October 28, 2009

In this issue …
1 name added to ballot
Board proposes election changes
Strategic planning set to begin
Submit data for EPDs by Nov. 15
Save at least $12 per calf by joining LIMS
3,000 feeders now on Limousin Exchange
Some friendly reminders from Member Services
Request barnsheets 2 weeks in advance
DNA profiles supplement phenotypic data
Carcass information always needed
Exhibitors prepare for Royal, NAILE, NWSS
Dec. 1 is important date for national sale consignors
Put breed supporters in the spotlight
Doubletree, Red Lion to play co-hosts in Denver
Trying to contact NALF?
Give Limousin cards, gifts this holiday season
What’s news?
Limousin sales, events

The Nominating Committee has slated Jack Glendenning, Missouri (second term); Richard Hefner, Oklahoma (second term); Jay Straight, Iowa (second term); Chad Settje, Nebraska; and John Tobe, Kentucky, as its candidates for the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) Board of Directors. The at-large nomination process added Kenneth Glazier, Oklahoma, to the ballot. Find all of the candidates’ biographies in the December issue of Limousin World.

Those unable to attend the Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo., (Jan. 11, 2010) may request absentee ballots from the NALF office in writing until Dec. 1. The office will not accept requests after that date. Once members complete and sign their absentee ballots, they will mail them directly to NALF’s official accountant.

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The NALF Board has proposed to amend the organization’s bylaws to count only those ballots that include votes for exactly five candidates. The Board members will vote soon to confirm the amendment. Assuming confirmation, the new bylaw will go into effect for the January 2010 election.

The Board also proposed an amendment that will add a prerequisite to at-large nominations beginning with the next (2011) election cycle. If confirmed, the bylaws will require that all prospective candidates must express their interest to the Nominating Committee by Aug. 15 each year. If the committee does not slate interested persons, supporters then may add their candidates’ names to the ballot via the existing at-large nomination process.

The fall “Members Memo” officially announced both proposals (page 17 of the October Limousin Word). The December magazine and upcoming NALF Partners e‑newsletters will share the results of the confirmation votes.

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NALF Board and staff members will undertake comprehensive strategic planning Dec. 2–3 in Denver. Steve Haines, CEO and founder of the Haines Centre for Strategic Management, will facilitate.

The process will continue during the NALF Annual Meeting, where attendees will have a chance to provide input through round-table discussions, and those unable to attend the meeting will be able to participate at a distance via LimousinLive.com on the Web. A special conference for emerging breed leaders in February will allow for more member input. The Board will finalize the plan in April.

NALF will review, revise and renew the plan annually, and it will be the primary guide for budgeting and spending priorities and other decisions.

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Now is the time to gather critical weaning information, which provides the foundation for weaning-weight, milk and docility expected progeny differences (EPDs). Producers should determine optimal dates for weighing calves so the greatest number are within 160 to 250 days of age for calculating adjusted weights and EPDs. Members with carcass or ultrasound data for groups of pedigreed Limousin or Limousin-influenced cattle are encouraged to submit them, too.

The deadline to submit data for the next International Limousin Genetic Evaluation is Nov. 15. Without breeders’ submissions, an animal’s pedigree page will display many blanks and “N/As,” which detract from marketing efforts. The deadline also is important for producers of Lim‑Flex® progeny from Angus or Red Angus parents that are not in the NALF herdbook yet. Without the data, their EPDs will not be available for winter show programs or spring marketing materials.

To facilitate reporting, preprinted forms are available free of charge by calling the NALF office. Active members also can use the online recording tools. When you use online recording, do not enter and submit one animal at a time. Keep contemporary groups intact by submitting registrations after entering all of the animals.

New EPDs will be available around Jan. 1, 2010. NALF will post the spring sire summary in the “Genetic Evaluation” section of its Web site soon after.

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The voluntary Limousin Inventory Management System (LIMS) helps NALF members lower their costs of doing business with their association. LIMS participants pay an annual fee of $15 per active cow and, in turn, are entitled to record performance for, register and transfer that year’s calf crop. That compares to the least costly registration ($15 for 0–120 days from birth) and transfer ($12 for 0–60 days from sale) of $27 per animal.

Meanwhile, LIMS herds contribute more complete and comprehensive production information that leads to inventory-proven genetics backed by more accurate EPDs.

To enroll in LIMS, access the secured, members-only portion of the NALF Web site. Once you log in, click the LIMS button at the top of any page. From there, you can link memberships and join LIMS. Breeders must enroll spring-calving cows by Feb. 15 and fall-calving cows by July 15 each year.

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At last count, the Limousin Exchange included more than 3,000 feeder steers and heifers – more than triple the number at this time last year. Are your and your customers’ calves among them? Go to the NALF home page, click the Feeder Calf Classifieds link, then follow the directions to list calves for sale. Whether consigning to an auction market or video auction or selling by private treaty, the online classifieds are a free, easy way to help make sure every bidder possible – including Strauss Brands and Laura’s Lean Beef – competes for those high-quality, Limousin-influenced calves.

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• Medal of Excellence (MOE) show coordinators must submit their show results by Dec. 1.
• MOE exhibitors must submit performance data by Dec. 1 to retain their MOE points.
• MMI Genomics closes for several weeks during the holidays so do not wait until the last minute for DNA, polled or coat-color tests.

Direct questions about those matters to Kate Maher in the NALF office.

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Order barnsheets from the NALF office at least two weeks before your ultrasound-scanning sessions. A barnsheet is a preprinted form, provided free of charge, that lists all of the animals you intend to scan. It gives identification (ID) information for each animal and has blank spaces to record weight and management data chuteside. The ultrasound laboratories require barnsheets to process scan data; hence, failure to obtain them before your scanning sessions can result in processing delays.

Keep the following things in mind, too.

• Thoroughly check the ultrasound summary report you receive from NALF. Occasionally, the ultrasound laboratories will return results to NALF with incorrect animal IDs or missing scan data.
• The acceptable age range for scanning is 300 to 450 days.
• NALF cannot provide adjustments, ratios and EPDs for animals that are not in the NALF herdbook (either registered or recorded for performance only).
• NALF cannot provide adjustments and ratios for animals with missing weaning dates and weights because the calculation process uses that information.
• For NALF to use an animal’s ultrasound data in the computation of its carcass EPDs, the animal must be in a contemporary group with at least one other animal. NALF forms ultrasound contemporary groups using an animal’s yearling contemporary group (or weaning contemporary group if yearling information has not been recorded), plus scan-lot date and scan-management code.

For additional information regarding ultrasound, refer to the Guide to Ultrasound.

To request barnsheets, call the NALF office.

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As you begin thinking about collecting ultrasound data this fall and winter, also consider testing your cattle for the Igenity® DNA profile. It includes information about carcass traits, such as marbling, quality grade, yield grade, fat thickness and ribeye area. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and several different universities discovered the markers in Igenity’s carcass tests, and the National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium (NBCEC) independently validated them.

Because DNA-marker tests explain only part of the genetic variability for a given trait, they never should be used as a replacement for phenotypic data collection; however, they can be used to supplement phenotypic data in EPD computations.

For example, the American Angus Association and Igenity recently announced the introduction of genome-enhanced EPDs for carcass traits. Combining an Angus-specific DNA profile with traditional carcass and ultrasound data will result in EPDs with higher accuracies. That will be especially helpful in evaluations of young bulls because they now will have accuracies that previously were possible only after they had several progeny with carcass and ultrasound data.

To keep Limousin and Lim‑Flex breeders on the cutting edge of genetic technology, NALF strongly recommends collecting both ultrasound and Igenity profile data. For more information about ultrasound or the Igenity profile, visit the “Genetic Evaluation” section of the NALF Web site, or contact Lauren Hyde in the NALF office.

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To remain competitive with other breeds, NALF must expand its carcass database. Harvest data from sire-identified animals with known birthdates play a vital role in providing high-quality genetic evaluations of carcass traits. Breeders should collect and submit actual carcass data whenever possible, and NALF will process it free of charge. For more information about reporting harvest data, contact Lauren Hyde in the NALF office.

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The Limousin shows at the American Royal in Kansas City, Mo., will start at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, in the Hale Arena. Jirl Buck, Madill, Okla., will sort the junior entries; and Brandon Callis, College Station, Texas, will judge the open show.

The junior show at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Ky., will be Nov. 15, with Tyler Cates, Modoc, Ind., as the judge. The open show will be Nov. 18; and Chris Mullinix, El Dorado, Kan., will officiate.

Check-in for the Hill cattle at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) will be Thursday, Jan. 7, starting at 3 p.m.; and the Yards check-in will begin at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 8. The junior show starts at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10. The sale-cattle parade starts at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11; the sale itself will follow at 6 p.m. The open show will start at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12. The pen and carload shows are Wednesday, Jan. 13, beginning at 8 a.m. Most entries for the NWSS are due Nov. 20.

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American Cattle Services, KK Seedstock Consultants and R&R Marketing Co. are the National Limousin Sale management team. Contact Ken Holloway, (580) 597-3006; Keith Kissee, (804) 353-2220; or Randy Ratliff, (615) 791-8982, to consign cattle. All cattle in the national sale must be parent-verified and protoporphyria-tested before Dec. 1; and all embryo-transfer (ET) calves must be registered, which requires completed parent verification, by Dec. 1. Because MMI Genomics, the parentage-verification laboratory, operates on a limited holiday schedule, it is critical that members submit samples before Nov. 15 to meet the show and sale requirements.

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NALF honors a Commercial Producer of the Year, a Commercial Marketing Booster of the Year and a Limousin Promoter of the Year during the NWSS. Download a new nomination form for each of those awards from the “Programs” section of the NALF Web site, or request copies from the NALF office. This year’s nominations must be on the new (July 2009) forms, and they are due in the NALF office Dec. 4.

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The Doubletree Hotel Denver at 3203 Quebec St. and the Red Lion Hotel Denver Central at 4040 Quebec St. will be the Limousin breed’s co-headquarters during the NWSS. Rooms are available at the Doubletree for $84 per night and at the Red Lion for $76 per night if you mention the “North American Limousin Foundation” when you make your reservations by Dec. 9. A night at the Red Lion also comes with two coupons for the breakfast buffet. Call the Doubletree at (303) 321-3333 or the Red Lion at (303) 321-6666, or use the hyperlinks at the beginning of this paragraph.

The annual “Genetics on Ice” benefit auction will start at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, and the NALF Annual Meeting will start at 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 11. (Check-in begins at 7 a.m.) Both events will be at the Doubletree.

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When you call the NALF office, the automated attendant can help you find the correct information or staff member. In addition, the “Contact NALF” section of the association’s Web site provides staff members’ telephone extensions and e‑mail addresses. It also lists their areas of expertise, other contact instructions for the home office, addresses for the various DNA-testing laboratories and more. You might want to bookmark that page in your Web browser for quick reference in the future.

If you are mailing anything to the NALF office, be sure to use the Centennial street address. The old Englewood post-office (PO) box is closed, and addressing anything to it will prevent delivery.

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Show your Limousin colors to family, friends, colleagues and customers this holiday season. Visit the Boelte-Hall Web site to order Limousin greeting cards. Several designs are available. The proceeds from each order benefit the North American Limousin Junior Association (NALJA).

Also check out the “Promotional Merchandise” section of the NALF Web site. Limousin luggage, farm signs and business cards are some of the great gifts available.

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NALF has issued the following news releases since the last issue of Partners.

• Limousin Exchange Offers Online Marketplace for Feeder Calves, Females, Bulls
• Beef Industry Needs More Feed-Efficiency Data

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.

Also visit that page to watch the Cattlemen to Cattlemen interview with NALF Executive Vice President Bob Hough, Ph.D.

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Oct. 29 • Limousin-Influenced Feeder-Calf Sale, Centennial Livestock, Fort Collins, CO
Oct. 29 • Limousin-Influenced Feeder-Calf Sale, Napoleon Livestock Auction, Napoleon, ND
Oct. 30 • American Royal Open and Junior Limousin Shows, Kansas City, MO
Oct. 31 • Riverdale Ranch Fall Production Sale, West, MS
Nov. 5 • Limousin-Influenced Feeder-Calf Sale, Missoula Livestock Exchange, Missoula, MT
Nov. 7 • Express Ranches Fast Forward Sale, Yukon, OK
Nov. 8 • Heritage in the Homeland Sale, Seminole, OK
Nov. 8 • Linhart Limousin Fall Harvest Private Treaty Sale, Leon, IA
Nov. 9 • Limousin-Influenced Feeder-Calf Sale, Winter Livestock, La Junta, CO
Nov. 14 • Deer Valley Bull Sale, Fayetteville, TN
Nov. 14 • Heartland Consignment Female Sale, Logan, IA
Nov. 15 • North American Int’l Livestock Expo Junior Limousin Show, Louisville, KY
Nov. 16 • Englewood Farms First Production Sale, Lancaster, KY
Nov. 17 • The Sale in Louisville, Louisville, KY
Nov. 18 • North American Int’l Livestock Expo Open Limousin Show, Louisville, KY
Nov. 21 • Southeastern Classic Limousin Sale, Calhoun, GA
Nov. 26 • Canadian Western Agribition Limousin Open Show, Regina, SK
Nov. 27 • Canadian Western Agribition Limousin Sale, Regina, SK
Nov. 28 • Reynolds Ranch Annual Club Calf Sale, Sanford, CO
Nov. 28 • Bosch Farms Private Treaty Sale, Indianola, IA
Dec. 5 • Etherton Farms Production Sale, Dawson, IL
Dec. 5 • Oklahoma Select Bull Sale, Durant, OK
Dec. 5 • Maternal Building Block Sale, Brush, CO