July 12, 2007

In this issue …
Nominating Committee appointed
Board meeting scheduled for August
NALF to give up PO box
Get in the breed’s corner for VQ Round 3
Data Processing, Performance Programs offer reminders
Fall inventories due Sunday
LIMS participants: Don’t forget progeny reports
MOE rules are online
Before you head to West Monroe …
State associations, breeders should submit plans this month
10 webcasts remain for 2007
Web-site–sponsor bidding starts tomorrow
Steady response to service-fee letters
Futurity to include fullblood workshop
Local promotion made easier
Industry summer conference opens next week
Limousin sales, events

To enhance the nominations and voting processes for new directors, the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) Board of Directors approved three bylaws changes in June 2006 and put them into effect for a one-year trial. At its April meetings, the Board voted to extend that trial through the next election cycle. Ongoing input from NALF members will help evaluate their effectiveness.

NALF President Wendell Geeslin, Platteville, Colo., has appointed the 2007–2008 Nominating Committee:

• Chairman Dave Berry, Port Orchard, Wash., past president;
• Gordon Schuppe, Iliff, Colo., past president;
• Mike Smith, Plainville, Kan., Board member;
• Bob Millerberg, Draper, Utah, Board member;
• Lane McComas, Raphine, Va., at-large member;
• Jim Counsil, Madisonville, Texas, at-large member; and
• Charles Linhart, Leon, Iowa, at-large member.

The committee would like to hear from NALF members about prospective nominees over the next 30 days, and the October issue of Limousin World will include its slate of nominees. The NALF office then must receive signed letters of support for at-large nominees from at least 15 different founding, lifetime or active annual members by Oct. 15. Identification of all nominees by then enables NALF to publicize their candidacies and include their names on the official ballot.

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The NALF Board has scheduled its next meeting for Aug. 21–23 in Denver, Colo. The primary focus will be the fiscal year (FY) 2007–2008 budget. Contact a Board member or Kent Andersen in the NALF office to provide input about any breed issues.

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NALF has decided it is time to phase out its post-office (PO) box and simply use its physical address. Although the association will continue to accept mail there for a while, update your address book now and start using the following.

NORTH AMERICAN LIMOUSIN FOUNDATION
7383 S ALTON WAY STE 100
CENTENNIAL CO  80112-2339

For those who are wondering, no, NALF’s home office has not moved. But instead of being “rural Englewood,” the property now is part of the city of Centennial. While you are erasing the PO box, go ahead and note that change, too.

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NALF is ready for Visions Quest (VQ) Round 3 – another real-world lesson in producing industry-friendly seedstock and feeder cattle. VQ generates data for genetic evaluation and research and demonstrates how Limousin genetics perform in the feedyard and packinghouse.

NALF encourages cooperation among Limousin breeders and their commercial customers to include a diverse sampling of the breed’s bloodlines.

Pen space is limited so NALF suggests enrollment forms arrive well before the Sept. 1 deadline. Participants then must deliver all cattle between Nov. 1 and 15 to the Colorado State University (CSU) research feedyard near Fort Collins. NALF will help coordinate transportation as much as possible, and early enrollment also will facilitate that effort.

The newly updated program guidelines and enrollment form are available in the “Programs” section of the NALF Web site or by contacting Bo Sexson in the NALF office.

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NALF members, do not send payments for any DNA-testing services to MMI Genomics. That causes a lot of trouble for your NALF staff members because the billing for those services is done through the association office.

In April, the NALF Board of Directors voted to increase the fee for “performance only” recordings to $10 per head, effective July 1. The first adjustment to the fee since January 2000 is meant to put performance-only recording on more equitable footing with the Limousin Inventory Management System (LIMS), which encourages reporting all data for all animals all of the time. Breeders still can credit their performance-only fees for unregistered animals recorded with NALF toward later registration.

When NALF members use online registration via the secured, members-only portion of the Web site, it is to their advantage to submit registrations after all animals have been entered rather than one animal at a time. That will help keep contemporary groups intact.

For those participating in a state beef-cattle-improvement tobacco program, make sure you have current expected progeny difference (EPD) profiles for the animals you are interested in purchasing. NALF recalculates EPDs twice a year – in November and June. The new numbers are released in early January and early August, respectively. You can find an animal’s current EPDs on the NALF Web site by clicking the “Animal EPD Search” button at the top of every page, or you can contact the NALF office to request current performance records.

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If you want your fall-born calves to be part of LIMS, you must finalize your fall-cow inventories by Sunday, July 15.

To enroll in LIMS, find the sign-up page by first accessing the secured, members-only portion of the NALF Web site. Once you are logged in to your own member site, click the LIMS button at the top of the page. From there, you can link memberships and join LIMS.

Once you have enrolled in LIMS, you no longer will see the “Join LIMS” icon. Clicking the LIMS button at the top of the member site’s pages will take you directly to your active LIMS pages, where you can update your cow inventory. When doing so, make sure to update the calving season. The fall season runs from July 1 through Dec. 31, and the spring season runs from Jan. 1 through June 30.

Members not enrolled in LIMS still can update their inventories online from the member site’s home page.

Active NALF members have the option of conducting business using the Web-based LIMS. Those choosing to do so will pay an annual fee of $15 per active cow and, in turn, will be entitled to record, register and transfer her calf for that year. LIMS can help NALF members lower their costs of doing business with their association. At the same time, they contribute more complete and comprehensive production information that will lead to EPDs that are more accurate.

A newly updated version of Online Data Recording: A Beginner’s Guide is available via the member site’s home page, or members can request a copy from the NALF office.

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LIMS participants also must report at least one of the following by Sunday, July 15, for each active fall-calving cow in their inventories:

• a calf record,
• a reason for no progeny reported, or
• a disposal code 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. LIMS participants can access the tool by logging in to their member sites, clicking the LIMS button at the top of the screen, then selecting “No Progeny Reporting.”

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The complete rules for the Medal of Excellence (MOE) show program now are posted in the “Programs” section of the NALF Web site. You will find different versions for the major MOE shows, “Level 2” shows and Lim‑Flex® shows.

Also note there are some major changes to the cow-calf classes.

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For those exhibiting at the National Junior Limousin Show and Congress (NJLSC), which will be July 22–27 in West Monroe, La., the NALF office offers some reminders.

• Check tattoos before you leave home. Tattoos must be legible, and re-tattooing will not be allowed.
• Steers must be registered.
• Cattle are not allowed in the barns until noon Sunday, July 22. Show organizers encourage a Sunday arrival if possible because it will be hot in the tie-outs.
• Cattle check-in will begin at 8 a.m. Monday, July 23, and it will go by states. The exact order will be announced at the show.

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NALF encourages all state associations to take full advantage of the funds available to help them promote Limousin genetics through print and radio advertising, direct mail, displays at industry events, and other marketing tactics. The key provision to getting reimbursements from NALF is that the project communicates directly to commercial producers.

Participating state associations need to develop detailed marketing budgets and schedules and submit the completed forms to NALF by Aug. 1. State-coop contacts should have received the 2007–2008 guidelines and application form by now. If not, they should call the NALF office or see the bottom of the “State Associations” page on the NALF Web site.

In addition, groups of two to six breeders can join forces with NALF by applying to be part of the Breeder Cooperative Advertising Program, which is entering its third year. Groups of active breeders can submit applications that specify their desired national advertisements, regional publications and publication dates through Aug. 1 for priority consideration. NALF will have approved advertisements customized with the breeders’ logos or names, Web or e‑mail addresses or phone numbers, and sale dates or private-treaty information if applicable. The home office then will handle all insertion orders and mechanical requirements.

NALF pays 25 percent of the cost for placing the “breeder coop” ads. The cooperating breeders will divide equally the remaining placement costs and all of the customization costs. (The publications will bill NALF, which will bill the members’ accounts in turn.) As a result, breeders can leverage their partnerships into multistate advertising for a fraction of the usual cost. Complete details are in the “Programs” section of the NALF Web site. Contact Brad Parker in the NALF office with questions or to request an application.

Approved at the Board meeting in April, breeder and state coops now have the option of using the NALF trade dress (the red and black bulls) in their approved print advertising.

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NALF is excited to be partnering with DVAuction.com to provide free producer-outreach webcasts. Each will begin at 7 p.m. (Mountain Time).

• Aug. 14 – VQ Round 2 Postharvest (members only; sponsored by Five Star Cattle Systems)
• Aug. 28 – Value-Added Production (sponsored by Bovitrak)
• Sept. 18 – VQ Round 3 Preview (sponsored by Critical Insights)
• Sept. 25 – DNA, Data Collection & Online Recording (members only; sponsored by MMI Genomics)
• Oct. 2 – Breed Improvement (members only; sponsored by Limousin World)
• Oct. 9 – Nutrition
• Nov. 20 – Basic Marketing (members only; sponsored by R&R Marketing Co.)
• Nov. 27 – Advanced Marketing (members only; sponsored by KK Seedstock Consultants)
• Dec. 11 – Crossbreeding Strategies
• Dec. 18 – Bull-Buying Strategies

For more information about the webcasts’ contents, contact Frank Padilla or Bo Sexson in the NALF office.

Find instructions for participating in the webcasts in the “Programs” section of the NALF Web site. For help with registration, contact Brad Parker in the NALF office.

NALF still is securing sponsors. For $1,000 per webcast, a sponsor will get recognition on DVAuction’s home page, in its e‑mailed daily announcement, during the webcast itself, in all advanced publicity and in the related materials archived on the NALF Web site. For more information about a webcast sponsorship, contact Padilla.

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To provide continuous marketing opportunities for its members and their partners in allied industry, NALF is offering sponsorship opportunities on its Web site. Beginning in October, two sponsor spots will be available for four-month blocks, which will sell via a “Country Auction” (similar to eBay) on DVAuction.com. Bidding starts tomorrow, July 13, and ends Aug. 12.

NALF also is accepting sponsors for the Partners e‑newsletter. Starting in September, each issue will offer three sponsor spots. Two-month blocks for each spot will sell for $250 apiece on a “first come, first served” basis.

Complete details concerning all of NALF’s online sponsorship opportunities are available by clicking the “Marketing Reach” link on the association’s home page. Direct questions to Brad Parker in the NALF office.

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Reminders about the 2007–2008 member-service fee went out June 29, and a steady response already has begun. Thanks to the loyal support of those who pay their member-service fees, NALF has maintained breed advertising and staff representation at events while developing extensive Web-based tools and new member-outreach programs.

Those who participate in the annual plan may register animals at half the inactive-member rates; enjoy free access to the secured, members-only portion of the NALF Web site; and activate complimentary subscriptions to the quarterly Bottom Line newsletter for themselves and their bull customers. While those who do not pay this year’s assessment by July 31 will have those benefits suspended, they may reactivate their memberships anytime.

To generate additional resources for commercial marketing, the NALF Board approved a voluntary checkoff. NALF automatically will bill the $4 per head fee to participating member accounts when animals are registered. Enrollment is easy – just mark the space on your member-service–fee notice. You may change your checkoff-enrollment status at any time by contacting the NALF office.

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NALF is planning a special workshop for fullblood breeders in conjunction with the All-American Limousin Futurity (AALF) in West Monroe, La. It tentatively is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, July 26. For more information, contact Frank Padilla in the NALF office.

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Marketing should be a year-round activity to maximize sales, and NALF can help.

Limousin literature, including the latest Bottom Line newsletter, is available upon request and has proven effective in soliciting new customers. NALF also will add your prospective customers to the Bottom Line mailing list if you provide their contact information on a simple form.

Customizable posters, print advertisements and promotional merchandise keep your name before customers throughout the year while increasing the frequency and consistency of the breed’s unified marketing message.

Call the NALF office or visit the “Promotional Merchandise” section of the NALF Web site for more information.

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NALF encourages its members to participate in the Cattle Industry Summer Conference, July 16–20, in Denver, Colo. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has mailed the preregistration brochure to all of its members, but you do not have to be an NCBA member to participate. If you have questions or would like additional information about the conference or NCBA membership, call (303) 694-0305.

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July 13–14 • Georgia Field Day, Athens, GA
July 14 • Tennessee Field Day, Shelbyville, TN
July 22–27 • National Junior Limousin Show and Congress, West Monroe, LA
July 25 • Sale of Sales, West Monroe, LA
July 27 • All-American Limousin Futurity, West Monroe, LA
Aug. 2 • Belldoon Farms All About Females Sale, Iona Station, ON
Aug. 3–5 • Canadian National Junior Show and Annual Convention, London, ON