March 12, 2008

In this issue …
What gets measured gets improved
2010 marketing begins with 2008 breeding
Consider scanning all yearlings
Plan ahead for successful contemporary groupings
Refresher course: registration-number prefixes
Updates, summaries now on ‘by request’ basis
Both boards to meet soon
It’s time to update ‘State Associations’ page
NALJA members have 3 days to pay dues
May 15 is deadline for several applications
Limi Boosters provide scholarships, grants
Service, checkoff fees can be added to registrations
NALF assists with grassroots promotions
What’s news?
Limousin sales, events

Use the North American Limousin Foundation’s (NALF’s) online recording tools (available through the secured, members-only portion of the Web site) or free, preprinted forms for timely reporting of birth, weaning and yearling data. Take the time to enter this spring’s yearling data immediately, and include all heifers (not just those selected for replacements), yearling bulls and steers.

As highlighted at the Limousin Visions Symposium, commercial cattle producers want information about identification (ID); breed composition; color; polled status; expected progeny differences (EPDs), including accuracies, percentile rankings and breed averages; weights; frame score; scrotal circumference or pelvic area; ultrasound data and ratios; and feeding-test results. Reporting data to NALF helps your association help you address those desires.

The deadline to submit data for the next international Limousin genetic evaluation is June 15.

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As you make your breeding decisions this spring, think about the Limousin Visions Symposium breed-improvement directives (growth, grade, docility and fertility) and your customers’ wants and needs in 2010. The key to positioning yourself for successful bull marketing down the road is maximizing the number of like-aged calves from truly superior sires that complement the cows to which you mate them. With fullblood, purebred and Lim‑Flex® genetic packages available, there are more customizable breeding options than ever.

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Today’s seedstock producers need to know how their genetics contribute to success in the packinghouse. Collecting ultrasound data for yearling bulls and replacement heifers can give you a good idea. More important, submitting that information and actual harvest data for NALF’s herdbook can improve the quality and accuracy of carcass EPDs for the entire breed.

Do not forget to order barnsheets from the NALF office as you schedule your ultrasound-scanning sessions. The ultrasound laboratories require barnsheets to process scan data, and failure to obtain them before your scanning session will result in processing delays.

When calling NALF to request barnsheets, be ready to provide the following:

• complete tattoos or registration numbers for the animals;
• a fax number to send the barnsheets; and
• the laboratory the ultrasound technician will use to process the data.

If you have questions about ultrasound scanning, refer to the Guide to Ultrasound in the “Genetic Evaluation” section of the NALF Web site, or request one from the NALF office.

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To do a better job of serving commercial customers, Limousin breeders must continue to prioritize producing cattle with documented quality and predictability. Consider the following points when developing a more comprehensive performance program for your herd.

• A contemporary group includes calves of the same sex and percentage-blood category, born within 90 days of one another, that you managed together. Designate contemporary groups using “creep” and “no creep” codes and breeder-management codes when submitting performance data so it will contribute to the calculation of EPDs. Obtaining valid comparisons between animals in a group is essential to formulating reliable EPDs.
• You should weigh and evaluate all calves in a weaning group on the same day, when the youngest calf is at least 160 days old and the oldest calf is not older than 250 days. You must take yearling weights and other yearling information at least 140 days after weaning and when the animals are between 330 and 450 days of age. Use the date-calculation wheel and instructions provided in your NALF Members Manual. If there is a 90-day age range among cattle in a given group, there is only one possible date to collect weaning data and keep all of the animals in a contemporary group.

Find more tips in the “Successful Performance Program” section of the sire summary.

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As you buy and sell animals this spring, do not forget that the first two letters of the prefixes on NALF registration numbers help customers understand registered breed compositions.

The letters F and M appended to those prefixes indicate “female” and “male,” respectively.

For an animal’s genotypes for coat color or polled status, check the “Animal EPD Search” tool on the NALF Web site or call the home office.

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With nearly 40 percent of NALF paperwork now submitted electronically and with the increased costs associated with forms, printing and postage, NALF has discontinued automatic printing and distribution of weaning update, yearling update and yearling summary reports with returned paperwork. Request those documents – free of charge – from the NALF office, or find the information on your secured, members-only portion of the NALF Web site.

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The North American Limousin Junior Association (NALJA) Board of Directors will gather for its spring meeting April 12–13 in Denver, Colo. NALJA members can contact Cori Harrison to suggest agenda items or share their input via the NALJA member survey in the “Juniors” section of the NALF Web site.

The NALF Board of Directors will gather for its spring meeting April 15–16 in Denver. NALF members can contact any Board member or Kent Andersen in the NALF office to suggest agenda items.

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State and regional association leaders need to keep NALF’s records current by notifying the home office after their elections. Those updates are the basis for the Web site’s “State Associations” section, and they ensure all information – including that regarding cooperative marketing, junior activities and news releases – gets to the correct contact people. If you do not have one, request an update form from Lorrie Taylor in the NALF office.

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The winter issue of NALJA News mailed with a notice requesting payment of the 2008 junior activity fee. All revenue generated from the activity fee goes directly to NALJA to help fund its programs, services and events. The $15 fee is due Saturday, March 15. NALJA members who do not pay by that date will incur an additional $15 late fee ($30 total due).

Submit your activity fee promptly to ensure you can take advantage of all NALJA programs and services in the new year. It also is required for you to enter and participate in the regional and national junior shows next summer.

Juniors, if you did not receive your newsletter and fee notice, contact the NALF office.

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Juniors, if you enjoy working with other youth in the beef industry, NALJA has an opportunity for you on its board of directors. All NALJA members 17 years or older are eligible to apply for a director position provided they will not turn 23 during the two-year term. Visit the “Juniors” section of the NALF Web site or contact Kate Maher in the NALF office for more information and an application. NALF must receive applications by May 15.

Leonard Wulf’s support for junior Limousin programs lives on through the Leonard and Vi Wulf NALJA Scholarship. The prestigious $500 scholarship is announced during the annual NALJA awards banquet at the National Junior Limousin Show and Congress (NJLSC). All active NALJA members entering their freshman or sophomore years at four-year academic institutions and majoring in animal science or closely related fields may apply. For more information and applications, visit the “Juniors” Web page or contact Maher. The application deadline is May 15.

Hands-on experience with Limousin cattle, proven excellence in Limousin activities and leadership, and the ability to set and achieve worthy goals could earn Awards of Excellence for up to three NALJA members. The $750 awards are presented each year at the NJLSC. Applicants must have been 19–21 years old on Jan. 1, 2008, and be in good standing with NALJA. They also must be active in some segment of the beef industry or enrolled in an agricultural major in college. Previous recipients may not reapply. Applications – available from the “Juniors” section of the NALF Web site or the home office – are due to Maher by May 15.

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NALJA members have until May 15 to apply for scholarships and grants from the Limi Boosters, which is giving two $500 scholarships and one $500 grant. Anyone with questions should contact Susan Carmichael at (859) 328-7355 or Norma Davis at (325) 784-5071.

State grant applications also are due to the Limi Boosters by May 15. Those grants are available to state associations to help defer the cost of state junior events. Contact Carmichael with questions.

All Limi Boosters applications are available in the “Programs” and “Juniors” sections of the NALF Web site.

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The annual member service plan will save money for those likely to register three or more calves this year. If you are not sure if you are current with your fees, call the NALF office. You can pay the annual fee when you submit registrations; simply indicate part of the payment is for member services. Participation provides access to the members-only portion of the NALF Web site (which offers a host of data-submission and animal-information services) and copies of the quarterly Bottom Line newsletter for you and your customers.

While you are checking on your service-plan status, also ask about participating in the voluntary commercial marketing checkoff. In that program, NALF automatically bills a $4 per head fee to participating member accounts when animals are registered. You may change your checkoff-enrollment status at any time.

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Posters featuring the “Fight Fat, Flat & 4s” message are available free of charge from the NALF office. They offer space for your own information and are great to hang at the local auction market and livestock events. To request yours, contact Erica Clark in the NALF office.

A new, more affordable line of farm signs, vehicle magnets, banners and short-term signage is available via the “Promotional Merchandise” section of the NALF Web site. You also can order personalized, full-color business cards. Contact Brad Parker or Mary Zilk in the NALF office to place your customized orders.

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NALF has issued the following news release since the last issue of Partners:

• March 11 – Efficiency Through Selection, Mating Strategies Can Combat Higher Costs

Limousin news releases are archived in the Web site’s “What’s New” section. NALF encourages its members to share them with their local news outlets.

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March 14–15 • Ohio Beef Expo Limousin Show & Sale, Columbus, OH
March 14 • Schott Limousin Ranch 25th Annual Bull Sale, Mobridge, SD
March 15 • Dakota Connection Annual Sale, Bismarck, ND
March 15 • Pinegar Limousin Herdbuilder XIV Sale, Springfield, MO
March 15 • Highland Stock Farms Bull Sale, High River, AB
March 16 • Green Springs Bull Test, Nevada, MO
March 17 • Hager Cattle Co. Bull Sale, Bismarck, ND
March 18 • Potterosa Limousin Farms Progress Thru Performance Sale, Redwood Falls, MN
March 20 • Great Northern Bull Sale, Glasgow, MT
March 22 • Lakeview Farms Annual Club Calf Sale, Arab, AL
March 28 • Wulf Limousin Farms Opportunity Sale of 2008, Morris, MN
March 28 • Pennsylvania Bull Test Sale, Rock Springs, PA
March 29 • GrandView Farms & Guests Production Sale, Mount Sterling, KY
March 30 • Magness Land & Cattle Limousin & Lim‑Flex Bull Sale, Miami, OK
March 30 • East Central Limousin Spring Sale, Seminole, OK
March 30 • Missouri 2008 Showcase Sale, Springfield, MO
April 1 • Peterson’s L7 Bar Limousin 30th Annual Production Sale, Pukwana, SD
April 5 • Counsil Family Limousin Production Sale, Welch, OK
April 5 • Georgia Beef Expo Limousin Sale, Perry, GA
April 6 • Kansas Limousin Breeders 16th Annual Sale, Salina, KS
April 7 • Bullis Creek Ranch Generations of Predictability 8 Sale, Burwell, NE
April 7 • Coleman Limousin Ranch 30th Annual Production Sale, Missoula, MT
April 12–13 • West Virginia Beef Expo Limousin Show & Sale, Weston, WV
April 12 • ROM’N Limousin Annual Bull Sale, Madison, SD
April 12 • Edwards Limousin Annual Bull Sale, Craik, SK
April 12 • Beef Business Bull Sale, Stanford, KY
April 13 • The Blue Ribbon Sale, Seminole, OK
April 13 • Berti Limousin Spring Turnout IV Sale, Sullivan, MO
April 18 • Virginia Beef Expo Limousin Sale, Harrisonburg, VA
April 19 • TLA’s Texas’ Best Limousin Sale, Decatur, TX
April 19 • Win Vue Limousin Farms Production Sale, Bulls Gap, TN
April 19 • Kentucky Limousin Ass’n Sale, Richmond, KY
April 20 • Great American Pie Limousin Sale, Lebanon, MO
April 22 • Bar JZ Ranches 56th Annual Bull Sale, Highmore, SD
April 26 • Deer Valley Farm Spring Production Sale, Fayetteville, TN
April 26 • O’Brien Farms Horse Sale, Carthage, MO