In 1995, Dan and Debi Mann started 2DM Limousin Farm in Elkland, MO. Today they are raising more than 100 breeding beef cows on 410 acres of pasture in what Dan calls, "The dairy heifer capital of the world."

Just more than 40 percent of their herd is made up of registered Limousin cows, with the remainder made up with Lim-Flex and other crossbred cattle. The Lim-Flex cattle have been their largest sellers.

Dan says they are trying to throttle back a little on the number of cows at 2DM.

"We're trying to go after better genetics now, so we're taming down on herd size to upgrade on genetics," he says.

In the beginning, Dan's younger brother, described as "computer savvy", created a database for 2DM, but Dan says, "As far as price goes for CattleMax, you can't beat it. For the amount of information stored and ease of operation, it truly is a good software."

He says, "CattleMax software has moved us from, burn the midnight oil record keeping, to light speed record keeping made easy."

Dan says 2DM is able to more accurately track their registered animals, and they appreciate the conveniences CattleMax offers to North American Limousin Federation and American Angus Association members.

"I can get a better bottom line for each animal, and when someone wants a bull, I can show them dates, times, medications, and anything else that was ever done with each one," he says.

Dan says he also likes the ease of tracking breeding and calving records.

"Record keeping is truly the formula for success," he says, "When you go in the pasture and you see 50 head of black cattle, they're hard to manage. But, when you have ear tags you can match up to information, I can see where the trouble animals are and who costs the most. It's more and more down to the price of feed, return and bottom line."

"It's easier to fall behind if you don't have it in black and white," he says, "CattleMax is more comprehensive and gives a good indicator of what's going on."

"We use the cow and calf worksheets to help keep track of things when we're vaccinating and keeping track of calving," Jim says. "I use CattleMax to help in making management decisions, like deciding to cull animals or comparing bull performance, etc. I also use it to provide lists and data to potential buyers. CattleMax is a tool we use regularly on our ranch and couldn't operate without it. Also, I can't say enough about the quality of service we have received."

Dan says he has been able to better identify breeding troubles and those cows that are consistently not producing the calves he would like to see as he builds his genetics. He has also found the new CattleMax Online Workshops helpful in learning the software.

"I'm very pleased with the software," he says.

For more information on the Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle available at 2DM Limousin Farm, you can contact them at 417-329-5076 or danmannsr(at)centurytel(dot)net.