The guests of the International Limousin Congress (ILC) had a slower day on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, but still very full. Some of the guests explored Colorado Springs or chatted by the pool. Those not relaxing were attending technical sessions at the Antlers Hotel, Colorado Springs, Colo., with many guest speakers from different aspects of the beef industry here in the United States.
The technical sessions started off with Hannah Garrett, a territorial manager with GeneSeek, a Gold sponsor for the ILC. Hannah grew up on a cattle operation and has worked with feedlots, as well as artificial insemination and embryo technology services. She has a B.S. in animal science from West Texas A&M and has a M.S. in biomedical sciences with a specialization in assisted-reproductive technologies from Colorado State University. Following Hannah was Dr. Butch Whitman, a beef nutritionist with Hubbard Feeds, a division of Alltech, the Title sponsor for the ILC. Dr. Whitman has impacted the beef industry for quite some time with his research relating cow body condition to rebreeding performance, to teaching at Montana State University and serving as a consulting nutritionist since 1989.
Dr. Tonya Amen, a geneticist for North American Limousin Foundation (NALF), was next to speak to our guests. She is contracted through the National Center for Beef Excellence out of Kansas City, Mo. She has done a lot of work in genomic improvement of cattle. Dr. Amen came to discuss NALF’s transition to BOLT single-step genetic evaluations and the use and application it will have for the members. Following Dr. Amen, there was a panel discussion on the success of CAB and branded beef products in the United States and where Limousin cattle fit into that. The panel was moderated by Brett Spader, the CEO for National Center of Beef Excellence (NCBE). Spader began his career as a Field Representative for the Kansas Livestock Association. He took the role of Director of Operations at DVAuction in 2009, and recently was named Executive Director of NCBE.
As lunch concluded, attendees were shuffled back into the conference room to listen to a panel discussion. The first speaker of the panel was Kenny Stauffer, Director of Beef Sales with GeneSeek. Stauffer has had much experience helping grow companies. He was the General Manager of Top Dollar Angus, a genetic certification and marketing company, before recently accepting the position with Neogen GeneSeek. He also helped make Hoot Owl Ranch a multi-million-dollar operation. After Stauffer, Brian Bertelsen, Vice President of Field Operations of U.S. Premium Beef, took the stage. He provides technical service and education to producers regarding genetics, management, nutrition, and carcass data of the cattle they deliver to further develop their beef production system. The final speaker of the panel was Mark Anderson, Executive Director of NALF. Mark has had 25 years of experience managing feedyards and has served as the Executive Director for NALF the last seven years. He talked about NALF’s marketing programs and the use of Limousin genetics in cattle feeding programs.
After the sessions, all the guests traveled to Spruce Mountain Ranch, Larkspur, Colo., to enjoy some great scenery, yard games and a delicious dinner. After the dinner, our sponsors provided us with two more guest speakers. The first was Rick Pfortmiller, Beef Genomics Territory Manager with Neogen GeneSeek. He grew up on a livestock and grain farm in Kansas and has an extensive background in genomic application in the seedstock and commercial cattle sectors. The second guest speaker was Twig Marston with Hubbard Feeds. Marston grew up on a diversified farming and ranching operation in Kansas. He has been very active in the beef industry as a lifelong learner, producer, professor, researcher, promoter, and youth/adult leadership supporter.
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The International Limousin Council is the global organization for Limousin Associations around the world. The main purpose and objectives of the ILC are to network with the world’s elite Limousin breeders while coordinating international research efforts; encouraging uniform recording and registration policies; and to highlight and honor efforts that have been made for the benefit of the Limousin breed on an international and domestic level.
For more information about Limousin and Lim-Flex® cattle and the North American Limousin Foundation programs and services, visit www.nalf.org or contact the NALF office at 303-220-1693.
