‘Genetics on Ice’ Benefits Summer’s Premier Limousin Events

The Limousin breed’s annual “Genetics on Ice” benefit auction was Jan. 13 in Denver, Colo. This year’s 52 lots brought $49,465 to support the National Junior Limousin Show and Congress (NJLSC) and the All-American Limousin Futurity (AALF). Both events will be in Sioux Falls, S.D., July 13–18.

The top-selling lot was a hunting trip to the UU Bar Ranch in northeast New Mexico. Express Ranches, Yukon, Okla., contributed the item; and CS Farms, Selah, Wash., made the winning bid of $5,250 for it.

The 2008 NJLSC shirt sponsorship fetched the next highest price. Symens Brothers, Amherst, S.D., and Symens Hills Ranch, Sisseton, S.D., gave $5,000 to have their logos embroidered on the sleeves.

The high-selling embryo package was a flush and five transfers or frozen embryos from Trans Ova Genetics, Sioux Center, Iowa. Hunt Limousin Ranch, Oxford, Neb., paid $650 for it.

Among the semen offerings, 20 units of GPFF Blaque Rulon contributed by Kervin Cattle Co., Winnfield, La., brought top dollar. Brehm Farms, San Antonio, Texas, gave $400 for each of the first 10 units, and Enright Farms, Renfrew, Ontario, matched that price to take 10 more.

In the bidding for advertising pages in the 2008 NJLSC–AALF souvenir program, the back cover and center spread brought the most. Express Ranches and Pinegar Limousin, Springfield, Mo., gave $2,000 and $2,100, respectively, for those prime spots.

Among the many interesting and unique “miscellaneous” items sold, the top seller was the North American Limousin Junior Association (NALJA) Awards Banquet program sponsorship, which went to R&R Marketing Co., Franklin, Tenn., for $1,050. A marketing-services package from the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) fetched $850 from Begert Limousin, Allison, Texas.

NALF hosted the event after its Member Social, conducted annually in conjunction with the National Western Stock Show (NWSS). American Cattle Services (ACS) of Chattanooga, Okla., organized the benefit auction; and C.K. “Sonny” Booth of Miami, Okla., was the auctioneer. Limousin World staff members and Mark Smith of Grassroots Genetics and Consulting, Ankeny, Iowa, served as the ringmen.

“Genetics on Ice” started in 1984 to fund the first AALF. Most items offered that year were frozen semen and pregnant recipient females, thus the name. Starting with the second auction in 1985, the NJLSC and AALF have shared the proceeds. To date, the event has raised about $1.8 million for the breed’s premier summer events.

The North American Limousin Foundation (www.nalf.org), headquartered in Centennial, Colo., provides programs and services – including genetic evaluation of 5,000 active sires – to nearly 4,000 members and their commercial customers. The Limousin breed and its Lim‑Flex® hybrid lead the beef industry in muscle-growth efficiency and ideally complement British breeds.

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