LIMOUSIN RESEARCH PROJECT

Behind the Scenes of Phase One

There has been a ton of excitement over the North American Limousin Research Foundation and the first research project that is underway. Phase one of the NALRF Research project is now complete. 453 head of commercial Angus cows were bred on two separate ranches in Montana in early June via the 7&7 synchronization process. The commercial cows were artificially inseminated to three different contemporary groups of nine sires consisting of Purebred Limousin, LimFlex® and Angus bulls of similar EPD equivalency. NALF Executive Director, Mark Anderson, and DNA Processing & Accounting Assistant, Tammy Anderson, were both very hands-on helping at the ranches and making sure this project was moving in the proper direction. Mark took the time to sit down with Limousin

Media and answer some questions about the research project and gave a behind the scenes look at phase one.

1. What inspired this research project?

Mark: The board saw a need for Limousin to have third party research conducted approximately three years ago. NALF has never, in its 50-year history, had a dedicated research project to document the breed’s progress. The NALF board feels it is high time NALF conducts this independent third party research in order to document not only where the breed is currently at, but also potentially show the advantages of utilizing Limousin genetics in the commercial cattle business. This research should also reflect any potential areas where we may have room for improvement.

2. How much preparation work went into this research project before it began?

Mark: Approximately three years’ worth of background work went into the preparation of this research project. They had around 10 visions committee calls and dedicated discussions at the last nine NALF board meetings over the past three years. It took roughly a year and a half to locate ranches and find cooperators that were in the same geographic location with commercial Angus cows suitable for the project.

3. What was the day-to-day life like working on the ranch during phase one of the project?

Mark: Tammy and myself spent several weeks in Montana assisting with the research project. Each day primarily consisted of getting cattle gathered and facilities set up so we could process and synchronize the cows for not only CIDR insertion but also shots. Over the month-long