ATAK LIMOUSIN
A Family Affair by Sarah Anne Johnson
The Schmalshof family of Avon , Illinois , began their Limousin cattle operation known as ATAK Limousin in 1985 . Andy and his wife , Tammy , had a vision early on that surrounded Limousin cattle and family . Today that vision has come full circle with their family ’ s dedicated involvement in the ATAK Limousin program . Their son , Adam , and his wife , Jonelle , have three children who are on track to be the future of ATAK Limousin along with Adam ’ s sister , Karen Reese and her two children .
It all started with the purchase of a select few Limousin bulls to introduce leaner beef into their commercial herd of cattle . As time went on , they incorporated more Limousin influence throughout the years and ultimately tapped into higher quality Limousin and Lim- Flex seedstock over the past 15-20 years .
Their first red Limousin bull was purchased from Yackley Limousin out of Onida , South Dakota . “ That bull was as gentle as can be ,”
Tammy remarked . “ We ’ ve always made docility a high priority along with elite production characteristics .”
In the early years they also purchased several heifers from Norman Bruce of Leveldale Farm and still have the influence of his genetics in their program today . “ Norm is a super guy and has always been great to work with ,” Andy expressed .
ATAK Limousin has built upon cow families for decades . “ When you look at our donor pen with a strong influence from MAGS Wassail , MAGS Manuela , AUTO Poppy and MAGS American Beauty , we ’ re right there at the top with some of the best individuals in the breed . Genetically , we always try to build off of cow families because that ’ s where we find the most success . Along with our powerful donors , we have put together a phenomenal bull battery . We have some tried and true proven donors that go back to AUTO Poppy and MAGS Eternal Flame that we ’ ve purchased over the past few years , but what I ’ m really excited about is our donor prospects this year that will take us even farther to being in the top tier . I ’ m excited for the next four to five years with not only our proven genetics that we have , but our newer genetics coming into play now ,” Adam said .
The focus has always been on producing quality cattle with style that are eye-appealing , but also phenotypically sound with a strong production-oriented focus . “ The last 10 years we ’ ve upped our quality
ATAK Limousin has built upon cow families for decades . The firm has strong influence from donors such as MAGS Wassail , MAGS Manuela , AUTO Poppy and MAGS American Beauty .