LIMOUSIN TODAY | Page 38

registrations on. While the show ring rewards the flashy, the qualities that make up that eye appeal are real qualities that work in actual pastures and feedlots. Trackable registered cattle help build an owner’s reputation for honesty, integrity and good cattle all at the same time. Information becomes easy and obvious to the potential commercial buyer. Top-quality herds market their genetics in any and all fashions…even on paper. It could be said the commercial cattleman is really a kindred spirit of the purebred breeder as they have the same basic goals in mind- improving the value of the herd. When handed the registration pedigrees that pinpoint specific information and provide the ability to access the performance data on bulls or females, the task becomes easier. Good commercial owners know what they need, and with the benefit of the desired data, be it variable weights, pedigree, DNA test results, calving difficulties, reproduction or any other traits, there is assurance of herd health, breeding soundness and verified lineage. Papers should always be transferred to buyers. New entrants to the Limousin Foundation help to cement relationships between sellers, buyers and the Foundation that can propel future contributions. If there is no registration for the new owner, the lineage is effectively lost to the breed gene pool with the animal becoming nothing more than a grade animal. 36 | JUNE/JULY 2019 It takes time and effort to build a respected reputation as a breeder that a new producer will seek out for a first-time purchase, or an established commercial cattleman or breeder will look to for their own herd’s improvement. Registration numbers available throughout the purebred industry are critical and at the heart of each breed’s reputation for developing benchmark values of all traits. Through the breed’s genetic evaluation program timely data offers the most reliable expected progeny differences for use in selecting and marketing Limousin cattle, which in turn keeps the interest and attention of the commercial cattlemen. The money saved on a non-registered or commercial bull is money lost when things go wrong. Why take that gamble when it’s not necessary? Make use of the registration from breeder to cattleman and take the long odds out of the equation. LT