 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 www.NALF.org North American (303) 220-1693 |
 |
|
 |
|
Members Memo
The 2007 Annual Meeting of the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) was Jan. 8 at the Doubletree Hotel in Denver, Colo., in conjunction with the National Western Stock Show (NWSS). More than 100 voting members and observers attended. With NALF President Bob Funk of Oklahoma presiding, the main order of business was the Board of Directors election. Nominating Committee Chairman Dave Berry, Washington, presented the committee’s initial slate of five nominees and the two candidates added via the at-large nominations process. NALF members re-elected Bob Millerberg of Utah and Bob Mitchell of Wisconsin to second terms. Jack Glendenning, Missouri; Richard Hefner, Oklahoma; and Jay Straight, Iowa, also won seats on the 2007 Board, which met afterward to elect officers. Wendell Geeslin, Colorado, will serve as president for the coming year, with Millerberg serving as vice president. Lance Sennett, Indiana, will be secretary; and Mitchell will be treasurer. The Board elected Bruce Lawrence, Texas, as the member-at-large on the Executive Committee; and Funk – as immediate past president – will serve as an ex officio member of both the Board and its Executive Committee. The other 2007 Board members are Harley Coleman, Montana; Bob Etherton, Illinois; David Lee, Tennessee; Ed Pinegar, Missouri; Roger Potter, Minnesota; Mike Smith, Kansas; and Jerry Wulf, Minnesota. During the Annual Meeting, Funk presented plaques to retiring Board members Jim Dyer, Texas, and Roger Vorthmann, Iowa. NALF Executive Vice President Kent Andersen, Ph.D., recognized Funk for his service as a Board member and president.
As a precursor to the Annual Meeting, Andersen shared highlights of the 2006 State of the Breed report. The full year-end summary is part of the NALF 2006 Annual Report, which meeting attendees received at check-in. It is in the secured, members-only portion of the NALF Web site (www.nalf.org/members), and active members can request copies from the NALF office at any time. Participants then chose one of three interactive breakout sessions to attend: “Marketing,” “E-Services” or “Lim‑Flex® 101.” Once the Annual Meeting convened, the members approved the minutes of the 2006 meeting and the financial report. While auditors counted the Board election ballots, attendees viewed the Limousin segment of RFD-TV’s The Cattle Show.
Geeslin has appointed the Board members to committees for 2007.
A future “NALF News” column will name the committees’ members-at-large.
Expected progeny differences (EPDs) from the spring 2007 International Limousin Genetic Evaluation are available on the NALF Web site. Users can click the “Sire Selector” link at the top of any NALF Web page to specify EPD-selection criteria in searching all U.S. and Canadian Limousin and Lim‑Flex bulls. The “Find a Pedigree or EPD” link at the left allows them to search for information – including the Mainstream Terminal Index ($MTI) value and DNA-test results, if available – about a particular animal. The new EPDs also are available for bulls and females listed for sale on the Limousin Exchange. The site’s “Programs” section includes the spring 2007 EPD statistics, percentiles and trends; sire summary qualifications; general sire listing; trait leaders; and downloadable sire summary. A printed copy of the sire summary is available for $5 from the NALF office. Active NALF members can view their whole-herd EPDs via the Web site’s secured, members-only section. They also can request EPDs from the NALF office free of charge. New performance records are available for $2 per head or $25 for a whole herd. For those participating in a state beef-cattle-improvement tobacco program, make sure you have the newest EPD profiles for the animals you are interested in purchasing.
The Limousin Exchange Bull Listing Service allows NALF members to list bulls they have for sale in a searchable database on the NALF Web site. Both private-treaty and public-auction sale offerings are included. Potential customers can search for herd-sire prospects by directing their browsers to the NALF Web site and clicking the “Limousin Exchange: Bulls for Sale” link. They then can identify a variety of criteria to obtain information about the bulls that fit their wants and needs. They can sort the results according to specific traits in ascending or descending order. Listing bulls for sale is easy. Breeders can add bulls to the Bull Listing Service using the members-only, secured portion of the NALF Web site. Once logged in, click the “List Bulls for Sale” link. The service is virtually free because NALF credits the $5 listing fees toward bulls’ eventual transfers. In addition, NALF recently activated the “Females for Sale” component of the Limousin Exchange. It works much like the Bull Listing Service.
The 66 lots in this year’s “Genetics on Ice” benefit auction brought in $58,380 to benefit NALJA and the All-American Limousin Futurity (AALF). Thanks to the organizers, contributors and buyers for their generosity. The top-selling lot included five pregnancies or 10 frozen embryos from a mating between KRVN Peppermill 055P and a bull of the buyer’s choice. Kervin Cattle Co. and J&K Cattle Co., both of Louisiana, contributed the item. Trans Ova Genetics, Iowa, will do the embryo-transfer (ET) work. P Bar S Ranch, Oklahoma, made the winning bid of $4,250 for it. For more details, see the Jan. 8 Limousin Letter and the Jan. 18 news release posted in the “What’s New” section of the NALF Web site.
Start planning now for this summer’s junior events.
The Louisiana Limousin breeders will host the “Bayou Bash” 2007 NJLSC, and they have moved the headquarters hotel from the Holiday Inn, Monroe, to the Hilton Garden Inn, West Monroe. Rooms at the Hilton start at $89 per night. Call (318) 398-0653 to make reservations, and ask for the “North American Limousin Foundation” block. Watch future Partners e‑newsletters and “NALF News” columns for a group code for online reservations. The overflow hotels are the Holiday Inn Express ($75 per night), (318) 807-6000, or the Quality Inn and Suites ($68 per night), (318) 387-2711. Ask for the “North American Limousin” or “Limousin Junior Association” block at an overflow hotel.
The NALJA Board of Directors enjoys hearing from the association’s members, who now can complete a short questionnaire online to offer what they enjoy about NALJA and what they would like to see changed. Visit the “Juniors” section of the NALF Web site, and take a few minutes to answer the questions. The NALJA Board members value your opinion.
Breeders must provide DNA case numbers (not blood-typing case numbers) for both the sire and dam on the DNA-typing form when they submit a DNA sample from an ET calf for parentage verification. The parentage-verification laboratory no longer will test a sample if those DNA case numbers are missing. Before collecting and mailing samples from ET calves to MMI Genomics, contact the NALF office to verify the sires and dams have been DNA-typed and to obtain the proper case numbers.
NALF-sponsored research at Colorado State University (CSU) using 2005-2006 sale-price data from more than 2,500 Limousin bulls discovered significant returns on investment (ROI) for DNA tests to determine polled and black genotypes. Homozygous-polled (as confirmed by DNA testing) bulls brought $1,733 more than horned bulls, a 12-to-1 ROI for polled testing. Homozygous-black (as confirmed by DNA testing) bulls brought $843 more than red bulls, a 10-to-1 ROI for color testing. Last month, MMI Genomics began running polled and color tests on a weekly basis for better turnaround time. 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 (nine days later). The laboratory also introduced bundle and volume discounts. Bundle pricing for polled and color tests for the same animal is $130 – a $14 (10 percent) savings compared to separate tests for polled ($110) and color ($34). Breeders must request both tests when they submit samples to qualify for the discount. A volume discount is available for the polled test when breeders submit 25 or more samples at once. At $96 per head after the discount, you save about 12 percent. Contact the NALF office for information about the additional savings possible 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.
As you schedule your ultrasound-scanning sessions, do not forget to order a barnsheet from the NALF office. A barnsheet is a preprinted form provided free of charge that lists all of the animals you intend to scan. It gives identification (ID) information for each animal and has blanks to record weight and management data chuteside. The ultrasound laboratories require barnsheets to process scan data so failure to obtain one before your scanning session will result in processing delays. When calling NALF to request barnsheets, be ready to provide complete tattoos or registration numbers for the animals, a fax number to send the barnsheets, and the laboratory the ultrasound technician will use to process the data. If you have questions about ultrasounding, refer to the Guide to Ultrasound in the “Programs” section of the NALF Web site, or request a copy from the NALF office.
It is time to renew listings in the NALF online member directory, which is a great resource for customers seeking Limousin cattle or services in your area. The Limousin Exchange also links to the listings, making it easy for bull and female buyers to obtain your contact information when their online searches find your animals. Members already listed in the online directory should have received invoices for their 2007 listings by now. If you want NALF to remove you from the directory, please contact the office. If you do not have a directory listing yet, add your enterprise by clicking the “Member Directory” button at the top of the NALF home page. Then click the “Register” button, complete the form, and click “Submit.”
Are you among the nearly 2,700 NALF members who get electronic updates twice a month from their association? NALF maintains an e‑mailing list to facilitate timely, cost-effective communications. If you are not on the list, send an e‑mail message that includes your name, postal address and herd prefix to limousin@nalf.org – that is all it takes to join the NALF Partners online community. Just be sure to send the message from the account you want to receive the semimonthly, electronic newsletter.
Copies of the quarterly Bottom Line newsletter are available by calling the NALF office. The publication is a great giveaway to potential customers because it provides current information about the Limousin breed and what it provides to the beef industry. If you would like to add customers or influencers (such as veterinarians, auction markets and Extension agents) to the mailing list, share their contact information with Bo Sexson in the NALF office. In addition, take advantage of the opportunity to promote your enterprise by placing a business-card-sized “Breeder Spotlight” advertisement in the Bottom Line, which mails to more than 14,000 addresses. For just $350 per year (four issues), you can speak directly to commercial cattle producers coast to coast. Contact Frank Padilla in the NALF office right away to reserve your space.
With spring calves hitting the ground, keep in mind that complete, accurate data collection and reporting are fundamental to keeping your production information and the entire Limousin herdbook up-to-date. Calves’ performance data contribute to EPD calculations for your active dams and sires, and they enable NALF to provide the most accurate information on a variety of reports. Further, it is best to start with a current herd inventory. If thinking of all that paperwork stresses you, consider NALF’s user-friendly alternatives. Online recording and the Limousin Inventory Management System (LIMS) are available through the secured, members-only section of the Web site. Record cattle; update your herd inventory; and submit birth, weaning and yearling performance data with Web-based tools that mimic the traditional forms’ familiar configurations. Online features include automated entry of dam information, drop-down menus for service sires, extensive error checking, and the ability to designate “linked” memberships that have animals managed and reported together. Breeders can request guides to online data recording and LIMS by sending an e‑mail message to limousin@nalf.org or calling the NALF office. If you prefer to put pencil to paper, contact the NALF office to request free, preprinted Generation 3 multiple applications, which list all active cows in your inventory. Either way, for performance data and birth information to be included in the next genetic evaluation, you must submit it error-free by June 15.
State and regional 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, junior activities and news releases – gets to the correct contact people. What is more, those updates are the basis for the NALF Web site’s “State Associations” section. Share your leaders list with Lorrie Taylor in the NALF office today.
Posters featuring the “Fight Fat, Flat & 4s” message are available free of charge from the NALF office. They offer space for your own information and are great to hang at the local auction market and livestock events. To request yours, call Erica Clark in the NALF office. Farm signs, vehicle magnets, banners and short-term signage are available via the “Promotional Merchandise” section of the NALF Web site. You also can order personalized, full-color business cards. Contact Brad Parker or Mary Zilk in the NALF office to place your customized orders.
NALF staff members welcome the opportunity to participate in state events where national representation would be helpful, and they would be more than happy to conduct workshops about any NALF programs and services. Contact Frank Padilla in the NALF office to get your state event on the staff calendar.
The NALF Board has scheduled its next meeting for April 24–26. Contact a Board member or Kent Andersen in the NALF office to suggest agenda items.
|