take notice of, shouldn’t all available efforts
and tools be used to demonstrate this ability?
Simply put, registration is about the paper trail of
preservation. Limousin cattle excel in many areas
of the cattle industry and if these exceptional
qualities are not properly managed but instead
allowed to be watered down, the positive traits will
eventually be lost. Feed efficiency and conversion,
calving ease, superior maternal characteristics,
calf vigor, lean high yielding carcasses are at the
foundation of the breed and must be preserved.
The registration of purebred cattle is not only
beneficial to the breeder but to the entire beef
business, as genetic knowledge is critical to its
future. To say the purity and quality of the breed
needs to be ensured and continued sounds very
pie in the sky, but it is true at its basic principle.
A registered animal proves lineage and ancestry.
This in turn proclaims worth and offers a stamp
of authenticity, while the paperwork of an
unregistered bull’s parent carries no weight and
means nothing to any sale or transaction at hand.
Breeders can employ the registration tool along
with all its attached data and information as
they attempt to raise the value and reputation of
their operation. Similar pedigrees and ancestors
with their written history roadmaps can be
accessed to produce further desired animals.
Traits like longevity, calving ease, docility and
weaning and yearling weights can be tracked
and manipulated by the producer to appeal to a
broader segment of the cattle owning public.
While not all purebred breeders are a staple of the
show ring, they all need to aspire to the production
of “show” cattle. This doesn’t mean that every
animal bred and kept in the core herd must be
entered and win on the show circuit. It does mean
that these reliable cattle will do what is expected
by the producer and the potential buyer. They
must travel well, have good conformation, strong
feet and leg structure, level toplines, good udders,
depth, large testicles, acceptable docility, and so
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