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 www.NALF.org North American (303) 220-1693 |
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NALF News The North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) Board of Directors gathered April 15–16 in Denver, Colo. Committee meetings dominated the first day. Marketing-strategy discussions, committee reports and Board actions were the focus on the second day. A summary of approved motions will be available via the NALF Web site’s secured, members-only portion (www.nalf.org/members). The Board’s next meeting will be Aug. 19–20 in Denver. The fiscal year (FY) 2008–2009 budget will be the main topic of discussion. As always, Board members encourage their constituents to suggest agenda items or share thoughts and opinions about current issues facing the breed. See the Board directory in the Limousin World or the “Contact NALF” section of the Web site. To enhance the nominations and voting processes for new directors, the NALF Board approved three bylaws changes in June 2006. They have been in effect on a trial basis ever since. At its April meetings, the Board voted to make those bylaws permanent. The changes modified the structure of the Nominating Committee and created at-large nominations and absentee ballots. To improve online marketing opportunities for NALF members and their partners in allied industry, the Board approved minor modifications to the Partners and NALF.org sponsorship programs. Starting Sept. 1, single-issue Partners sponsorships will sell for $75 each on a first-come, first-served basis. Three sponsorships are available in each issue. For more information, contact Brad Parker in the NALF office. NALF again will offer sponsorship opportunities on its Web site. Beginning Oct. 1, two sponsor spots will be available for three-month blocks, which will sell at auction before the Board meets in August. For more information, contact Parker or Frank Padilla in the NALF office, or use the “Marketing Reach” link on NALF’s home page. During their April meetings, NALF Board and staff members launched the process that will establish a three-year marketing plan. The situation analysis included a general market evaluation; a review of the competition; and an analysis of the breed’s and NALF’s current and future strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The Commercial Marketing and Advertising Committee has continued the process through conference calls and e‑mail correspondence. Those conversations and upcoming surveys to Limousin breeders, current commercial bull buyers and other cattle producers will help guide budgeting priorities for the next four fiscal years. By April 2009, NALF will have redefined its brand image and central marketing messages. All association communications – including (but not limited to) print and radio advertisements, brochures, trade-show graphics, Web sites and newsletters – from fall 2009 through spring 2012 will reflect the outcomes of the planning process now underway. Keep an eye on Partners, the Limousin World and mailings from the NALF office to learn about your opportunities to provide input. Thanks to the loyal support of those who pay their member service fees, NALF has maintained effective breed advertising, increased staff representation at events, developed extensive Web-based tools and offered informational programs. Those who participate in the annual plan may register animals at half the inactive-member rates; enjoy free access to the secured, members-only portion of the NALF Web site; and activate complimentary subscriptions to the Bottom Line newsletter for their bull customers. To generate additional resources for commercial marketing, the NALF Board instituted a voluntary checkoff. NALF automatically bills $4 per head at registration to participating members’ accounts. Enrollment is easy – just mark the space on your member service fee notice. You may change your checkoff-enrollment status at any time by contacting the NALF office. The “State Associations” page on the NALF Web site now reflects the latest officer listings on file with the NALF office. If your state or regional association listing is missing, outdated, incomplete or incorrect, contact Brad Parker in the NALF office. As state and regional associations elect new officers throughout the year, they should share complete contact information for each officer with the NALF office so the Web site and internal mailing lists stay current. NALF encourages all breeders and state associations to take full advantage of the cooperative funds available to help them promote Limousin genetics. The key provision to getting NALF assistance with advertising projects is that they communicate directly to commercial producers. Participating breeder groups and state associations need to develop advertising budgets and schedules and submit the completed forms to NALF by July 25 for priority consideration. For guidelines and application forms, call the NALF office or download them from the Web site. The NALF Show Committee will vote on nominees for the approved-judges list at its July meeting, which will be in conjunction with the National Junior Limousin Show and Congress (NJLSC) in Sioux Falls, S.D. Active annual and lifetime members can send their nominations to Kate Maher in the NALF office via mail, fax or e‑mail. Provide your member number or herd prefix and the nominee’s address and phone number. Sellers usually submit transfer paperwork for sale cattle after the buyers settle their accounts, which normally takes about a month after the sale date. If you need to receive registration papers for specific animals sooner than that, notify the sale managers so they can expedite those transfers. Transfers are quicker and easier with the online tool in the secured, members-only portion of the NALF Web site. Find that link in the “Animal Data Recording” section of your member site’s home page. If you need registration papers for a show, please call the NALF office at least one week beforehand so staff members can assist you. Do not wait any longer than that because they usually need at least three working days to get a new paper to you. The heifer-retention reporting tool is available for Limousin Inventory Management System (LIMS) participants via the secured, members-only portion of the NALF Web site. LIMS participants have until Aug. 15 to report heifer-exposure information. The optional reporting will give NALF the data it needs for genetic evaluation of heifer pregnancy. It also will help ensure active LIMS inventories accurately reflect incoming replacement heifers and eliminate the need to report disposal codes for culled heifers later. NALF members are finding added convenience in using their Visa or MasterCard credit cards to pay for their association paperwork. If you would like to charge all NALF services to your Visa or MasterCard account automatically, contact Mary Zilk in the home office with your NALF member number or herd prefix, credit-card number, and its expiration date. If both of a Limousin animal’s parents have DNA-test results on file indicating they are homozygous-black or homozygous-polled, NALF will note “Homo Black (P)” (“homozygous black by pedigree”) or “Homo Polled (P)” (“homozygous polled by pedigree”), respectively, on its registration certificate. Those designations save NALF members time and money when registering calves from tested-homozygous parents. NALF encourages its members to participate in the Cattle Industry Summer Conference, July 14–19, in Denver, Colo. You do not have to be a National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) member to participate. If you have questions or would like additional information about the conference or NCBA membership, call (303) 694-0305.
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