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Feedlot


As the beef industry rapidly changes and we see value-based marketing systems continue to develop, those of us in the Limousin business are more excited than ever before! Lean, high-yielding Limousin beef carcasses are hitting the targets and our customers are realizing the true value of proven, source-verified genetics.

We purchase many of our bull customers’ feeder cattle straight from the ranch, at sale barns and at video auctions. To add value to your calves, you can make them eligible for one or more of the programs to which we market finsished cattle:

  • Keeping calves natural: No Hormones/Implants or Antiobotics. Vaccinations are acceptable and required for Wulf’s Protocol.
  • Source & Age Verification: ranch of origin and age verification of calves.
  • Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC): USDA’s requirements to meet Non-Hormone Treated Cattle Program (NHTC) requirements for the European Union’s Export Verification (EV) Program.

Wulf Limousin is pleased to have excellent working relationships with several value-added procurement systems. Although varied in some respects, all have similarities that directly affect our customers. As we expand our marketing networks, we will strive to provide our customers with the information and management assistance necessary to insure consistent access and increased profitability.

By addressing genetic and management requirements from both cow herd and feedlot, some of our procurement partners have developed a hierarchical system with potential economic rewards along the way.

Here’s a list of some of our marketing partners:

Laura’s Lean Beef

One of the oldest, most successful branded programs favoring red, lean and high yielding cattle and source verified, natural beef. Wulf Limousin has been a major supplier for LLB since its beginning. LLB prefers cattle are 75% Limousin or higher. All cattle selling need to have a signed affidavit accompanying them at the time of sale. Here’s the link to their affidavit: http://laurasleanbeef.com/cattle/forms/files/cattleaffidavit.pdf

Tyson

Since the inception of Tyson’s Real Time Grid, we discovered that Limousin and Limousin- cross cattle can achieve nice premiums on this grid. In the commodity market for non-natural cattle, their premiums for Yield Grade 1s and 2s are among the best in the industry. We continue to market many cattle each year on this grid. Combine the higher yield grade premiums with Limousin’s higher dressing percentage, and our cattle dollar up very well on alive weight basis. Halfblood to purebred cattle all work well on the Real Time Grid.

PM Beef

PM Beef was one of the first to implement a source and age verified branded beef program called Ranch to Retail. They are in the process of changing that into an all-natural program, non-breed specific, that still favors higher yielding cattle. They will buy cattle using the weekly choice-select spreads. Halfblood Limousin-cross cattle work well in this program.

Strauss Veal

Although we don’t feed cattle for this program, many Wulf Limousin-influenced calves are sold to Strauss Veal. Strauss Free Raised® Veal prefers Limousin-influenced calves. Strauss procures calves born and raised in the open pasture while having unlimited access to their mothers’ milk. Based on their research, they’ve found Limousin cattle to provide the best combination of taste, tenderness, and consumer satisfaction. And they want to buy your calves. Contact us if we can help you get in touch with Strauss Veal.

Source and Age Verification

Specifications

Since 2005, we have tagged nearly every calf we purchased with a radio frequency EID tag. Prior to selling calves, each rancher needs fill out the necessary paperwork for one of several USDA Approved Third Party source verified programs. This information is needed to source-verify calves:

  • Cow-calf ranch of origin
  • Address/premise ID of ranch of origin
  • Birthdates * (records need to be kept on file for 3 years)
  • Sex
  • Individual ranch tags (if available)

* If individual birthdates are not available, we use the birthdate of the first calf. Ranchers will need to provide a copy of their birth records, even if they just document the first calf on a calendar. For example, a copy of the March calendar with “the first cow calved” penciled in on March 22, along with documenting the last calf. A group birthdate is easier, but puts every calf at the age of the first calf. With Japan taking cattle verified younger than 20 months of age, a wide calving window could disqualify some of the younger cattle in a group.

In conjunction with the NAIS (National Animal Identification System), we are excited to use this opportunity to track cattle all the way through the beef supply chain. By doing so, we are able to supply our bull customers with as much data about their calves as we possibly can.

If you have never enrolled in Source and Age Verification but would like to add value to your calves in this manner, please give us a call at least month prior to selling your calves to start the process. These calves cannot be back-verified if they go through a sale barn.

If you are selling your calves, please let us know at least a week in advance. Also have the necessary Natural Affidavits and Source and Age Documentation ready at the time of the sale.

Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC)

Specifications

The Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC) Program has been in effect since 1989, when the European Union (EU) and the U.S. agreed to control measures to facilitate the trade of non-hormone treated beef, including veal.

There are three principle components of this program:

  1. Cattle are to be grown in approved farms/feedlots and delivered to the slaughter establishment with shipping documentation that includes the statement “Cattle Meet EV Program Requirements for the EU” and clearly identifies the animals and the quantity.
  2. Non-Hormone treated cattle and beef are segregated at the slaughter establishment and handled in a fashion that ensures that they are not commingled with other animals or meat.
  3. Tissue samples from non-hormone treated cattle are collected at slaughter and analyzed in order for FSIS to provide export certification for this product.

Basic requirements for this program:

  • No added growth promotants can be used, ever
  • You must individually identify your calves
  • Your operation must be approved prior to cattle leaving the location
  • Cattle cannot be sold through a sale barn

If you are selling your calves through NHTC, please let us know at least a week in advance. Also have the necessary NHTC Documentation ready at the time of the sale.