Annual North American Limousin Foundation award winners announced
The North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) presented the 2024 NALF award winners at the 2025 Ken Holloway Genetics on Ice Benefit Auction in Oklahoma City.
Commercial Marketing Producer of the Year
Wulf Cattle of Morris, Minn. has been a leader in the beef industry for over 50 years and was chosen as the Commercial Marketing Producer of the Year.
Founded by Leonard and Violet Wulf, the operation became synonymous with the Limousin breed. Under Leonard’s vision, Wulf Cattle gained a reputation for balancing cattle feeding and breeding, emphasizing efficiency, red meat yield and carcass quality.
Today, the Wulf legacy continues under the leadership of Jerry Wulf in tandem with Seedstock Cattle Manager Casey Fanta who has expanded the operation’s focus through bold partnerships and strategic innovation.
In 2012, Wulf Cattle partnered with Riverview LLP, one of the largest dairy operations in the U.S., located in Minnesota and South Dakota, to create a groundbreaking program which integrates Limousin genetics into dairy operations.
The partnership, spearheaded by Jerry and Riverview Chief Executive Officer Gary Fehr, capitalized on sexed semen technology and strategic breeding to enhance the value of dairy bull calves, particularly from Jersey herds.
By crossbreeding Limousin bulls with Jersey cows, the partnership aimed to address market challenges while adding value to both industries.
Limousin genetics were chosen for their calving ease, reproductive excellence, superior muscling and feed efficiency, traits which made them ideal for crossing with dairy breeds.
Trials began in 2010, showing exceptional results – 98.8 percent unassisted calving and average birth weights of 79.5 pounds. Feed trials confirmed Limousin-Jersey cross steers performed competitively, yielding high-quality carcasses with excellent feed conversion and growth rates.
The program, branded as “Beef Builders,” has since become a model for blending beef and dairy production.
Wulf Cattle expanded the initiative through its Breeding to Feeding program in partnership with Genex Cooperative.
This program markets Wulf-bred Limousin and Lim-Flex bulls to dairies, allowing producers to breed their best females with sexed semen for replacements and use beef semen for terminal crosses. The result is a more profitable and efficient system, with Wulf Cattle managing the calves from purchase to feedlot, ensuring consistent quality and market demand.
Collectively, the Wulf Cattle team’s innovative leadership exemplifies how collaboration and strategic breeding can transform industry challenges into opportunities. Their efforts have strengthened the reputation of Limousin Genetics and provided a pathway for the dairy industry to generate additional income through value-added calves.
NALF Promoter of the Year
NALF awarded Bruce Lawrence of Anton, Texas the 2025 Promoter of the Year Award.
Like many successful seedstock producers, the roots of the Lawrence family’s success are firmly planted in the commercial cattle industry.
Their journey with Limousin cattle began in 1988 when they purchased a Limousin heifer calf from Stewman Ranches for their son Paul.
Through their children’s involvement with Limousin show heifers, Bruce and Paula developed a deep appreciation, not only for Limousin cattle, but also for the community of Limousin breeders and enthusiasts. When the time came to diversify and expand their operation in 1993, they naturally chose Limousin seedstock as the foundation for their growth.
Bruce, the family patriarch, has been a tireless leader within the industry, serving in various capacities. He held the role of president for two years with the Texas Limousin Association and served many more years on its board.
At the national level, Bruce contributed as a multi-term NALF board member, including two years as its president. His dedication has left a lasting impact on the Limousin breed and its advocates.
The Lawrence family’s dedication extends beyond Bruce. Their daughter Amber served two terms on the Texas Junior Limousin Association (TJLA) Board of Directors, including one year as president. Amber also served two terms on the North American Limousin Foundation Junior Association Board of Directors, peaking in a term as president.
Today, Bruce and Paula take great pride in the legacy their grandson Tucker left through his active involvement with the breed from a young age.
Bruce and Paula’s son LeRoy also exemplified leadership within the Limousin community, serving two terms on the TJLA Board of Directors, including one year as president.
Together, the Lawrence family has created a multi-generational tradition of involvement and excellence within the Limousin breed.
Currently, Lawrence Family Limousin manages an impressive operation, including 115 head enrolled in the LIMS program and a 200-head commercial herd utilized in an aggressive embryo transplant program.
Their diversified farming operation also includes cotton, corn, wheat, native grass and a thriving custom baling business.
Bruce and Paula recently celebrated more than 40 years of marriage, and their excitement for the future is palpable as they witness the legacy they have built being embraced and carried forward by their family.
Commercial Producer of the Year
The Commercial Producer of the Year, Spann Ranches, Inc., is a fifth-generation cow/calf and feeder cattle producer headquartered in the high mountain valley of Gunnison, Colo.
The ranches are owned and operated by the Spann and Washburn families, the descendants of the ranch founders – Lang, Virgil and Lee Spann.
With supporting ranches at Crested Butte, Almont and Olathe, Colo., a farm and 800-head calf backgrounding feedlot in Delta, Colo., the Spann family runs up to 900 mother cows and raises high-quality feeder cattle, including 400 outstanding bred yearling heifers a year.
Calving in April on the ranch headquarters at Gunnison, moving to the high country at Crested Butte in the summer and returning to the Uncompahgre Valley at Olathe and Delta in the winter, the Spann cattle move with the seasons.
Nearly three-quarters of the cow herd are white-faced black F1 Hereford-Angus or 25 percent LimFlex cross cows, bred annually to Lim-Flex bulls to generate true terminal cross steer and heifer calves.
The Lim-Flex calves have proven to consistently perform at some of the highest levels in the industry.
Spann Ranches operates a sophisticated cattle recordkeeping system they have developed over the past three decades using Excel spreadsheets.
Beginning within 12 hours of a calf’s birth, animals are tagged, tracked and evaluated throughout their life.
Jan Washburn operates computer inputs at the chutes during processing, pregnancy checking and weaning. This provides timely and objective production information which allows for efficient real-time decision-making and longer-term marketing and management planning.
The entire ranch crews are trained to assist in this process and to utilize the tagging outputs for sorting, feeding and breeding purposes.
NALF is in the business of customer service and genetic evaluation while providing tools to enhance members’ profitability and maintaining integrity of the herdbook. Through programs and services, it is NALF’s goal to have members’ products be the continental common denominator in progressive commercial beef producers’ crossbreeding programs for mainstream markets. For more information, visit nalf.org.
