LIMOUSIN TODAY LimToday_HRI18_WEB | Page 14

Executive Summary See You Soon By Mark Anderson, NALF executive director Welcome to the 2018 Herd Reference Issue of Limousin Today. This is a special year for the Limousin breed as our producers celebrate the 50th anniversary of the North American Limousin Foundation, which was incorporated in 1968 in the state of Colorado! It is fitting that this year also coincides with the United States hosting the 2018 International Limousin Congress and the 2018 Limousin Junior Nationals to be held in Denver, Colorado this summer. These events have been 2 years in the planning, as our breeders have all contributed to the success of the Limousin breed within the United States. We hope you can attend. For those of you in attendance at these events, please help us welcome our foreign visitors engaged in Limousin seedstock production throughout the world as they convene in Colorado throughout the 10-day International Limousin Congress, to be held in Colorado. We would like to thank our hosting ranches for the Congress that have put much time and effort into preparations; Running Creek Ranches, Magness Land and Cattle, Ochsner Family Limousin and Fillmore Limousin Ranches will provide our foreign visitors a look at Limousin cattle produced here in the United States. Visitors will also get a look at our All- American Futurity Show, held 14 | JUNE/JULY 2018 this summer at the stadium arena of the National Western Stock Show, in addition to numerous other events. We would like to thank our many sponsors for both the 2018 NJLSC and 2018 ILC events, here in Denver, Colorado. Without their support, these events would not be possible. cattle production as never seen. Although the advancement can be initially painful for producers to adapt to, the benefits of information that provides higher accuracies on trait selections and accelerated genetic improvement will be of great benefit now and in the future. The release of BOLT via IGS will have some changes on our current EPD structure, but the switch should be worth it in the long run when predictability of mating selections actually increases in accuracy and trait improvement and advancement. Information and technology used within the seedstock cattle business is rapidly advancing with the advent of new national cattle evaluations migrating towards single-step analysis that combine genomics, pedigree information and production data. Profilers Current advancements in now enable producers the ability these technologies will lead to to identify and select superior identifying things we currently quality cattle at a much faster rate don’t talk about much but have a given progeny big economic impact equivalent on cattle production Advancements power of the through the United profilers in States. Identifying in NCE’s and DNA the new cattle trait characteristics testing will lead to a evaluations. on the genome will faster rate of genetic eventually lead to This also helps producers identifying things like improvement in identify inferior disease resistance cattle production as individuals on individuals which at a much could help potentially never seen. quicker pace, help to solve some which can save of the biggest cost dollars to the bottom line given involved in commercial ca ttle the cost of production of keeping production. When we look at the inferior cattle in your operation dollars spent just on pneumonia given the high fixed and variable prevention and treatment drugs cost of feed, labor and medicine. utilized in cattle production or resistance to issues like Advancements in NCE’s and brisket disease, I think we are DNA testing will lead to a faster just at the tip of the iceberg on rate of genetic improvement in