EXECUTIVE SUMMARY by Mark Anderson Executive Director North American Limousin Foundation
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PDs have never looked better for the Limousin breed thanks to the dedication and commitment of members. Adjustments have been made with various inputs such as work order 1 at IGS and updated USMARC data, yet the vast improvement to EPDs has been achieved by exceptional matings made by NALF breeders. Vigorous usage of genomics is apparent, not only on AI sires, herd bulls, and donor dams but additionally, many members are taking advantage of the LimVision cowherd project. This is allowing breeders to make rapid trait improvement in short order. Those looking to market seedstock to the commercial cattle operator are not only improving their genetics, but also possess the power of increased accuracies of their EPDs as well. The recent large submission of carcass phenotypes, in combination with the previously mentioned advancements offer the opportunity to make rapid genetic progress for the serious Limousin seedstock breeder. Members have until the end of this calendar year to participate in the LimVision cowherd project to genomically-enhance their cow herds at the discounted rate offered by Neogen. If you have interest in participating and are a member of the LIMS whole herd program, you can contact Alison or Tammy at the NALF office. At the time of this writing, the bull sale season has started off extremely well throughout the country with averages exceeding last year, substantially in some sales. The opportunity and incentive to utilize Limousin and Lim-Flex® genetics in a crossbreeding program for commercial cow/calf operators has never had more traction that it does today. When the breed switched its National Cattle Evaluation to IGS a few years ago, it became very apparent to the industry what Limousin breeders have known for quite some time. The Limousin breed offers the ability to make superior females with a solid set of maternal traits that can benefit the beef industry as a whole. This fact, combined with superior feed performance and carcass traits, should make Limousin cattle an evident choice to utilize in commercial crossbreeding programs. It is advantageous to benefit from the power of heterosis in a crossbreeding program, yet it goes to a whole other level when the cross is made with cattle that have a superior and well balanced EPDs. The commercial cow/calf operator desires calving-ease, fertility in the form of an easy-keeping female who delivers progeny that offer extra pounds at weaning time. After that, most want to be producing feeder cattle in high demand for feedlog performance and superior carcass
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traits so they can market “reputation feeder cattle” at a higher price than market average. The end results increases their odds of achieving profitability on an annual basis. The current NALF board sees the improvement made by breeders of both Limousin and Lim-Flex® in recent years. They are intently focused on finding a vehicle and process to update research on our cattle which will hopefully document these advantages through targeted research. The ultimate goal is to attract more demand for Limousin genetics verified by an independent third party. To accomplish this, the board has approved the formation of the North American Limousin Research Foundation, (NALRF). Potential research projects will be funded by a combination of Founders & Contributors in addition to supplemental funding by the North American Limousin Foundation. Research conducted through universities and other entities can be rather expensive, but much of the documented research on Limousin cattle is outdated and not reflective of the kind of cattle breeders are currently producing. The NALF board strongly feels updated research on our cattle is needed to help increase demand and value for member’s cattle. Much of the membership have expressed similar views as well. Data provided through future research will be used to guide breed improvement efforts and inform breed marketing and communication strategies. Initially proposed research at South Dakota State University will focus on analyzing the supposed benefits Limousin and LimFlex® genetics can provide in a crossbreeding program. Updated EPDs and actual harvest data on fed cattle have indicated the high profit potential of utilizing our genetics in and Englishbased cow herd. The ability to make cattle have the power not only to provide more red meat yield in combination but also maintain the Choice quality grade and higher, is of major economic relevance. Cattle producing this kind of quality grade while only laying down 0.3-0.4 backfat with larger ribeyes and carcass weights lead to superior yield grades as well, which enhances profitability for both the feedyard and packing house sectors of the industry. In addition, utilizing Limousin genetics in a crossbreeding program with English-based cows allows feedyards to buy feeder cattle they can project and feed to larger outweights while maintaining feed efficiency resulting in lower cost of gains and provide lower breakevens on fed cattle. This is also a major economic factor when deciding which feeder cattle to purchase, but also to determine how much more one can pay for feeder cattle. The NALF board and members believe Limousin and Lim-Flex® genetics can provide these valuable economic traits to the cattle industry. We just need to document and prove what our EPDs and current harvest data are telling us to help market and convey this
• APRIL 2021
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