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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE OLBA AND ITS
SIGNIFICANCE TO BREED DEVELOPMENT
by Dan Wedman
It is my pleasure to reminisce with you some
of the great moments in Limousin history
made possible by Oklahoma Limousin breeders
and the OLBA.
The OLBA was conceived in the living room of
the late Fred DeMier home east of Miami,
Oklahoma. While the DeMier home and the
ranch it sat on were both elegant and
expansive, the organization formed that day
in May 1971, was quite small with little
more than hope and halfbloods holding it
together.
It was strong self-giving men like Fred
DeMier and Burwell Bates of Konawa,
Oklahoma, who not only started and nurtured
the OLBA but who were very instrumental in
moving our national organization forward.
Both of these men were the first from
Oklahoma to serve on the NALF board.
Many firsts for the Limousin breed happened
in Oklahoma. Countless other firsts for the
breed happened due to the efforts of a
strong core of Oklahoma Limousin breeders.
Every decade or so the NALF has held a breed
symposium. In just over 30 years of its
existence, the Limousin breed has held
three. Two of the three have been held in
Oklahoma. The first one, Limousin Crossroads
in 1979, and two Decembers ago, Focus 2000
was also held in Stillwater.
The first World Limousin Futurity, which
evolved to the show we know today as
Limousin’s All-American Futurity, was held
in Tulsa in 1974. This show has been held
annually in different states since 1974 but
its birthplace is Oklahoma.
From that 1974 Tulsa event sprang up another
very important organization, the national
Limousin ladies auxiliary, later to be known
as the Limouselles. Born in Oklahoma, its
first president was Bonnie Booth. Bonnie is
now the wife of Ernie Tullis and they breed
Limousin north of Welch, Oklahoma.
The first fullblood female to sell in the
breed sold in Fort Worth. She sold in Texas,
but the buyer, seller, handler, auctioneer
and sale manager were all from Oklahoma.
Buyers at $50,000 were Rick and Sharon
Dobson, Budrick Farms, Mannsville, Oklahoma
and the seller was the late Raymond Hefner,
founder of Canadian Valley Ranch, Seminole,
Oklahoma.
Mr. Hefner also hosted the breed’s first all
fullblood sale in Oklahoma City. He was a
Limousin giant for nearly 30 years and was
named the OLBA’s first Lifetime Achievement
Award winner seven years ago. Canadian
Valley Ranch continues the legacy he started
through his son and daughter-in-law, Richard
and Lisa Hefner.
It is most fitting that this first of its
kind — “Heritage in the Homeland” Limousin
Auction — be held at the historic Canadian
Valley Ranch.
Space does not allow us to mention all of
the breed firsts with Oklahoma breeder
connections. But it is important to mention
some of the key individuals who made a
marked difference in the early development
and success of the first, most prolific and
most enduring state Limousin association in
the country. Men like Charlie Moore of Boise
City, Oklahoma, who was one of the first to
use Limousin bulls on a large commercial
scale back in the mid-70s. He not only used
Limousin on a large scale, he encouraged
cattlemen all through the years to try
Limousin genetics.
H.A. McCoy and Wayman Jackson of Miami, Bill
Jacque of Norman, Charlie McCollom from
Roosevelt, Jack Vanbebber and Charlie Somers
both from Lindsay were powerful breeders of
Limousin and avid promoters of the carcass
breed.
Mr. McCollom, Mr. McCoy, Mr. Jackson, Mr.
Vanbebber and Mr. Somers were also some of
the early propagators of polled genetics in
the whole country. Their influence in the
breed is enjoyed by a majority of the
breeders today.
The late Hal Courtney of Madill, a true
gentleman, who to my recollection was the
first car dealer we ever had in the Limousin
business. He was a cattleman first and a
profound leader. Hal served as OLBA
president and president of the NALF as well.
Fred and Janelle Spitz from Oklahoma City
had one of the most legendary Limousin
programs in the history of the breed. They
started out pretty green like most everyone
but Fred was a visionary. By the mid-80s
cattlemen were clamoring for the Spitz
breedings. The Spitz program produced a
Triple Crown bull and female in the same
year—1986. The female Spitz Special Effort
is the first and only Triple Crown female in
the breed.
Professional preparation for show and sale
of Limousin cattle also began in Oklahoma.
Glen Spafford, Bill Bridges, Alan Petzold
and Jimmy Linthicum. There are others but
these four gentlemen beginning with Glen
were the early pioneers in the breed for
getting the cattle ready for show and really
putting the meaning of show in the Limousin
show ring. The extra effort these guys put
into getting cattle ready for show and sale
made everyone else take notice.
Ken Holloway, Sonny Booth and Bruce Brooks,
all three OLBA Lifetime Achievement Award
winners, brought professionalism to
marketing Limousin seedstock. Without these
guys creating and maximizing the market for
an untold number of breeders across North
America, Limousin would not be one of the
largest breeds of beef cattle in America.
And last but not least, the Oklahoma
juniors. From the mid-70s to present,
Oklahoma kids have shown the best junior
cattle in the nation. The McKowns,
Linthicums, Spitzs and Holloways got it
started and throngs of others since have
carried the tradition on. In 1991, Jary and
Marsha Douglas, Dean McKee, Coy Heldermon
and Kathy Brooks challenged the OJLA and all
the parents to bring it to a new level. With
their help and that of many others, the OJLA
became the best all-around state junior
association in the country. No one, not one
state in this great nation can claim more
accomplishments in the past decade at the
National Junior shows than these Oklahoma
kids. It is to the credit of the OLBA that
these young ones continue to keep the
standard of excellence for the entire breed. |
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