Limousin Visions Quest Round 2 Passes 150-Day Mark

The Limousin-influenced cattle in Visions Quest Round 2 – the North American Limousin Foundation’s (NALF’s) learn-by-doing cattle-feeding and carcass-merit-discovery project – reached the 150-day mark April 27. Their 10-head pens at the Colorado State University (CSU) Agricultural Research, Development and Education Center (ARDEC) north of Fort Collins allow feed-intake measurements for evaluating differences in rate, efficiency and composition of growth.

In the 107 days leading to their ultrasound scanning May 7, the animals gained an average 3.1 pounds per day. The average scan showed 0.36 inch of rump fat, 0.38 inch of rib fat, 14.0 square inches of ribeye and 3.54 percent intramuscular fat (IMF).

By April 23, five purebred Limousin steers and heifers from among the original 311 head had gone to harvest, and they graded 60 percent Choice. The average dressing percentage was 65 percent. They averaged 0.45 inch of backfat, 16.1 square inches of ribeye and Yield Grade (YG) 2.4.

NALF created Visions Quest as follow-up to the Limousin Visions Symposium, which it conducted in December 2004. The feeding project’s primary purpose is to provide an educational experience about retained ownership and to generate critical performance and carcass data for genetic evaluation and ongoing breed improvement.

Visions Quest participants and educational program enrollees continue to receive monthly lessons about such topics as calculating breakevens, the value of preconditioning, risk management, feedlot nutrition, understanding closeout reports, interpreting carcass data, and selecting and crossbreeding for success in target markets.

Attendees at next month’s Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) annual meeting and research symposium in Fort Collins will have a chance to view the cattle during one of the producer tours.

Visions Quest would not be possible without the support of the Limousin breeders and commercial cattle producers who enrolled cattle:

• Running Creek Ranch, Elizabeth, Colo. – 19 head
• Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo. – 25 head
• Ochsner Limousin, Kersey, Colo. – 6 head
• Magness Land and Cattle, Platteville, Colo.– 30 head
• Sennett Cattle Co., Waynetown, Ind. – 10 head
• Logan Hills Limousin, West Harrison, Ind. – 6 head
• Linhart’s Limousin, Leon, Iowa – 17 head
• Morman Trail Farm, Weldon, Iowa – 4 head
• GV Limousin, Garnett, Kan. – 10 head
• Rolf Limousin, Le Roy, Kan. – 3 head
• Liberty Ranch, Plainville, Kan. – 5 head
• Wulf Limousin Farms, Morris, Minn. – 30 head
• Potterosa Limousin Farms, Redwood Falls, Minn. – 14 head
• Coleman’s HC Limousin, Charlo, Mont. – 10 head
• Vaughn Farms, Cavalier, N.D. – 5 head
• Rocking S Limousin, McLeod, N.D. – 5 head
• Circle JC Cattle Ranch, Nowata, Okla. – 2 head
• Silver Top Ranch, Seminole, Okla. – 4 head
• Express Ranches, Yukon, Okla. – 20 head
• Schott Limousin Ranch, McLaughlin, S.D. – 7 head
• Lawrence Family Limousin, Anton, Texas – 7 head
• Jerry Henderson Cattle Co., Jacksboro, Texas – 40 head
• E. Dee Johnson, Krum, Texas – 8 head
• Parkinson Cattle Co., Levelland, Texas – 2 head
• Kassidy Chapman, Spade, Texas – 2 head
• Millerberg Limousin, Draper, Utah – 10 head
• Spring Creeks Cattle Co., Wauzeka, Wis. – 10 head

The NALF Board of Directors approved Visions Quest Round 3 at its April 26 meeting. Enrollments for that feeding-and-harvest trial are due Sept. 1, and NALF staff members will attempt to coordinate trucking so the cattle arrive at ARDEC between Nov. 1 and 15. For more information, contact Bo Sexson, NALF director of commercial programs, at bo@nalf.org or (303) 220-1693.

The North American Limousin Foundation (www.nalf.org), headquartered in Centennial, Colo., provides programs and services – including genetic evaluation of 5,000 active sires – to nearly 4,000 members and their commercial customers. The Limousin breed and its Lim‑Flex® hybrid lead the beef industry in muscle-growth efficiency and ideally complement British breeds.

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