Newsletter for the week ending 28 November
Board Meeting
ALBS Directors met in Armidale over the weekend to discuss a wide range of issues. Some of the decisions made were:
*To adopt a budget for 2004
*To seek members responses to a proposal to move to a single cow inventory fee to replace the current two tiered system.
*To hold the 2006 National Show and Sale on 30/31 March 2006 which will be a week after the end of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and a week before the commencement of the core ILC Conference in Sydney.
*To approve an application to Austrade for peak body status which would provide matching funds for promotion of Australian genetics and live exports internationally.
*To renew the contract with Kirsty Hamson to publish Limousin Australia for the next two years.
*To run more workshops for members early in the new year.
*To fund a consultancy to establish a marketing strategy for Limousin in northern Australia.
There will be more information and details in "What's Happening" due out next week.
Limousin Group BREEDPLAN Deadlines
You have one more week to get performance data including docility scores into ABRI for analysis in the next Group BREEDPLAN run by post or fax.
If you submit data electronically by disk, email or on the web input system you have until 12 December.
However, please do not leave it until the last day so that you have time to sort out any "hiccups" such as animals not on file etc. It is a very busy time for our Breedplan processor Benita Davis who would also be very grateful if the data does not come in at the "last minute".
More Members using the Web
In the last two weeks or so, registrations via the web have been submitted by Tom Edols, Mark Samson, the Vogt family, Joe and Glenys Brothers, Bob and Marie Fels, John and Carolyn Menadue and Garry Leonard.
Performance data has been successfully submitted by Matthew Friend, James O'Brien, Ray Vlietstra, Peter Chew and Jon and Michele Arthur . (Hope I havent missed anyone).
Impressive Sale
Thought that you might find the results of a draft of 57 Limousin and Limousin/Angus cattle which we sold to Teys Bros this week of interest.
The cattle were predominantly grass fed with supplementary feeding for an average of 90-100 days in paddock conditions.
The draft consisted of steers and heifers targeted for the EU market and the remaining truck space was filled with CFA cows.
The EU grid required cattle with a carcase weight from 240-338 kg with a minimum fat depth of 6mm, and paid between $3.30 and $3.50 per kilogram.
Some points of interest were:
1.) The entire draft averaged $948.50 per head
2.) 32 of the 36 steers and heifers targeted at the EU grid met the strict requirements and averaged $1031.58, with steers making to $1160 and fullblood Limo heifers reaching $1095!
3.) The 12 fullblood Limo cows averaged $903 at $2.60 per kg, an impressive $245 greater than the average achieved for their pure Angus counterparts which were run under the same conditions.
4.) No bruising penalties were incurred (despite the 400km trip!), but minor bruising was recorded on three animals which happened to have the worst docility scores!
5.) Naturally the highest yielding cattle were the pure Limo's, however producing Limo cattle that have an ability to cover quickly pays when targeting these markets! The difference in value between two pure Limo steers which dressed 323kg and 322kg was a massive $212.80 due to one falling short of the minimum 6mm EU fat requirement by 1mm! This result certainly reinforced our breeding requirement for Limousin cattle with an ability to cover.
Kind Regards
Simon Vogt, Maryvale Limousin Stud, Tarlee SA.
PS Congratulations on all the work you and the Society have done towards
the website and the online capabilities it has enabled...a most impressive result!
Thanks for this great feedback Simon - Shows that pure Limo's with a bit of fat cover are ideal for the EU market which only wants 6mm of fat. I would have asked for a remeasure on the steer with 5mm.
Outstanding Sale
Tom Edols faxed through the outstanding prices for 23 pure Limousin steers sold at Forbes saleyards on Monday.
5 steers 761kg @ 182.6 c/kg = $1390
5 steers 708kg @ 182.6 c/kg = $1293
7 steers 685kg @ 183 c/kg = $1254
6 steers 677kg @ 183 c/kg = $1240
The 23 steers averaged $1288 to gross $29,626. The steers were purchased by major processors Cargill and Australian Meat Holdings.
Tom's comments were: Mostly 2001 drop, some 2000 drop. Did it tough all their lives, returned from agistment in August in store condition and did 90 days in "The Mount" feedlot. Condition when sold was a little below desirable but they were spec-bloody-tacular.
To put these prices into context 500-600 kg C4 (typical British breed) steers sold at Forbes on the same day for 165.0 to 175.0 c/kg to average 169.6 c/kg.
At nearby Dubbo steers 600-750 kg were quoted at 164.5 c/kg and at Wagga on the same day 600-750 kg C4 steers sold for an average of 161.4 c/kg.
As Tom would say (again) "Why is it that more commercial breeders don't breed pure Limousin cattle?" I am sure this is changing Tom, but much too slowly.
Yours in Limousin
Alex McDonald