Simmental Success

by Lilly Platts

Circle Ranch, Ione, California, is a fifth-generation cattle operation focused on producing bulls that work for commercial cattle producers long-term by adding longevity and predictability to cow herds. Heterosis, balance, and adaptability are at the heart of the program. Tim and Jill Curran's sons, Taylor and Austin, are the sixth generation on the family operation.

Tim Curran’s great-great-grandfather founded the family ranch in the Sierra Foothills, near Ione, California, five generations ago. The family ran commercial cattle for many years, and in the last 20 years, has transitioned exclusively to developing seedstock. Curran was first introduced to the Simmental breed in the mid1970s when a neighbor with Hereford cattle purchased a Simmental bull. He took note of the extra pounds the neighbor gained in his calf crop and began breeding his commercial cows to Simmental bulls. When frame size became an issue in the 90s, the Curran family decided to try raising their own bulls. With the purchase of 16 open heifers from Nichols Farms in Iowa they were soon raising their own Simmental genetics.

When Circle Ranch got to the point where they were raising more bulls than they needed, they began selling a small number to neighbors and through consignment sales. “We were still mainly a commercial cow-calf operation. We reached a point where we had to make a decision. Are we going to go forward with the seedstock business and sell bulls on a larger scale, or stay in the commercial business? We decided to give the bull business a shot,” Curran explains.

Over the following years the cow herd transitioned to being registered — primarily half-blood SimAngus — and in 2007, Circle Ranch held their first sale, partnered with Bruin Ranch in Auburn, California. They have had 16 sales since, which they call the Beef Solutions Bull Sale; Bruin Ranch sells purebred Angus bulls, and Circle Ranch sells their SimAngus genetics. Together, they market around 200 bulls annually and sell an additional 40–50 by private treaty.

The Circle Ranch program is focused on breeding bulls that will work for the commercial producer, and thrive in California’s unique environment. “The climate here — west of the Sierras — is Mediterranean. The rainy season starts in October, and picks up in November. The hills will start to green up in November, and it will get a little colder into December and January. It doesn’t freeze here at all, and by spring we have a flush of growth that is incredible,” Curran explains. “By June all of the native feed is dry, and the last thing we want in the summer is rain. A good heavy rain in July can ruin the protein in our grass.”