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H I S T O R Y
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When we first saw the purebred Limousin cattle at the
Missouri State Fair in the early 1980's, we knew
immediately that this was the breed we wanted to be a
part of, and those strong feelings remain today. Some
of the reasons we chose the Limousin breed were because
of easy calving, good mothering, and MUSCLE. We
purchased our first Limousin in 1988 and began building
our herd. In doing so, we've always tried to improve the
herd. In April of 2002, we had our first joint
production sale. This was something we had basically
been working towards for 15 years. We cull pretty hard,
keeping only the top calves for our herd and to sell to
prospective buyers. Our customers are commercial
cattlemen, other purebred breeders, young juniors, and
consumers.
Many of our bulls are sold to commercial cattlemen or
other purebred breeders. We sell show prospects to
young juniors including those in 4-H and FFA. We enjoy
showing our cattle at various shows including state
fairs and the American Royal, but we must admit it is a
rewarding experience to see the young exhibitors do well
with cattle they've purchased from our program!
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Heidi Earl featured in Country Woman
Magazine!
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Her Classy Cattle Are Real Showstoppers
TOP QUALITY means a lot
to Missouri Cattlewoman Heidi
Earl. And she has a whole
herd of sleek Limousins parked
in her pasture to prove it.
"My husband, Jim and I specialize in Limousins, a
purebred breed originally from
France," Heidid says from their
farm near Smithville.
"Cattle depicted in cave
drawings estimated to be 20,000
years old bear a striking
resembalance to our modern
animals."
The keys to their Limousins' popularity are obvious
nowadays. Heidi notes,
"The breed is known for its
golden-red to lustrous black
coloring, leanness and feed
efficiency."
The Earls purchased their first Limousin 14 years ago.
Now they own 55 head -- nearly
half of them calves that they
enter in beef shows and use to
build their herd or sell to
other cattlemen and purebred
breeders.
"Limousins make excellent mothers," Heidi observes.
"Often, we'll find some of the
cows filling in as good-natured
calf-sitters while the others
are taking a bred in the barn to
eat.
"As the little ones grow, Jim and I select the best
prospects for exhibiting," she
explains about the outstanding
calves they train for state,
regional and |
national competitions
"It takes weeks of feeding,
grooming and hands-on care
before they trust us enough to
lead them on a halter."
"When a calf gets used to me, I lead her around our
corral and position her legs in
the stances she'll use before
the judges. To keep her
calm and properly posed, I
scratch her tummy with a show
stick until she's as docile as a
puppy.
"At show time, we turn her into a bovine beauty --
shampooing, clipping and
brushing her coat until ever
hair is in place," Heidi adds,
"We travel to about 10 shows a
year, sometimes bringing grand
championships home."
Although blue ribbons are exciting, the title that
Heidi cherishes mot was given to
her by her grandmother. "A
French Canadian Ojibwa, she gave
me the Indian name 'Bizhiki Ikwe'
or 'Cow Woman,' Heidi says.
I feel the same need to pass my love of farm life and
cattle on to the next
generation. I'm the beef
leader for our county 4-H club
and sponsor workshops on calf
selection, care and showmanship.
Several youngsters have bought
their first Limousins from Jim
and me as livestock projects." |
And,
if Heidi has her way, plenty of
future farmers and ranchers will
have the luxury of driving
Limousins in cattle roundups to
come.
Editor's Note:
If you'd like information about
her Limousin cattle, send a
self-addressed stamped envelope
to Heidi at Double-E-Limousin.
1000 N.E. 145th Ter.,
Smithville, MO 64089 or E-mail
her at
hearl@hal.cosimo.net.
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THE BEEF GOES ON from
Heidi Earl's farm to earn a
whole herd of cattle accolades.
Her registered purebred
Limousins sweep beef awards
across the country. "I
can't imagine producing a more
ideal breed," she enthuses. |
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*Above story featured in Country
Woman Magazine
(September/October/2002 issue)
with permission of Reiman Media
Group. Contact: 1-800-344-6913.
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