2023 Limousin Annual Journal

TECHNICAL
Breeding with the customer
in mind drives better genetics
and higher market prices
Whether at herd or breed
level, investing in stock
on a rising plane of
improvement brings opportunity for
better performance and year on year,
the Limousin breed has continued to
make genetic gain.
There are clear parallels between
beef value and price coming through
at society sales. Designed to measure
the traits that matter to farmers,
processors, butchers and retailers, the
Beef Value index consistently proves
that animals with high genetic merit
for growth, carcase and easy calving
perform best in Limousin sales, and
the year 2022 proved no different.
Across the Society sales, high genetic
merit animals have found value
over those of lower merit and those
marketed without performance
information.
Count
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Genetic Change 2002 - 2023
Beef Value
1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61 65 69 73 77 81
Beef Value
Top animals in 2002 would only
be the equivalent of Breed
Average today
Genetic potential
today didn’t exist
in 2002!
2002
2023
Results from the Premier sales in
Brecon, Carlisle, Dungannon and
Stirling from 2022 demonstrate this
well.
Rank
Count
Avg
Beef
Value
Avg
Price
£
Top 1% 33 55 7773
Top 10% 96 44 7817
Top 25% 81 37 7517
Average 46 32 6070
Below Average 21 24 6276
Non Recorded 83 33 6127
The Beef
Value: A
breeding
index
combining
the
Birthweight,
Calving Ease,
Growth,
Muscle Depth
and Fat Depth
EBVs relative
to their
economic
value.
The results show that…
9 77% of all animals sold were performance
recorded.
9 92% of those animals had Beef Values higher
than Breed Average. 47% were in the Top
10%.
9 Premiums are paid for animals of higher
genetic merit. In the year, the average
for bulls with Beef Values in the Top 25%
was between £1600 more than bulls with
Average Beef Values and between £14-1500
higher than bulls with Beef Values below
Breed Average and Non Recorded bulls.
So if you’re prepping for sales in 2023/24 and
you want the best price possible, performance
record your animals and promote your results
across your sales materials.
142 | BRITISH LIMOUSIN CATTLE SOCIETY www.limousin.co.uk