Executive Summary
Suggested Mating Targets
By Mark Anderson, NALF executive director
Members are currently in the
full swing of spring 2019 bull
sale season or may have even
completed their bull sale
offerings as you are reading
this month’s issue. At the
2019 National Western Stock
Show NALF board meeting,
the directors approved the
NALF “Suggested Mating
Targets” for review and use by
members of the Association. The
suggested mating targets were
envisioned and spearheaded
by Gene Raymond, of GV
Limousin who chaired the Breed
Improvement committee for
NALF. As most of you are aware,
Gene passed away suddenly
in January prior to the NWSS. wish to use them as they do
their mating selections. place for choice and prime cattle
in the current U.S. cattle market.
It is important to remember
that NALF is not telling you
how to breed your cattle.
Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle
rank very well regarding breed
comparisons in most of the 17
EPD traits. The mating targets
are reflective of where we
would like to be in five years,
if not sooner, given the tools
that are available to us today as
seedstock breeders. Continual
promotion and usage of
Limousin and Lim-Flex genetics
to the commercial cattlemen
are contingent on continued
improvement in our cattle. The mating targets are the
combined effort of over 30
fellow NALF breeders who are
members of both the Breed
Improvement committee and
Visions committee for NALF,
which is chaired by Charles
Linhart. Given the advent of
new tools that include genomic
testing that yields higher
progeny equivalents and the
new BOLT single-step national
cattle evaluation release by
IGS, NALF is releasing these
suggested mating targets as
a guideline for breeders that When you look at the suggested
mating targets, you will see that
the bulk of the traits are aiming
for or near the 25th percentile
rankings for both classifications
of Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle.
You will see a more aggressive
approach on the marbling
targets, which are near the
10-15th current percentile
rankings. Out of the 17 EPD
traits listed, fellow breeders
and committee members
feel strongly that the more
aggressive marbling target can
be justified given the continued
strong premiums that are in Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle
provide a complete package
of economically viable and
critical traits that combine
muscling, feed efficiency, weight
traits, and superior maternal
characteristics that can enhance
the commercial cattlemen’s
bottom line. Continued
focus on marbling, similar
to what Limousin breeders
have done with their docility
EPD, will increase commercial
demand for our cattle while
retaining superior yield grades
along with weaning weight
pounds and superior feed
conversion rates critical to the
bottom line of profitability.
8 | MARCH 2019
NALF’s February press release of
these mating targets is included
below along with the actual
“Suggested Mating Targets”
in the accompanying chart.
NALF Suggested Mating Targets,
North American Limousin
Foundation
Through the combined efforts
of the membership of the Breed
Improvement committee and
Visions committees at the North
American Limousin Foundation,