EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
by Mark Anderson Executive Director North American Limousin Foundation
NALF Report : July 2022
We are heading into the spring breeding season at the time of this writing . Tammy and I are in Montana at our two commercial ranch cooperators that are participating with the NALRF research project as we synchronize and AI Angus cows to Limousin bulls . They will be used in the research project the board had envisioned nearly two years ago to document the advantages of using Limousin and Lim-Flex ® genetics in a crossbreeding program for the commercial cow / calf operator .
Individual breeder donations and contributions from NALF the last two years are funding the project . Progeny from the matings will be shipped to South Dakota State in the fall of 2023 to go on feed for gain , intake and dry matter conversion data and eventually capture individual carcass data on all nine represented AI sires .
With two commercial ranchers each contributing approximately 225 Angus cows to the project , we will be breeding three Angus sires , three high percentage or purebred Limousin sires along with three Lim-Flex ® sires for the test progeny to be shipped to SDSU . These sires will run head-to-head to document differences in performance and carcass data with the oversight and results evaluated by Dr . Robert Weaber at KSU and Dr . Zach Smith from SDSU .
Both Dr . Weaber and Dr . Smith have been heavily involved in the setup and structure of the research trial and we appreciate their help on this project . Dr . Weaber oversaw selecting representative sires to be used that allowed us to use bulls equivalent in their EPD profile for each of the three contemporary groups . EPDs were evaluated not only across breeds through the IGS evaluation , but AAA EPDs were adjusted by USMARC breed adjustments to gain equivalency as well for the trial .
The project was designed to reflect the advantages of using cattle in a crossbreeding program to gain heterosis for economic value to the commercial cattlemen on a variety of traits in today ’ s competitive cattle market . Differences in feed efficiency will be documented with the cattle to be harvested at three different kill dates . This will allow us to show differences in feeding cattle to larger outweights on their performance , but hopefully exhibit the ability of cattle to grade while potentially reducing yield grade 4 and 5 cattle with the
Limousin and Lim-Flex ® sired calves . Individual carcass data will be captured on the progeny that will be able to be tied back to all nine sires as well .
At the end of the day , we will better learn our advantages or deficiencies with the documentation of third-party research on our cattle . Hopefully , at the end of the trial , this will better inform us about our cattle with hard data capture . Potentially , we may be able to utilize the results of the research to help market more Limousin and Lim-Flex ® genetics for our breeders across the country to the commercial cattlemen throughout the United States .
Thank you to all our board , breeders and staff who are helping with this project over the next two years . It would not be possible without the teamwork and support we are getting from all involved with this project . We will keep membership posted as things progress .
I was also fortunate to visit Lubbock , Texas , in early May , along with Kevin Ochsner , Jerry Wulf and Bruce Lawrence , to attend the beef on dairy conference conducted by Dr . Dale Woerner and his crew at Texas Tech University . The three-day conference was one of the most informative meetings I have attended the last ten years , with a tremendous amount of information shared by qualified speakers and producers .
We were able to tour large feedyards and calf ranches engaged in the production of beef on dairy finished cattle . Limousin cattle are widely used in this terminal cross given their superior ability to add carcass yield , ribeye and feed efficiency advantages in a market that continues to grow and capture more marketshare throughout the U . S . Thank you to Dr . Woerner and his students at Texas Tech for conducting a first-class conference that was as informative as any I have attended .
We look forward to seeing many of you in Amarillo late June at the National Junior Limousin Show & Congress with strong entries posted there as well . We are also excited to see the inaugural Neogen Ultimate Show for Genomics this year and appreciate the work the junior board has put into this new event . Thank you to the Texas crew for putting this year ’ s NJLSC together and the time that the Begert and Lawrence families have contributed to make this a success , along with the entire crew at the Texas Limousin Association
12 • JULY 2022