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 www.NALF.org North American (303) 220-1693 |
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NALF News Limousin check-in at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver, Colo., will begin at 8 a.m. Jan. 11. The Limousin sale parade will start on the Hill at 3 p.m. Jan. 13; and the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) member social and “Genetics on Ice” benefit auction will follow at 6 p.m. in the Doubletree Hotel Denver, 3203 Quebec St. Jan. 14 will see the NALF Annual Meeting, 9 a.m. in the Doubletree; the Limousin junior show, 2 p.m. on the Hill; and the National Limousin Sale, 6 p.m. on the Hill. The Limousin open show begins the next day at 8 a.m. on the Hill. In the Yards, the pen and carload shows begin at 8 a.m. Jan. 16, with the Lim‑Flex® female-pen sale to follow. Magness Land and Cattle and Wulf Limousin Farms will sponsor a complimentary lunch at noon for those show-goers. Rooms are available at the headquarters hotel for $79 per night if you mention the “North American Limousin Foundation” when you call 1‑800-222-TREE to make reservations. Come to the NALF Member Social to see who takes home the 2007 Medal of Excellence (MOE) awards. Call the NALF office by Jan. 8 to reserve your tickets. You also can support the North American Limousin Junior Association (NALJA) and the All-American Limousin Futurity (AALF) at the “Genetics on Ice” benefit auction after the social. The lots will include frozen embryos; semen; National Junior Limousin Show and Congress (NJLSC) shirt, awards and banquet-program sponsorships; ad pages in the NJLSC–AALF souvenir program; new special-services packages from NALF; and many interesting, unique items. For more information, contact Ken Holloway, (580) 597-2419. The Nominating Committee has slated Lance Sennett, Waynetown, Ind. (second term); Jerry Wulf, Morris, Minn. (second term); Mike Hall, San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Brian Skaggs, Lexington, Okla.; and Tom Vaughn, Cavalier, N.D., as its candidates for the NALF Board of Directors. The at-large nomination process did not add any candidates to the ballot; therefore, the committee’s slate stands as the complete list. Find the candidates’ biographies in the December issue of Limousin World. The National Limousin Sale will include the second annual Corner Post Genetics Package. Counsil Family Limousin has donated the headline female. CFLX Cheerleader 002T is a Jan. 9, 2007, daughter of Carrousels Peak Power out of Logan’s Cheerleader 280G, the dam of multitrait leader JCL Lodestar 27L. In addition to the headline female, the package will include free registrations for all of her natural calves; a farm sign; one in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle and a genetic preservation package from Trans Ova Genetics; and insurance from Grassroots Insurance Associates. Once it reaches a suitable principal, the Corner Post Fund will facilitate additional activities and scholarships for Limousin juniors. The Italian association of Limousin breeders invites all NALF members to participate in the 18th International Limousin Conference (ILC), May 20–28. ILC participants will explore some of Italy’s most beautiful places and experience Limousin production amid the country’s history and culture. The Italians are proud to host the event so they can demonstrate the quality of their Limousin cattle and their professionalism as breeders. The ILC will be an opportunity to discuss the breed and its growing success around the world with representatives from many nations. Visit www.anacli.it on the Web for more information and to register. Avoid late fees by registering before Jan. 20. The Breeder Cooperative Advertising Program helps breeders share a cohesive Limousin message across the nation, making the most of their relationships with regional publications. In the program, NALF cost-shares 25 percent of qualifying ad expenses with two to six breeders. Find the program guidelines, application form and qualified ad images on the NALF Web site, or contact Brad Parker in the NALF office. Promote your enterprise by placing a “Breeder Spotlight” advertisement in the Bottom Line newsletter, which mails to more than 11,000 addresses and is a primary piece of promotional literature for the breed. For just $350 per year (four issues), you can speak directly to commercial cattle producers nationwide. Contact Frank Padilla in the NALF office to reserve your space. If you want to add customers or influencers (such as veterinarians, feedyards, auction markets and Extension agents) to the Bottom Line mailing list, share their contact information with the NALF office. Find your future herd sires with the Limousin Exchange Bull Listing Service on the NALF Web site. It features queries and sorts of bulls for sale from a searchable database. Registered animals’ performance and pedigree information is available through the site’s EPD (expected progeny difference) lookup. Enter a registration number, tattoo or name to find the latest data and the owner’s contact information. When used with the online member locator, those tools bring efficiency to finding Limousin and Lim‑Flex bulls. The LimMark tagging program helps Limousin customers identify their cattle and couple reputable genetics with documented information. Only qualified, properly enrolled cattle may wear LimMark tags. Producers first must complete a LimMark agreement and send it to NALF. Guidelines and the enrollment form are on the NALF Web site, or contact Bo Sexson in the NALF office. 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 is a $12 savings over the least costly registration and transfer in the traditional fee structure. LIMS herds commit to annual reporting of either calf information, a reason for no calf or a culling code for every cow. By submitting such complete, comprehensive production information, they contribute to inventory-proven genetics with more accurate EPDs. To enroll, click the “LIMS” button at the top of any page in the Web site’s secured, members-only portion. Breeders must enroll spring-calving cows by Feb. 15 and fall-calving cows by July 15 each year. NALF has free promotional materials that make great decorations and giveaways at shows or sales. To request posters, fliers or any promotional literature, contact Erica Clark in the NALF office. Find other items in the NALF Web site’s merchandise section. Some products – including farm signs, vehicle magnets, adhesive-backed vinyl and business cards – are customizable. When you register embryo-transfer (ET) calves or submit DNA samples, be sure to separate the form’s three copies. Send one copy to the NALF office and one to the laboratory, and keep a copy for your files. If you forget to send a copy to NALF, it is impossible to match samples, which prevents registration. NALF has decided give up its post-office (PO) box and simply use its physical address. The association stopped accepting mail there Dec. 1, 2007, so start using the following: NORTH AMERICAN LIMOUSIN FOUNDATION, 7383 S ALTON WAY STE 100, CENTENNIAL CO 80112-2339. When e‑mailing performance data to NALF, use the edata@nalf.org address. Staff members check that account daily. Other NALF accounts can go unread when staff members are traveling. Cow-inventory birth-report forms are available free of charge from the NALF office. The preprinted sheets include information about all active cows in a member’s herd inventory. To request your forms, call the NALF office. One of the highlights of the 2008 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show in Reno, Nev., will be the third annual National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Political Action Committee (NCBA-PAC) All-Breed Bull Auction. Donating a bull or sale credit to the auction is a great way to publicize your breeding program to an extensive audience of prominent cattle producers. All proceeds will benefit the NCBA-PAC, which helps support congressional candidates who understand and support the cattle industry. To donate a bull or sale credit, contact Lindsay Bowman, (202) 347-0228, by Jan. 4. The auction will be during the trade show welcome reception – 6:30 p.m. PST, Feb. 6. If you are attending the trade show, be sure to visit the NALF representatives in Booth 873.
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