April 13, 2007

In this issue …
11 days until Board meeting
Association updates, MOE petitions due soon
Next up for LIMS: Spring heifer exposure, fall progeny reporting
Submit yearling data online or on paper
Plan ahead for successful contemporary groupings
Breed composition expressed in prefixes
AI sires, ET donor dams need parent verifications
Tips for polled, color tests
Consider routine DNA sampling
‘Seal the deal’ with proper transfers
Send AALF entries to ACS
Enter regional shows by May 1
Summer NALJA News hits mailboxes
Show Committee seeks new judges
‘40 Years of Innovation’ is theme of BIF conference
What’s news?
Limousin sales, events

The North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) Board of Directors will gather for its spring meeting April 24–26 in Denver, Colo. NALF members can contact any Board member or Kent Andersen in the NALF office to suggest agenda items.

In addition, the North American Limousin Junior Association (NALJA) Board of Directors is meeting today and tomorrow in Kansas City, Mo. NALJA members can contact Rachel Wulf to suggest agenda items or share their input via the NALJA member survey in the “Juniors” section of the NALF Web site.

[back to top]

State and regional Limousin associations need to keep NALF’s records current by notifying the office when they select new leaders. That is the only way to ensure all information – including that regarding cooperative marketing efforts, junior activities and news releases – gets to the correct contact people. Those updates also are the basis for the NALF Web site’s “State Associations” section. Association leaders who received information-update forms in mid-February need to complete and return them to Lorrie Taylor in the NALF office as soon as possible.

State and regional associations also can petition NALF for permission to host a Medal of Excellence (MOE) show. Association leaders have received petition forms, rules and approved-judges lists. If there is a local or state show you would like counted for MOE points, submit the petition form – which is available in the “Programs” section of the NALF Web site – by June 15. Direct MOE questions to Taylor.

[back to top]

NALF will produce online yearling-heifer-exposure inventories for the spring-calving herds in the Limousin Inventory Management System (LIMS) beginning May 15. Breeders will have until Aug. 15 to volunteer exposure data for evaluating genetic differences in heifer pregnancy.

LIMS – including its optional system for collecting heifer exposure and pregnancy data – is one of several projects the NALF Board approved in response to the Limousin Visions Symposium. The symposium’s breed-improvement initiatives will help Limousin breeders further enhance genetic merit for grade, growth, fertility and docility.

The symposium identified heifer pregnancy as a high-priority trait for data collection and genetic evaluation, and NALF strongly encourages LIMS participants to report exposure data.

To prevent NALF from marking fall-calving cows in their inventories as “inactive,” LIMS participants also must report at least one of the following for each of those cows by July 15:

• a calf record;
• a reason for no progeny reported; or
• a reason for disposal (for cows removed from the herd).

A tool in the LIMS section of the secured, members-only portion of the NALF Web site is available to help accomplish that task. Members can access the tool by logging into the member site, clicking the LIMS button near the top of any screen, then selecting “No Progeny Reporting.”

[back to top]

Use NALF’s online recording tools (available through the secured, members-only portion of the Web site) or free, preprinted forms for timely reporting of birth, weaning and yearling data. Take the time to enter this spring’s yearling data immediately, and include all heifers (not just those selected for replacements), yearling bulls and steers.

As highlighted at the Limousin Visions Symposium, commercial cattle producers want information about identification (ID); breed composition; color; horn status; expected progeny differences (EPDs), including accuracies, percentile rankings and breed averages; weights; frame score; scrotal circumference or pelvic area; ultrasound data and ratios; and feeding-test results. Reporting data to NALF helps your association help you address those desires.

The deadline to submit data for the next International Limousin Genetic Evaluation is June 15.

When submitting data online, never use your browser’s “Back” button. That can corrupt your data, requiring you to restart your entries completely. If you want to view another page of animals, use the “Prev” and “Next” links at the top or bottom of the page.

To move quickly through your inventory while registering animals, use the “Find Dam Now” tool, which is in the middle of the page – just above your inventory. It allows you to work through your calving records one cow at a time, and it will bring the dam’s record to the top of the page.

If you are experiencing frequent internal server errors while you are on your member site, some settings changes in your Web browser might help.

• Add www.nalf.org to your list of trusted sites.
• Set your browser to check for newer versions of stored pages on every visit.

Restart your browser after making those settings changes to ensure they take effect. If the errors continue, send an e‑mail message to webmaster@nalf.org that includes the date and time of the error and what you were doing.

Remember, you must screen for errors before you will be allowed to submit data. If you do not go through that process, NALF will not receive your data. Once you have resolved all errors, click the “Submit to NALF Now” button, then accept the terms and conditions. Your data is not sent otherwise.

[back to top]

To do a better job of serving commercial customers, Limousin breeders must continue to prioritize producing cattle with documented quality and predictability. Consider the following points when developing a more comprehensive performance program for your herd.

• A contemporary group includes calves of the same sex and percentage-blood category, born within 90 days of one another, that you managed together. Designate contemporary groups using “creep” and “no creep” codes and breeder-management codes when submitting performance data so it will contribute to the calculation of EPDs. Obtaining valid comparisons between animals in a group is essential to formulating reliable EPDs.
• You should weigh and evaluate all calves in a weaning group on the same day, when the youngest calf is at least 160 days old and the oldest calf is not older than 250 days. You must take yearling weights and other yearling information at least 140 days after weaning and when the animals are between 330 and 450 days of age. Use the date-calculation wheel and instructions provided in your NALF Members Manual. If there is a 90-day age range among cattle in a given group, there is only one possible date to collect weaning data and keep all of the animals in a contemporary group.

Find more tips in the “Successful Performance Program” section of the sire summary.

[back to top]

As you buy and sell animals this spring, do not forget that the first two letters of the prefixes on NALF registration numbers help customers understand registered breed compositions, or “NALF percent” Limousin. (For a discussion of “NALF percent” versus “actual percent,” refer to the “NALF Line” column in the April Limousin World magazine.

The letters F and M appended to those prefixes indicate “female” and “male,” respectively.

For an animal’s genotypes for coat color or horn status, check the “Animal EPD Search” tool on the NALF Web site or call the home office.

[back to top]

Remember the DNA-typing rules for all artificial-insemination (AI) sires.

• Sires born after Jan. 1, 2001, must have a DNA type on file and be parent-verified through either DNA- or blood-typing. If blood-typing is used, sires must have both DNA and blood types on file for their offspring to be eligible for registry.
• Sires born after Jan. 1, 2002, must have a DNA type on file and be parent-verified via DNA-typing, except in cases where a parent is dead and no sample is available for testing. Blood-typing then may be used.

All AI sires also must have protoporphyria (“proto”) genotypes on file at the NALF office. Offspring of an untested AI sire are ineligible for registration until testing determines his genotype.

Breeders must DNA-type and sire-verify donor dams before embryo-transfer (ET) calves can be parent-verified and registered. Before collecting and mailing samples from ET calves to MMI Genomics, contact the NALF office to verify the sires and dams have the proper tests and to obtain the case numbers, which also are available through the “Animal EPD Search” tool on the NALF Web site.

Note that MMI Genomics can run parentage, coat-color and polled tests for a single animal from one FTA card.

[back to top]

To ensure you receive results for coat-color and polled tests as quickly as possible, follow a few simple instructions.

• Provide your complete member name, address and member number on the sample-submission form.
• Use the complete registration number and tattoo exactly as they appear on NALF paperwork.
• Print all information clearly.

MMI Genomics runs color and polled tests every week. Samples must arrive at the laboratory by Tuesday to be included in that week’s testing. Results generally are available by Thursday of the next week.

The laboratory also is offering bundle and volume discounts. Bundle pricing for polled and color tests for the same animal is $132 – a nearly 10 percent savings. Breeders must request both tests when they submit samples to qualify for the discount.

When breeders submit 25 or more samples at once for the polled test, they will save $14 per sample. Contact the NALF office for information about additional savings when submitting 50 or more samples at once.

Order sampling kits and instructions or request complete information about the MMI Genomics Breed-Tru™ tests from the NALF office.

[back to top]

Breeders who sell animals that eventually might be used for AI or embryo transfer (ET) should consider collecting DNA samples for them first. Oftentimes, after a breeder sells a bull or cow, the buyer collects semen or eggs; but the proper DNA tests never were done. Then the sire, dam or purchased animal itself is dead or sold by the time the buyer tries to obtain parent verification.

Given the ease of collecting DNA samples on FTA cards and the fact samples can be stored unrefrigerated long-term, it just makes sense for serious seedstock producers to develop DNA-sampling protocols for those animals that are likely to be propagated widely.

[back to top]

Transfers are the lifeblood of NALF’s commercial programs. They provide the association with contact information for Limousin users so it can keep breed information before them throughout the year in the Bottom Line newsletter, Limousin World commercial cattleman’s issue and other vehicles. The success of the LimMark tagging program also depends upon properly transferred bulls.

Submit your transfers in a timely fashion so NALF can add value to your seedstock sales, and include the buyer’s full name and address on the transfer application. LIMS participants, remember the first transfers of progeny from your enrolled cows are free.

[back to top]

The All-American Limousin Futurity (AALF) will be Friday, July 27, in West Monroe, La., in conjunction with the National Junior Limousin Show and Congress (NJLSC). In addition to the traditional Limousin open show, which is one of NALF’s four major Medal of Excellence (MOE) shows, this year’s event will include the fourth annual Lim‑Flex® show and the second annual special fullblood show.

The April issue of the Limousin World included the AALF entry form, or breeders may request one by contacting American Cattle Services (ACS) at (580) 597-3006. Entry forms and fees are due to ACS by May 15. Juniors, take note: Entry in the NJLSC does not enter you automatically in any of the AALF shows.

[back to top]

The Southeast Summer Classic (SSC) opens June 14 this year, and the Western Limousin Exposition (WLE) opens the next day. For the second year, the WLE will be in Klamath Falls, Ore.; and the Southeastern Limousin Breeders Association (SELBA) again will host the SSC in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Entries for both Medal of Excellence (MOE) shows are due to NALF by May 1. For more information and entry forms, see the “Programs” section of the NALF Web site. Dave Berry, (360) 871-3642, is the regional contact for the WLE. Jonathan Perry, (931) 433-1895, is the regional contact for the SSC.

In addition, the Heartland Limousin Association will host this year’s Heartland Regional Junior Limousin Show in Spencer, Iowa, June 8–9. Those entries also are due to NALF by May 1. For more information, contact Dean Summerbell, (612) 963-3799.

[back to top]

Important rules and entry information for this summer’s national and regional junior Limousin shows are included in the summer 2007 NALJA News, which should be appearing in mailboxes now. Read all of the rules thoroughly because there have been some changes, and carefully review the entry deadlines.

In particular, note that only registered animals are eligible for the regional and national junior steer shows. They must be at least halfblood Limousin and from a registered Limousin sire or dam. If a non-Limousin parent is registered with its respective breed association, the steer still is likely to be eligible for registration. Contact Kate Kusma in the NALF office with questions.

A printable version of the complete newsletter is available in the “Juniors” section of the NALF Web site, which also includes the following features:

• NALJA Board of Directors information and application;
• NALJA Awards of Excellence application;
• Leonard and Vi Wulf Scholarship application; and
• Limi Boosters scholarship and grant applications.

All NALJA members 17 years or older are eligible to apply for a position on the association’s board of directors provided they will not turn 23 during the two-year term. All active NALJA members entering their freshman or sophomore years at four-year academic institutions and majoring in animal science or closely related fields may apply for the prestigious $500 Leonard and Vi Wulf Scholarship. Applicants for the $750 Awards of Excellence must have been 19–21 years old on Jan. 1, be in good standing with NALJA, and be active in some segment of the beef industry or enrolled in an agricultural major in college (previous recipients may not reapply).

Contact Kusma for more information. NALF must receive all applications by May 15.

[back to top]

The NALF Show Committee will accept nominations for the approved-judges list until June 30. Active annual and lifetime members can send them to Lorrie Taylor in the NALF office via mail, fax or e‑mail. Provide your member number or herd prefix and the nominee’s address and phone number. The Show Committee will vote on the nominees at its July meeting, which will be in conjunction with the NJLSC.

[back to top]

The 2007 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Annual Research Symposium and Meeting is June 6–9 at the Hilton Fort Collins in Fort Collins, Colo.

BIF was founded 40 years ago as a means to standardize programs and methodology and to create greater awareness, acceptance and usage of beef cattle performance concepts. This year’s meeting features opportunities for producer input on guiding the future of genetic evaluation and improvement of the U.S. beef herd and for learning about the field’s latest research findings and progress.

The meeting begins June 6 with a National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) symposium examining “40 Years of Beef AI.” The June 7 session begins at 8 a.m. with a look at BIF history before moving into the day’s focus of “Performance Programs at a Crossroads.”

The morning program on June 8 will follow the theme “Challenges to Conventional Wisdom.” Lunch and committee meetings will make up the afternoon program.

To learn more about the conference agenda and registration, visit the BIF Web site.

[back to top]

NALF has issued the following news release since the last issue of Partners:

• March 30 – NALF Plans Free Webcasts for Members

Limousin news releases are archived in the Web site’s “What’s New” section. NALF encourages its members to share them with their local news outlets.

[back to top]

April 13–14 – West Virginia Beef Expo Limousin Show and Sale, Weston, WV
April 14 – ROM’N Limousin Annual Bull Sale, Madison, SD
April 14 – O’Brien Farms Annual Bull Sale, Jane, MO
April 14 – Minerich Land and Cattle Co. Annual Spring Bull Sale, Richmond, KY
April 15 – Willard Kauffman Limousin Sale, Collins, MO
April 20 – May Farms 25th Annual Bull Sale, La Junta, CO
April 20 – Virginia Beef Expo Limousin Sale, Harrisonburg, VA
April 21 – TLA’s Texas Best Limousin Sale, Decatur, TX
April 21 – Ninth Annual First Class Production Sale, Shawnee, OK
April 22 – American Pie Sale, Lebanon, MO
April 24 – Bar JZ Ranches 56th Annual Bull Sale, Highmore, SD
April 28 – First Pride of the Pasture Bull Sale, Omemee, ON
May 5 – Lamborn–Heldermon–Douglas Annual Limousin Production Sale, Mounds, OK
May 12 – Fourth Annual All-Homozygous Limousin Sale and Milam Cattle Co. Mature Cow Herd Dispersion, Wellsville, KS
May 12 – 15th Annual Ohio Valley Limousin Ass’n Sale, Mineral Wells, WV
May 19 – Kervin–Hall–Coyote Hills Annual Limousin Female Sale, Chattanooga, OK
May 26 – Southern Exchange Sale, Harrodsburg, KY