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 www.NALF.org North American (303) 220-1693 |
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Members Memo The North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) 2008 Annual Meeting was Jan. 14 at the Doubletree Hotel in Denver, Colo., in conjunction with the National Western Stock Show (NWSS). About 100 members and guests attended. With NALF President Wendell Geeslin of Colorado presiding, the main order of business was the Board of Directors election. Nominating Committee Vice Chairman Gordon Schuppe, Colorado, presented the committee’s initial slate of five nominees, and it received unanimous approval. Lance Sennett of Indiana and Jerry Wulf of Minnesota began their second terms. Mike Hall, California; Brian Skaggs, Oklahoma; and Tom Vaughn, North Dakota, also took their seats on the 2008 Board, which met afterward to elect officers. Bob Millerberg, Utah, will serve as president in 2008, with Bruce Lawrence, Texas, serving as vice president. Sennett will continue as secretary. Bob Mitchell, Wisconsin, again will be treasurer. The Board elected Richard Hefner, Oklahoma, as the Executive Committee’s member-at-large; and Geeslin – as immediate past president – will serve as an ex officio member of both the Board and its Executive Committee. The other 2008 Board members are Harley Coleman, Montana; Jack Glendenning, Missouri; Ed Pinegar, Missouri; Roger Potter, Minnesota; Mike Smith, Kansas; and Jay Straight, Iowa. During the Annual Meeting, Geeslin recognized retiring Board members Bob Etherton, Illinois, and David Lee, Tennessee. NALF Executive Vice President Kent Andersen, Ph.D., presented a token of appreciation to Geeslin for his service as a Board member and president. As a precursor to the Annual Meeting, Andersen shared highlights of the 2007 State of the Breed report. The full year-end summary is part of the NALF 2007 Annual Report, which meeting attendees received. It also 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. Andersen’s comments led into a short video about the history of Strauss Veal and Lamb International and its plans to launch a new pasture-raised, Limousin-based veal product. After that, the company’s co-president, Randy Strauss, explained the supply-development efforts his team and NALF developed. Participants then chose one of three interactive breakout sessions to attend. After the breakouts, Geeslin opened the Annual Business Meeting. Voting members approved the minutes of the last Annual Meeting and the financial report. To conclude the meeting, the president of the International Limousin Council offered an invitation to the International Limousin Conference in Italy, May 20–28. Millerberg has appointed the Board members to committees for 2008.
The expected progeny differences (EPDs) from the spring 2008 international Limousin genetic evaluation are available through various features of the NALF Web site. Users can employ the “Sire Selector” tool to specify EPD-selection criteria in searching qualified U.S. and Canadian Limousin and Lim‑Flex® bulls. The pedigree and EPD lookup allows them to search for information – including the Mainstream Terminal Index ($MTI) value and available DNA-test results – about a particular animal. The new EPDs also are presented for bulls and females listed for sale on the Limousin Exchange. The spring sire summary – which includes the general sire listing, the proven and young sire trait leaders, and the dam trait leaders – is available for download in portable document format (PDF) from the site’s “Genetic Evaluation” section. The NALF office also can mail a printed or CD-ROM version of the sire summary for $10. Active NALF members can view their whole-herd EPDs via the Web site’s secured, members-only portion. 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. The spring 2008 carcass evaluation incorporated several changes to account better for the true genetic differences between Limousin cattle and the Angus and Red Angus animals used to create Lim‑Flex calves. The winter 2008 Bottom Line newsletter and the January “NALF Line” column outlined the enhancements. NALF also adjusted the base for the ribeye area (REA) EPD to reflect more appropriately the muscularity of Limousin cattle in the seedstock industry and to enhance the marketability of Limousin and Lim‑Flex calves for that trait. The base change resulted in an average increase of 0.25 square inches for REA, an average decrease of 0.08 units for yield grade (YG) and an average increase of 65¢ for $MTI. 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. Listing bulls for sale is easy. Simply log on to the members-only, secured portion of the NALF Web site then click the “List Bulls for Sale” link. The service is virtually free because NALF credits the $5 listing fees toward bulls’ eventual transfers. Potential customers can identify a variety of criteria to obtain information about the listed bulls that fit their wants and needs, and they can sort the results according to specific traits. Additionally, the “Females for Sale” component of the Limousin Exchange works just like the Bull Listing Service. The winter issue of NALJA News mailed with a notice requesting payment of the 2008 junior-activity fee. All revenue generated from the fee goes directly to the North American Limousin Junior Association (NALJA) to help fund its programs, services and events. The $15 fee is due March 15. NALJA members who do not pay by that date will incur an additional $15 late fee ($30 total due). Submit your activity fee promptly to ensure you can take advantage of all NALJA programs and services. It also is required for you to enter and participate in the summer’s regional and national junior shows. Juniors, if you did not receive your newsletter and fee notice, contact the NALF office. Start planning now for this summer’s junior events.
The South Dakota and Minnesota Limousin breeders will host the “Trail to Excellence” 2008 NJLSC. The Sheraton Hotel in Sioux Falls will be the headquarters. To book, modify or cancel reservations, call (605) 331-0100 or visit www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/NALJA on the Web. The overflow hotels are the Ramada Inn, (605) 336-1020, or the Sleep Inn, (605) 339-3992. 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 will not 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. If you use GenMARK to conduct DNA tests for coat color, provide the laboratory with either complete registration numbers (including prefixes) or complete tattoos [including herd prefixes, identification (ID) numbers, birth-year letters and sexes] for the animals. If GenMARK does not have complete ID information for an animal, it is impossible for NALF to record its test results. 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 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 “Genetic Evaluation” 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 2008 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, you can register your enterprise by completing the form on the NALF Web site. Are you among the more than 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 nearly 11,500 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 gives you a headache, consider NALF’s user-friendly alternatives. Online recording and the Limousin Inventory Management System (LIMS) are available through the secured, members-only portion 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, droplists 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 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 state information on the NALF Web site. 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, contact Erica Clark in the NALF office. A new, more affordable line of farm signs, vehicle magnets, banners and short-term signage is available via 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 15–16. Contact a Board member or Kent Andersen in the NALF office to suggest agenda items. NALF has given up its post-office (PO) box and now is using its street address: NORTH AMERICAN LIMOUSIN FOUNDATION, 7383 S ALTON WAY STE 100, CENTENNIAL CO 80112-2339. Keep in mind the forwarding process will delay mail addressed to the old Englewood PO box. 7383 S. Alton Way, Ste. 100, Centennial, CO 80112-2339 (303) 220-1693 • fax: (303) 220-1884
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