www.NALF.org

North American
   Limousin Foundation
Suite 100
7383 S. Alton Way
Centennial, CO  80112

(303) 220-1693
fax: (303) 220-1884

While most breeds of beef cattle would love for cattlemen to believethey are the answer, the fact is one breed cannot be all things to allpeople. Each of the more than 50 breeds currently in North America havedistinct advantages and disadvantages. However, some breeds aredefinitely in a better position than others when it comes to serving ina variety of roles within our complex beef industry.The Limousin breed for instance, can't lay claim to having the highestmilk output or the most pounds of weaning growth. What the Limousinbreed can do is pack a multitude of economically relevant traits into asingle package, while keeping the balance and flexibility needed tosucceed in the beef industry of the future. A claim very few otherbreeds can substantiate. Let's count the ways.

Calving-ease - Without a doubt, calving-ease is one of the traits uponwhich the Limousin breed was founded on this continent. Relative togrowth, the Limousin breed remains a calving-ease leader. What's more,genetic trends indicate that as a whole, the Limousin breed hasincreased weaning and yearling growth while keeping its advantages incalving-ease. Which is important because any cattleman will tell you acalf born dead doesn't weigh much at weaning.

Calf Vigor - Once calves are safely on the ground, the main objectivebecomes growth. Limousin-influenced calves are born easily and hit theground ready to nurse and begin growing. Cattlemen the world over havecommented about how much their Limousin-sired calves develop in thefirst 30 to 60 days.

Uniformity - Go to any sale barn in the country and you'll see just howimportant uniformity is. Limousin genetics are both non-spotter andnon-diluter, resulting in no spots, no grays, etc. Whether its red orblack, Limousin-influenced cattle provide the solid color patternbuyers look for.

Feed Efficiency - Feedyard managers and owners of Limousin-fed cattle canattest to the advantages in feed efficiency inherent toLimousin-influenced cattle. Limousin's advantages in feed conversioncome as a result of lower levels of feed consumption coupled withcomparable or higher levels of lean, dressed carcass weight and retailyield. Simply stated, unless you are selling feed, it's not how muchfeed is consumed, it's how efficiently that feed is converted to poundsof red meat. Table 1 evaluated the efficiency of post-weaning gain ofthe steer progeny of pure breeds of cows when fed to different marketendpoints. Limousin was the most efficient at three of the fourendpoints.

Red Meat Yield - While dressing percentage can be misleading (fat countstoo), Limousin is recognized as an industry leader when it comes toyielding the most saleable red meat. Table 2 shows the Limousinadvantage, both in terms of dressing percentage and percent retailproduct, while maintaining sensible carcass weights and ribeye areas.With the implementation of instrument grading to more closely predictyield grade, and with the growing popularity of case-ready beef, manyindustry experts predict more emphasis and larger premiums will beplaced on red meat yield in the near future.The Limousin advantage in feed efficiency combined with their industryleading levels of red meat yield can best be summed in threewords-Muscle Growth Efficiency.

Maternal Efficiency - Many cattlemen currently using percentage Limousinfemales in their herds know just how underrated the Limousin female isin terms of her production capability. When looked at in terms ofbiological efficiency, the Limousin-influenced female under varyingfeed conditions is unsurpassed. Table 3 shows the differences inefficiency of purebred, mature cows bred to have purebred calves, whenlevels of dry matter change. In the five-year study, the Limousinfemales fluctuated the least and finished second in terms ofefficiency, regardless of available feed. When combined withcalving-ease, optimum milk, moderate size and longevity, theLimousin-cross female has a well-earned place in the herds ofcommercial cattlemen.

Market Flexibility - The variety of Limousin genetics found within thebreed allow producers to build products which will fit virtually anymarketing avenue. High percentage Limousin calves fit many of theindustry's lean beef niches, while the percentage Limousin feeder calffits the programs where both grade and yield are rewarded.

Selection - As the third largest beef breed and the largest Continentalbreed in the United States there is strength in numbers. DependableLimousin genetics are available from thousands of reputable firmsaround the country. Additionally, genetics are available for producerswishing to utilize Limousin either as a terminal sire or in a situationwhere females are retained as replacements.

Palatability/Tenderness - Research has shown that marbling has less thana 15% effect on tenderness and palatability. Further research has shownthat while Limousin may lack the high levels of marbling found in otherbreeds, tenderness and palatability of Limousin beef remain at highlevels. This is due to the finer muscle fibers found inLimousin-influenced beef as compared to other breeds. It also explainsthe Colorado State University research which reveals an edge intenderness for Limousin beef. That study, conducted in the mid-'90s,produced data showing Limousin beef in the Select grade was more tenderthan other beef of the same grade. Furthermore, CSU research showedthat Limousin beef was substantially more tender when compared to theresults of the National Beef Tenderness Survey.Given its acceptable levels of tenderness and palatability, in concertwith its low levels of fat and cholesterol relative to many of theother available beef products, Limousin beef is perfectly suited fortoday's health conscious consumer who still demands a good eatingexperience. If fact, several growing branded beef programs featuringlean products rely on Limousin genetics to supply their demands andsatisfy their customers.

NALF Marketing Programs - NALF's commercial marketing program has amyriad of marketing options aimed at helping users of Limousin geneticsgarner a profit for their Limousin-cross calves. DTN, feeder fax andspecial Limousin feeder-calf sales have each proven that substantialpremiums are available when sellers meet up with buyers seekingLimousin genetics.

NALF Genetic Evaluation/Performance and Research Programs - The NorthAmerican Limousin Foundation is a leader in the beef cattle industry interms of both defining and improving the genetic predictability andperformance from conception to consumption. From the generation ofeconomically relevant EPDs, to progeny testing and ultrasounding forcarcass traits, to participating in multi-breed research projects, theLimousin breed's national organization is dedicated to making certainthe breed remains an industry leader.

Serving Capacity - Serving capacity, which is defined as the number ofservices a bull performs in a pasture mating situation, is economicallyimportant for several reasons. First, bulls with high servingcapacities can be placed in higher than normal cow-to-bull ratios andstill produce acceptable pregnancy rates. Second, in single-sirebreeding situations, a bull with a higher serving capacity can generatehigher pregnancy rates in the first 25 days of a 60-day breedingseason. Therefore, using bulls with high serving capacities result inboth, higher pregnancy rates as well as tighter calving seasons.In a study conducted in Australia in the early 1990s, a veterinarianand noted animal reproduction specialist made the statement, "I know ofno other breed with a higher serving capacity than Limousin."This statement has been backed by scores of cattlemen whose Limousinbulls share pastures with bulls of other breeds.Also, relative to semen quality, a noted individual at a reputablesemen company serving all breeds has often commented on how Limousinsemen on the whole exceeds the others in terms of overall semen qualitywith higher numbers of live cells, better motility and morphology.

Longevity - While the majority of the data regarding the longevity ofLimousin bulls and females can be traced back to "cowboy comments"about how long their bulls and females remain active, the Limousinbreed is one of only two breeds to utilize an EPD for Stayability. The Stayability EPD predicts genetic differences in the likelihood thatdaughters will remain in production past six years of age.

Size - Optimum is the key word when it comes to frame size. Two separateresearch projects conducted by the Meat Animal Research Center, showLimousin cattle stack up favorably when compared to the other majorbeef breeds. When actual weights and hip heights were compared amongfemales 2-7 years old, Limousin females weighed less and were smallerin stature than each of the females representing the major Continentalbreeds. In a separate study looking at carcass traits measured in thecooler, Limousin produced larger ribeyes with smaller carcasses ascompared to their Continental counterparts. In addition to havingsmaller carcass weights, the Limousin steers also had lower liveweights which would indicate they were also more moderately sizedindividuals.

Milking Ability - Again, optimum is the key word when discussing milkingability. While the problems associated with low levels of milk areobvious, extremely high levels of milk can be equally detrimental tothe bottom line. Beef females who milk like Holsteins are known to havehigher maintenance requirements, are harder to breed back on schedule,and have more incidence of teat and udder problems, all resulting infemales not as likely to remain in the herd as long as theirmoderate-milking counterparts. Genetic trends for the Limousin breedsuggest that tremendous strides have been made improving milkingability with the biggest increases being seen in the last 10 years.Furthermore, when MARC measured 12-hour milk yield and 200-day milkyield among six of the top 10 beef breeds, Limousin females fit nicelyin the middle of both milking ability categories.

Self-Scrutiny - People within breed circles, as well as those looking infrom the outside, have always said the real strength of the Limousinbreed is its people. In fact, the breed's biggest strength may be thewillingness of Limousin breeders to take a good, honest look at thebreed as a whole, identify both strengths and weaknesses, then vow tomake a unified effort to make improvements where needed. The Limousinbreed arrived in this country 30 years ago with much to offer the beefcattle industry. However, with the good came some bad. But for the last30 years, Limousin seedstock producers have not been shy aboutconfronting those weaknesses head on and then doing something aboutthem. The result is a Limousin animal that has changed for the betterand one somewhat different than what your father or grandfather mightrecall from three decades ago.

The ways in which Limousin can be an integral link in the beefproduction chain are many. Is Limousin the perfect breed? No. There isno such breed. Is there work yet to be done within the breed?Definitely. But, the Limousin breed of today brings a host ofeconomically important traits to the table while avoiding the extremeswhich can rob profit. As a breed, Limousin continues to strive tomaintain its advantages in certain areas while improving upon otherfacets relative to overall profitability. The result is a breed verymuch in balance with the demands of our future beef industry. A breedwhich has the necessary tools to help cattlemen, feeder, packers andretailers generate a profit.