Late Fall Simtalk 2016

VOLUME 24 – NO. 5

Linking SimGenetics to Commercial Cattle

Table Of Contents

IN THIS ISSUE 10 The Symbiosis of Simmental

By Dan Rieder

18 Performance Advocate Program Enters Seventh Year

By Dan Rieder

32 The Significance of Feed Intake Data

By ASA Staff

42 BOLT, The iPhone of Genetic Evaluation

By Larry Keenan

DEPARTMENTS 6 From the Director of Education 52 Industry Update 72 Rates & Policies 74 Calendar of Events 78 Ad Index

About the cover: Craig Hays, a dedicated Performance Advocate, his wife, Becky, and three children: Lindsay, Jessica and Cody, all pitch in to work the cowherd.

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Golden Dawn Bonus

MFI Money Talker

REAL BULLS FOR THE REAL WORLD

Crossroad Radium 789U

Golden Dawn Yuma

STANLEY MARTINS FARMS

We sell bulls every month of the year.

141 Hwy 18 • Postville, IA 52162 563-419-2444 (c) • 563-864-7305 (h)

Linking SimGenetics to Commercial Cattle

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Executive Committee Dale Miller, Chairman Brian DeFreese, Vice Chairman Tim Smith, Treasurer Gordon Hodges Fred Schuetze Dr. Wade Shafer, Executive Vice President Bob Lanting: Immediate Past Chairman North Central Area: JW Brune (2017)

Published By ASA Publication Inc. One Genetics Way Bozeman, Montana 59718 USA 406- 587-2778 • Fax: 406-587-9301 register@simmgene.com CEO Dr. Wade Shafer

Business Manager Linda Kesler

Editor Dan Rieder

Production Manager Jim Largess

Sales Manager Nancy Chesterfield

Co-Editor Paulette Cochenour

Design & Production Joel Coleman Cynthia Conner

Advertising & Editorial Assistant Rebecca Price

Editorial Assistant Emme Troendle

Accounts Receivable Erin Cox

ASA Publication, Inc., Board Chairman Brian DeFreese

Fred Schuetze

Vice-Chairman Tim Smith

Gordon Hodges

Dale Miller

Executive Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Wade Shafer

American

Simmental Association

One Genetics Way • Bozeman, Montana 59718 USA 406-587-4531 • FAX: 406-587-9301 Canada Publications Agreement Number: 1875191

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Please google stanleymartinsfarms for more information

414 E 700 Road Overbrook, KS 66524 785-865-6624 jwbrune@embarqmail.com

Erika Kenner (2017) 440 6th Avenue SE Leeds, ND 58346 406-581-1188 erika.kenner@gmail.com

Claye Kaelberer (2018) 4215 County Road 85 New Salem, ND 58563 701.220.3124 kaelbererranch@outlook.com

John G. Irvine (2019) 9089 Highway 13 Manhattan, KS 66502 785-313-7473 johnirvine@sbcglobal.net

Eastern Area: Gordon Hodges (2017) 1025 Pineview Farms Drive Hamptonville, NC 27020 336-469-0489 pvfghodges@yadtel.net

Cliff Orley (2017) 1486 Mt. Wilson Road Lebanon, PA 17042 717-269-0128 corley01@comcast.net

Brian DeFreese (2018) 7643 St Rd 25 S West Point, IN 47992 765-491-7421 bdefrees@purdue.edu

Barry Wesner (2018) 1821 W 700 S Chalmers, IN 47929 219.863-4744 wesnerlivestock@yahoo.com

Western Area: Dale Miller (2017) PO Box 174 Gildford, MT 59525 406-376-3109 7dm0174@ttc-cmc.net

Michael Forman (2018) 2451 Number 81 Road Ellensburg, WA 98926 509.929.0312 trinity@fairpoint.net

Tim Curran (2019) 1000 Cook Road Ion, CA 95640 209-765-1815 circleranch@volcano,net

Clay Lassle (2019) 42 Road 245 Glendive, MT 59330 406-939-1348 Irsbeef@midrivers.com

South Central Area: Dr. Gary W. Updyke (2017) 107030 S. 4250 Road Checotah, OK 74426 918.843.3193 garyupdyke38@gmail.com

Fred Schuetze (2018) P. O. Box 968 Granbury, TX 76048 817.894.0563 bhr@speednet.com

Jon Willis (2018) 2876 Simmental Lane Marietta, OK 73448 580-276-4884 jonwillis99@yahoo.com

Tim Smith (2019) PO Box 330 Giddings, TX 78942 512-587-7896 smithgenetics1@gmail.com

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

By Jackie Atkins, Ph.D.

Do Your Homework My oldest daughter started kindergarten this fall. Every night she comes home with one or two pages of homework and she loves it. Her enthusiasm spread to our two-year-old. We set up a special homework folder for our twoyear-old so she can pull up to the table to cut and scribble on paper while her sister diligently practices writing numbers and letters. I’m sure their excitement about homework will fade in the future but for the time being we foster their intense desire to learn and study their school work. I hope as adults when they are out of school and working in their field, they will remember to study key decisions in their lives with high impact on their success.

In cow-calf operations, one of these key decisions is the selection of bulls for future calf crops. The vast majority of the genetic makeup of the calf crop is determined by the last three generations of sires. In fact, 87.5% of the genetic makeup of the calf is contributed by the last three generations of bulls. How do we get that number? Half of the genes come from the sire, ¼ from the maternal grandsire, and ⅛ from the maternal great grand sire. Adding each component is 50% + 25% +12.5%

to get 87.5% of the current genetics in the calf. In thinking about this number, choosing the next generation of sires is a very high impact decision and deserves some serious studying.

With the busy season for bull sales upon us, I hope those in the market for new bulls take time to study the best genetics for their operation. There are two key points I would like to drive home when it comes to this high impact decision. 1) In regard to commercial cattle operations, one of the best ways to increase your productivity of your cowherd is to cross breed. Crossbred females will be 25% more productive in their lifetime compared to their straightbred counterparts. So find a complementary cross that makes sense for the operation. 2) Use economic indexes that meet your operational goals. Economic indexes allow cattlemen to compare potential profit of calves between bulls by boiling down all the economically relevant traits to one index number. If using the ASA’s indexes, operations that are harvesting all the calves in production (heifers and steers) should focus on the terminal index (TI). If producers are keeping replacement heifers out of these sires, they should use the all purpose index (API).

Please keep crossbreeding and economic indexes in the forefront as you do your homework for your next bull selection decisions. Keeping these two principles in mind will help you make faster genetic progress for profitability.

ST

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EPDs as of 9.21.16

3/4 SimAngusTM

W/C BF Innocent Man 174A

SS/PRS Gunslinger 824X

CARD Uproar 49Y

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

12 .2 38 55 .10 6

28 47 114 54

ASA# 2785174 Innocent Man is siring exciting type and function!

9 .5 53 72 .12 6

14 41 122 65

ASA# 2571741 Calving ease with outstanding profile!

$29,000 daughter at Head of the Class Sale.

Featured Gunslinger daughter at Hilbrands.

TLLC One Eyed Jack 15Z

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

4 2.3 70 134 .21 8

13 48 114 67

Battle Cry was a 2015 “The One” featured bull entry and when Lance saw him at the bull stud in the spring, he was impressed with the overall completeness and balance of the bull.

Homozygous black and homozygous polled.

Broker x Upgrade x Lucky Dice pedigree!

20 59 125 78

First progeny are winners!

Ruby SWC Battle Cry 431B ASA# 2871257

4 4.4 78 117 .24 5 ASA# 2623651

8 .1 62 56 .15 5 ASA# 2668223

20 51 125 74

Supreme Champion Female World Beef Expo

One Eyed Jack’s first progeny are looking extra special across the country!

One Eyed Jack’s first calves are awesomely balanced with pizazz!

ASA# 2886364 One Eyed Jack

STCC Jack Around 4031 EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

8 1.7 71 100 .18 6

17 52 131 78 ASA# 2886365

SimAngusTM

FBF1 Absolute A103

W/C No Remorse 763Y

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

6 2.8 53 79 .16 10 18 44 104 58 ASA# 2841159

12 -.8 45 65 .13 6 ASA# 2614801

Dream On and Steel Force outcross pedigree with presence!

Supreme Champion at 2015 World Beef Expo.

Calving ease, high profile sire producing high valued progeny!

Leading outcross donor!

25 47 107 54

$20,000 No Remorse daughter at Huston Cattle Co.’s Sale.

STCC Jacked Up 4070 EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

8 1.5 69 99 .18 6

18 52 128 76

The exciting brothers by One Eyed Jack x HF Serena have the whole country talking!

SimAngusTM

FHEN Halftime A127

WS Revival B26

W/C Cash In 43B

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

15 -.3 60 97 .23 8 19 49 146 75 ASA# 2884737 2014 NAILE Champion % Bull!

6 2.5 62 90 .17 5 20 51 98 63 ASA# 2913874 • Spectacular $160,000 top seller at 2015 “The One Denver” Sale

13 0 51 70 .12 11 23 48 122 63 ASA# 2911606 • Cash In, by JS Sure Bet, is the new,

SimAngusTM

SimAngusTM

Mr. Hoc Broker X623

KLS Halfblood X217

WC Lockdown 206Z

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

-2 5 71 104 .20 5 ASA# 2531081

16 -1.6 62 96 .21 13 25 56 154 75 ASA# 2537824

17 -2.5 74 125 .32 5 ASA# 2658496

Awesome Calving Ease and profile!

Proven calving ease on heifers, yet produces incredibly sound, functional, good looking progeny!

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40 97 55

Grand Champion at the NAILE, Royal and Denver! $190,000 Broker Heifer

Halfblood progeny are cool lookin’!

W/C Relentless 32C

STF Royal Affair Z44M

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

12 .8 57 80 .14 9 ASA# 3045559

7 3.8 51 85 .21 5 ASA# 2639758

18 47 136 70

Werning’s 2016 $87,000+ high-seller by Utah!

Ultracool look and function!

The famous 8543U dam by Dream Catcher has influenced the breed as much as any young female in the breed!

15 41 99 57

The ultimate Dream On outcross!

$17,000+ Lock Down at Plendl’s

STF Shocking Dream SJ14 EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

15 .1 59 82 .14 5 ASA# 2335795

13 42 140 70

Produces the best fronts in the business!

Awesome Royal Affair son at Janssen Farms.

Jordan Simmentals $15,000+ Shocking Dream daughter

$75,000 High Regard daughter at Jones Show Cattle, OH.

High Regard feature for Hara Farms, OH.

Yardley High Regard W242 EPDs: CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW $API $TI

3 2.1 62 91 .18 -.4 20 51 71 57

12 49 154 84

National Junior Heifer ASA# 2522822 • High Regard is stamping his Show Champion progeny with outstanding quality, making him a Hudson Pines/Circle M Female Exhibited Farms sold for $11,000. must use regardless of his “old-school” pedigree

by Vickland. and EPD profile.

866-356-4565 Entire lineup online at:

www.cattlevisions.com Semen available on the best Angus and Clubbie sires too.

EPDs as of 9.21..16

exciting, calving-ease prospect to use this season!

By Dan Rieder

The Peterson family on Kate Elizabeth’s wedding day. From the left: Rex, Nancy, Kate and Mark Volle, Krista and Pat, Sarah, Brynn, Galen and Abby Jo.

A progressive Sandhills commercial outfit banks on blending Simmental and Angus genetics.

Named 2016 “Commercial Breeder of the Year” by the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF)

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Plum Thicket Farms, a family ranching operation located near Gordon, Nebraska, (population: 1,612) maintains a herd of 325 SimAngus™ females. A statement found on the ranch web page says simply: “Our mission is to produce high-quality cattle, forage and grain with management practices that foster the best stewardship of our land, our livestock, our soil and our human resources.”

In fact, their willingness to stay the course and diligently adhere to that philosophy has led to the prestigious national honor of being named 2016 “Commercial Breeder of the Year” by the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF).

Ranch owner-spokeswoman Nan Peterson, DVM, reacted to the recognition by saying: “We didn’t set out looking for an award, but I am a person who likes to get an A on her paper. I credit my late father, Charles de Ganahl, for instilling an appreciation of records-based cattle in me. He was 50 years ahead of his time when it came to selection based on detailed records. When we won, it felt like it was really honoring him through me.”

Nan and her husband, Rex, who recently retired from a successful architectural career, established the Plum Thicket operation in 1998, when they relocated from northwestern Colorado to the north end of Nebraska’s Sandhills. “Our Colorado ranch was located halfway between Steamboat Springs and Vail — rugged, beautiful and fertile country,” she said. “But it was overrun by skiers, there were more skiers than cows.”

After earning her Veterinary Degree from Colorado State University, Nan had established a strong cow/calf mixed practice back in her home area. “Every year, we’d lose more and more ranches to subdivisions, ranchettes and smaller farms,” she continued. “Because 85% of my practice was working with cattle, which I preferred, it was obvious that I needed to change the focus of my practice or move, and we make the difficult decision to move.”

Ironically, she has not reestablished her veterinary practice, electing instead to apply her knowledge and expertise full time to the development and maintenance of her own cowherd.

The Petersons acquired 200 head of quality Black Angus females when they purchased the Nebraska ranch and soon added 80 Red Angus cows. SimAngus bulls were added to the breeding mix in 2003.

“We turned to SimAngus because I felt that we needed to take advantage of heterosis, and secondly, I was aware that there is a strong symbiotic relationship between Simmental and Angus,” she stated. “That compatibility between Simmental and Angus is what attracted me.”

Thirteen years later, the Plum Thicket cow herd has taken on a strongh SimAngus flavor. “Our base herd runs from one-quarter to three-eighths Simmental and our bull battery consists of halfblood SimAngus,” she added.

“For a number of years, we bought our SimAngus bulls from Loren Berger (longtime, respected Simmental breeder) at Stapleton,” she said. “More recently, we began developing our own bulls. We take our 30 best cows and breed them AI to purebred Simmental bulls. Initially, I worried that there would be a huge difference between the progeny out

of our own bulls and the AI sires. Surprisingly, there has been no difference. Of course, our own sires are out of top-of-the-line AI bulls in the first place and many of their dams are also the result of three or four generation AI breeding.”

The Peterson family has shown little interest in moving toward production of registered cattle. “My dad wanted to stay commercial and that’s the way I feel, too. It is very difficult to break into the bull business when nobody knows who you are. We think that we are real good at raising high quality replacement females that have good teats and udders, are gentle and fertile. My goal is to raise two- and three-yearold heifers, feeding them through the winter and calving them out to increase value,” she explained.

“We have several generations of good genetics in them and they’re in demand. We sell them guaranteed with a calf at side.”

Their weaned steers are backgrounded through the winter up to 850 to 900 pounds and have traditionally been finished at Darr Feedlot in Cozad.

“Those steers will reach 1,450 to 1,500 pounds by 15 months and have consistently gained 4.2 pounds a day through the years,” she said.

“We get all of our carcass data back from Darr, and the lowest they’ve ever averaged was 70% Choice while our best finished at 95% Choice.”

One major financial consideration is that Plum Thicket cattle are able to graze for 10 months or longer. Stocking rate has been reduced recently because of an on-going drought. No hay is produced. Instead, more than a thousand tons of oat silage is stockpiled and fed to the cowherd during periods of extreme weather. In addition, they use that silage to background 300 to 500 heifers on a custom basis for other cattlemen.

Calving is concentrated during April and May, later than most other breeders in the area. “We do that because it helps us work around that 11-month grazing season. The calves don’t start impacting the grass until August, and it usually means that we don’t have to buck snow drifts during calving, although this past spring was wetter and colder than normal,” she said.

“We can get some pretty fierce blizzards out here and if they come when your cows are on rye under a pivot with no protection it is not much fun. Probably the biggest weakness about this place is the lack of natural protection,” she remarked.

“Most of our cattle are black, but I refuse to choose cattle on the sole basis of hide color. There are so many more important factors to consider,” she adds.

Their operation, which is located just north of the Niobrara River, is spread over 2,300 acres of farmland, including a leased parcel of 1,000 acres situated 25 miles to the north. Cattle graze on 2,500 acres of deeded land and an additional 1,600 acres of leased property.

Despite the remoteness and sparse population of the Sandhills (“there will always be more cows than people”) the Petersons heavily patronize their friends and neighbors. “We believe in trading locally and can get almost everything we need in Gordon, Chadron or Alliance,” she commented.

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Family Ties Nan laces her conversations with frequent references to family relationships. She is quick to credit her late father, Charles and her mom, Patricia, for the way she was raised and educated in a family that also included “four brothers and 700 cows.”

She went to vet school because “I wanted to have a skill to bring back to the family ranch that would make up for some of the differences for what my brothers could do that I couldn’t do,” she laughed.

She and Rex, who met at a church retreat during their college days where he was the leader and she was a speaker, have instilled a strong set of values in their three children. Rex, who earned his B.S. at the University of Colorado and went to the University of Illinois for a master’s degree in architecture, officially retired a couple of years ago but continues to ply his trade on a parttime basis.

Their oldest child, Patrick, is the farmer of the family. “He is as passionate about farming and the soil as I am about cows,” Nan says. “He’s a very skilled mechanic and keeps our equipment up and running.” Patrick is married to Krista, a graduate of the Kansas State University Veterinary School, who now

A pair of young calves on oats.

runs her own mobile veterinary clinic based out of the ranch headquarters.

“Our second son, Galen, wanted to be an Army officer from the time he was seven, and graduated from West Point. Unfortuately, during two tours of duty in Iraq, he was wounded twice, receiving a traumatic brain injury,” she reports. “After leaving the service with the rank of Captain, he’s now serving as a policeman in Breckenridge, Colorado. He is married to Sarah, an emergency room nurse and is the father of our two granddaughters, Brynn, 5, and Abby Jo, 3.

Kate Elizabeth is their youngest and only daughter. “She works full time as a critical care nurse and is studying to become a nurse practitioner in Colorado Springs. She also volunteers, runs marathons and triathalons and I have no idea how she gets everything done,” her mother says. Kate was married a year ago to Mark Volle, a civil engineer who works for a waste management firm.

“We are a family with a deep passion for producing excellent beef cattle,” she concluded. “But our real contribution to the world is raising three amazing, productive citizens who will accomplish far more than we have.”

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Peterson steer calves on dryland cover crop.

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PA Program Recognizes Data Reporting After seven years, ASA’s Performance Advocate (PA) program, which recognizes those breeders who consistently submit performance data on six different traits, continues to gain momentum.

yearling weight, yearling hip height and ultrasound.

The maximum score for each of the six traits is 100, with the PA score calculated as the sum of the scores for each trait.

The six traits, for which all data must be reported, are: calving ease, birth weight, weaning weight,

PA scores listed in this issue are for the Fall, 2014 and Spring, 2015 calf crops

Following are testimonials from several breeders who have been actively pursuing Performance Advocate status for their herds.

Clear Springs Cattle Company, Starbuck, MN The Wulf family at Clear Springs Cattle Company is relatively new to the Simmental business but are no strangers to the cattle industry and data collection.

“When Clear Springs started our herd, Tom Hook of Hook Farms, Tracy, MN, was an obvious resource because of his long history of integrity and his great mind and eye for cattle,” said Travis Wulf. “After all, the Hooks have been raising performance-tested Simmental cattle for 43 years. After communicating, it was decided we would work together to better utilize resources and create larger contemporaries.”

For the past four years the majority of the Hook cows have been at Clear Springs in Starbuck and Tom Hook has grown the bulls and hosted the sale in Tracy. Beginning this year, the bulls will be performance-tested in the new monoslope facility and the sale will be held at Clear Springs. All heifers will be developed and bred at Hook’s.

The Hook and Wulf families have the same philosophies in many aspects of life and breeding cattle.

Both operations are not only family-owned but also family-operated. “We strive to be as productive as possible while still being good stewards of the land and cattle. Our commitment and belief in the ‘Bred for Balance’ brand guides the approach we take to produce cattle we believe will move the beef industry forward,” Wulf concluded.

“Bred for Balance” 2017 will be held February 10, 2017, at the ranch in Starbuck with approximately 90 bulls and 30 females that have all been weighed, ultrasounded, docility-scored and have genomically-enhanced EPDs, in the offering.

Clear Springs Cattle Company’s bull development center.

Editor’s note: Hook Farms was previously featured as a Performance Advocate in the Late Fall, 2014 SimTalk.

T&T Cattle, LLC, Riverton, WY T & T Cattle is a partnership involving brothers Bobby and Brendan Thoman, a seedstock and grass fed beef operation with 100 cows and growing. Their operation specializes in low-input genetics that can do it all on grass. Profitability is a main focus and natural selection is key component. The cattle have to be lowmaintenance and efficient converters of grass, or they fall out of the program. In the search for efficiency and profitability, the value of the crossbred cow cannot be ignored.

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116Y, T&T’s four-yearold SimAngus™ herd bull, who produces thick, easy fleshing early maturing calves. His steer calves finish out at about 1,150 pounds at 16-18 months, four months earlier than industry average. His daughters exhibit the same easy fleshing characteristics with good udders and great dispositions.

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Balance in all traits is sought and extremes are avoided. SimAngus cattle have provided this balance and have proven very complimentary, even in successive generations when hybrid vigor wanes. Data collection is imperative to evaluate and score the cattle.

ASA’s Total Herd Enrollment (THE) and Performance

Advocate programs encourage data collection on all cattle. This provides a more accurate representation of a cow’s genetic merit, and analysis of this data makes it easy to identify and remove under-performing cattle.

This is a valuable tool in the toolbox of selecting and retaining superior cattle.

Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA Our purebred herd of Simmental cattle was introduced in 2009 into the Beef Teaching Program in the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences at Virginia Tech and currently includes 28 breeding-age females. This valuable breed, along with three other purebred breeds of cattle, provides our 600+ undergraduate majors with meaningful, real-life opportunities and situations in an experiential learning environment. Our commercial herd of 200 cows is heavily influenced by the Simmental breed where calves annually exhibit great uniformity and tremendous hybrid vigor, both pre- and post-weaning. Students are able to witness first-hand the excellent mothering ability from both the purebred female and the Simmental-influenced crossbred cow.

In our selection process with the Simmental herd, we put heavy emphasis on homozygous polled genetChad Joines (left), Director of Beef Operations and Dr. Dan ics, homozygous black coat color, and high perforEversole, Director of Beef Programs at Virginia Tech check mance cattle with proven genetics. Embryo transfer out one of the program’s young Simmental females. and artificial insemination are consistently utilized to improve the genetics of our Simmental herd. All yearling cattle are ultrasounded to collect much-needed carcass data. The Total Herd Enrollment (THE) has allowed us to compile extensive data on individual animals to make accurate selection/culling decisions and provides us with on-line databasing and herd management services.

VT Simmental cattle are in great demand and are routinely consigned and sold through state-sponsored and national consignment sales. We take full advantage of all the performance records, HD50K testing on all sale bulls, and ultrasound measurements that are generated through the Performance Advocate Program to not only provide reliable data to our customers but also to educate our undergraduate students.

McDonald Farm, Blacksburg, VA McDonald Farms is an eighth generation diversified livestock farm that originated in 1763. When the first McDonalds came to the New World they wanted to build a better life for themselves and the rest of their fellow man.

So it continues today. Our goal is to provide a good living for ourselves and a quality genetic product for our Customers. The former is dependent on the latter, so is the latter dependent on sound genetic evaluation.

Our cowherd is made up of roughly 200 calving cows and heifers which consists of 50 PB Simmental, 50 PB Angus (dual registered with ASA and AAA) and 100 SimAngus™.

The farm is located in the Tom’s Creek Basin near Blacksburg, Virginia. It is much like most of Southwest Virginia as it is good grass country. Grass is what we have to sell and we do that through the livestock we raise.

Newborn twin heifers cross-tagged, weighed, and information written down under Dam in IRM Redbook at McDonald Farms.

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We work hard at collecting all the data for the Performance Advocate program as we feel that this information is critical to accurate genetic evaluation of our cattle. The proper grouping of contemporaries, collection of weights and ultrasound data of our bulls and heifers allows us to make informed decisions on which animals are worthy of contributing their genetics to the next generation.

The use of DNA evaluation is increasing as well, but we will always need to collect phenotypes to better understand the genotypes. It is a very exciting time to be in the cattle business and especially in Simmental as the demand for our performance genetics is growing more all the time. The future looks bright for those willing to provide quality genetics backed up by quality performance data.

Rydeen Farms, Clearbrook, MN In 1897, Rydeen Farms began as 160 acres in northern Minnesota. Edward D. Rydeen from Winthrop, MN homesteaded the land at the age of 21, when President Grover Cleveland signed the Minnesota Homestead Act. As time passed, their dairy herd was replaced by a beef herd. The Simmental herd started expanding in the 1970s and breeding livestock was marketed in 1979.

Today, Rydeen Farms is owned and operated by the Paul and Lois Rydeen family. In addition to cattle, the farm now includes corn, soybeans, wheat and forage for the livestock, which is produced over 2,500 acres of owned/rented land. Approximately 275 red and black cows make up the herd with the majority of cows calving in March and April.

A fall calving herd was developed based on customer requests for aged bulls.

Rydeen Farms is committed to the needs of commercial cattle men and women and seeks to provide bulls and females that help their customers succeed as they work to improve their product for the beef industry. There is an emphasis on the use of data and phenotype to improve the herd. The farm hosts an annual production sale, known as the “Vision Sale”, which is in its 19th year. The sale is held on the second Sunday in February, and markets yearling bulls, 18-month-old bulls and bred heifers.

Typical cow with March-born Robust calf on late summer pasture.

Homefront Cattle Company, Utica, MN Homefront Cattle Company is a family run operation located in the beautiful driftless area of southeast Minnesota, about 35 miles southeast of Rochester, MN. Homefront Cattle is owned and operated

by Randy and Karolyn Boyum and their children John (Megan), Joe (Carrie and Bristol) and Jessica.

Along with the cattle, the Boyum’s run 900 acres of cropland raising corn, soybeans and alfalfa. Homefront Cattle was established in 2008 with the purchase of their first Simmental cow, that started the transition from their dairy operation which ended in 2003. Within only a sort time their cow/calf operation had grown to over 160 pairs with roughly 60 of them being registered as purebred or percentage.

The Boyum’s are a big believer in cow families and strives to improve their herd by using their top genetics. They do this by artificial inseminating most of their registered cows and using embryo transfer on their top proven cows.

Along with using powerful cow families, Homefront Cattle is also very diligent about collect accurate data to help them make the next best decision to help improve their overall herd performance. Homefront Cattle keeps about 30

Homefront cows and calves on summer grass.

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replacement heifers a year and markets around 10-15 bulls a year mostly through private treaty and consignment sales and markets the rest as feeder calves in early January.

Although Homefront Cattle is still relatively young in the Simmental world, it is a breed that they love to work with and look forward to future of this great breed.

Craig Hays, Maryville, MO Craig and Becky Hays run about 125 Simmental and SimAngus™ cows in Maryville, Missouri. Replacement heifers are kept, the top end of bulls are marketed as seedstock, and the remainder of the calves are fed through a feedlot in order to collect carcass data. Many of their bull customers retain ownership on Hays Land and Cattle sired calves, so selection on performance and carcass is a must. In addition to the Performance Advocate traits, the Hays family also collects mature weights, hip heights, body condition scores, and rump fats on the cows.

Collecting performance data has been a longstanding practice for the Hays family. Craig is among the first of ultrasound technicians to be certified to collect carcass ultrasound data. Becky runs UltraInsights Processing Lab, one of the three certified centralized ultrasound processing labs. In 2008, Craig and Becky built a 300-head feed efficiency testing center and later sold it to Becky’s family. All Hays yearling bulls and heifers continue to be evaluated for individual dry matter intake. Currently, the Hays cowherd is involved in two university research projects.

The Hays children also participate in the dayto-day operations, along with the help of Craig’s father, Curt. Lindsay, 14, helps with calving and runs the chute during processing time, Jessica, 12, has a knack with paperwork, and Cody, 10, is Craig’s choice when it comes to sorting and pushing cattle. All enjoy the ultrasound aspects of the business. Craig and Becky feel blessed to be a part of such a family friendly industry and appreciate working with so many forward thinking fellow producers.

The entire Hays family, involved in working cattle.

Circle M Cattle Company, Burlington, NC given way to black SimAngus™ cattle as well as black Simmentals.

Circle M Cattle now partners with Massey Farms to have their own combined bull and replacement female sale, keeping in all in the family. We are proud to announce that 2016 will be our Eighth Annual SimAngus Solution Sale that the Masseys hold annually on the farm the third Saturday in November.

Circle M markets 30 bulls annually Circle M Cattle Company was first established in 2000 by Jonathan Massey at Burlington, NC. Massey Farms was founded in 1972 by Johnny Massey, Jonathan’ s father. Today Circle M is owned and operated by Jonathan, his wife, Melissa, and family.

Through the years many changes have come about to adapt to the ever changing cattle industry. The days of the purebred red Simmentals have

The bulls and females that are marketed each year are developed in a real world setting to allow them to perform once they are sold. The Massey family collects all available data on each animal born from birth to yearling. DNA testing is utilized for coat color and polled traits in the event it is unknown. Carcass data is collected on each bull that is sold in the annual sale. The Massey’s market around thirty bulls and twenty females annually to commercial cattlemen across the state of North Carolina, as well as Virginia, and South Carolina.

As we go forward, we have three goals in mind. The first goal is to produce the highest quality bulls and heifers. The second goal is to provide the best quality customer service to our loyal customers who come back every year to purchase our breed stock through the year, just not on sale day. The third goal is to continue to be in the cutting edge of education and information on the everchanging field of genetics as it relates to the cattle industry.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

24

SIMTALK

Peformance Advocate Scores CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24

Spring Calf Crop, 2015

Fall Calf Crop, 2014 Breeder

Score

Breeder

Score

Irvine Ranch, Manhattan, KS

600

Bridle Bit Simmentals, Walsh, CO

600

Michael E. Dikeman, Manhattan, KS

600

Hook Farms, Tracy, MN

600

Tom Brothers, Campbellton, TX

600

Tom Brothers, Campbellton, TX

600

NLC Simmental Ranch, Wessington, SD

600

South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD

600

Dixon Farms, Thomasville, AL

600

McDonald Farms, Blacksburg, VA

600

Woodco Cattle Company, Thomasville, AL

600

CLM Ranch, Olean, MO

600

Jeff Broadaway, Monroe, NC

600

Tyrell Rousey, North Platte, NE

600

Driggers Simmental Farm, Glennville, GA

600

Lonesome Pine Farm, Prattville, AL

600

Pinedale Farms, Clanton, AL

600

Zachary Virnig, Onamia, MN

600 600

600

Red Hill Farms, Lafayette, TN

Bush Farms, Eufaula, AL

600

Lovaas Ranch, Canton, GA

600

Red Hill Farms, Lafayette, TN

600

Craig L. Hays, Maryville, MO

598

Whelan Farms, Wadley, AL

600

Jones Ranch, Telephone, TX

592

Russell Gunter, Thomasville, AL

600

Little Creek Farm LLC, Starkville, MS

582

T&T Cattle LLC, Riverton, WY

600

Clear Springs Cattle Co., Starbuck, MN

569

Pineview Farms, Hamptonville, NC

587

Homefront Cattle Company, Utica, MN

568

Little Creek Farm LLC, Starkville, MS

586

J-C Simmentals, Clare, MI

567

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

580

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

566 563

Lonesome Pine Farm, Prattville, AL

576

Steve or Mary Gleason, Maple Hill, KS

Rocky W. Rakes, Danville, VA

571

102 River Ridge Cattle Co., Bedford, IA

559

Circle M Cattle Company, Burlington, NC

566

T&T Cattle LLC, Riverton, WY

558

Spring Valley Farms, Castalia, IA

538

Rydeen Farms Simmentals, Clearbrook, MN

553

Lester M Alberthal Jr, Granbury, TX

536

University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

548

Angel Hill Angus Farm, Ward, SC

532

Bata Brothers, Adams, ND

536

Lovaas Ranch, Canton, GA

525

Ellingson Simmentals, Dahlen, ND

535

Deer Creek Farm, Lowesville, VA

516

Deer Creek Farm, Lowesville, VA

533

CLM Ranch, Olean, MO

516

Arthur J. Mercer III, Lott, TX

532

Sleepy Creek Farms LLC, Summit, MS

516

KMJ Simmentals, Huxley, IA

530

University of Illinois, Baylis, IL

509

Waters Edge Farm, Nashville, TN

529

River Creek Farms Inc., Manhattan, KS

504

True North Cattle, Morro Bay, CA

514

Wilkinson Farms/ Terry Schlenker, Montpelier, ND

Eagle Pass Ranch, Warner, SD

513

500

Wang Ranch, Charlo, MT

507

Massey Farms, Burlington, NC

500

M/S Stavick Simmental, Veblen, SD

504

Lodestar Simmentals, Wellington, MO

500

Michael E. Dikeman, Manhattan, KS

503

Mountain View Farm, Gettysburg, PA

500

Saxe Farm, Thompsonville, IL

500

Scott & Nancy Walbridge, Hinckley, MN

500

Daniel H. Anderson, Roseau, Mn

500

Richburg Cattle LLC, Auburn, AL

500

Smoky Valley Farm, West Finley, PA

500

Will Woodard, Madison, GA

500

Select Cattle Enterprises, Armuchee, GA

500

OK Ranch, Nashville, AR

500

Lodestar Simmentals, Wellington, MO

500

Sett Ranch, Whitesboro, TX

500

Joseph J. Konesky, Sand Coulee, MT

500

Nix Farms, Malvern, AR

500

Double B Acres, Sterling, OH

500

Scott & Nancy Walbridge, Hinckley, MN

500

Lauren Grimes, Hillsboro, OH

500

Sett Ranch, Whitesboro, TX

500

Gibbs Farms, Ranburne, AL

ST 26

SIMTALK

NAILE Champ!

Card Uproar 49Y

CAJS Blaze of Glory 42B

WS A Step Up X27

Mr. Hoc Broker C623

By Mr. NLC Upgrade EPDs: CE: 4 $API: 125 $TI: 78

By WLE Uno Mas X549 EPDs: CE: 14 $API: 139 $TI: 70

By SS Ebony’s Grandmaster EPDs: CE: 8 $API: 133 $TI: 62

By Steel Force EPDs: CE: -2 $API: 97 $TI: 55

AR, NAILE & NWSS Champ!

SimAngusTM

SSC Shell Shocked 44B

GCC CM Stockbroker B005

Fitz POL Blazon B1203

Halls Confidence A30

By Remington Secret Weapon 185 EPDs: CE: 9 $API: 118 $TI: 61

By Mr Hoc Broker – SimAngusTM EPDs: CE: 6 $API: 96 $TI: 60

By PRS Blazin Hot W192 EPDs: CE: 8 $API: 125 $TI: 74

By Connealy Confidence 0100 EPDs: CE: 19 $API: 163 $TI: 71

3/4 SimAngus

SimAngusTM

SimAngusTM

CSCX Bandwagon 513A

Long’s The Player C33

WC No Remorse 763Y

W/C Lock Down 206Z

By TJSC Optimus Prime EPDs: CE: 6 $API: 99 $TI: 66

By TLLC One Eyed Jack 15Z EPDs: CE: 8 $API: 119 $TI: 69

By Yardley High Regard W242 EPDs: CE: 12 $API: 107 $TI: 54

By Lock N Load EPDs: CE: 17 $API: 154 $TI: 84

SimAngusTM

TM SimAngus SimAngusTM

SimAngusTM

SimAngusTM

GCC Whizard 125W

CCR Flint Hills 2092B

W/C United 956Y

WLTR Renegade 40U ET

By SVF Steel Force S701 EPDs: CE: 12 $API: 104 $TI: 54

By CCR Frontier 0053Z EPDs: CE: 12 $API: 155 $TI: 87

By TNT Tuition EPDs: CE: 10 $API: 143 $TI: 94

By 3C Macho M450 BZ EPDs: CE: 6 $API: 117 $TI: 73

3/4 SimAngusTM

STF Rock Solid 033C

CNS Pays To Dream T759

CLO Captain America 704Y

Yardley Utah Y361

By CDI Rimrock 325Z EPDs: CE: 12 $API: 119 $TI: 70

By CNS Dream On L186 EPDs: CE: 12 $API: 161 $TI: 71

By CNS Pays to Dream T759 EPDs: CE: 13 $API: 128 $TI: 63

By GCC Hard as Steel 144W EPDs: CE: 9 $API: 126 $TI: 69

3/4 SimAngus

Angus

Angus

TJSC 152A “Vindication”

WS Stepping Stone B44

Silveiras Style 9303

SP The Answer 813

By Flying B Cut Above EPDs: CE: 6 $API: 97 $TI: 60

By WC Lock Down EPDs: CE: 10 $API: 122 $TI: 78

By Gambles Hot Rod EPDs: CE: 20 $API: 145 $TI: 63

By SAV Final Answer 0035 EPDs: CE: 21 $API: 146 $TI: 69

EPDs pulled 9.20.16

Kappes Megatron A2

LLSF Pays To Believe ZU194 K-LER Make It Rain 696S

STF Royal Affair Z44M

By WAGR Dream Catcher 03R EPDs: CE: 13 $API: 148 $TI: 80

By CNS Pays To Dream T759 EPDs: CE: 6 $API: 127 $TI: 78

By Lock N Load EPDs: CE: 7 $API: 99 $TI: 57

By Foundation 724N EPDs: CE: -7 $API: 57 $TI: 54

3/4 SimAngusTM

LLSF Addiction AY792

Long’s Damien A37

FBF1 Supremacy Y93

W/C BF Innocent Man 174A

By Top Grade EPDs: CE: 11 $API: 159 $TI: 83

By Hooks Shear Force 38K EPDs: CE: 11 $API: 159 $TI: 83

By STF Dominance T171 EPDs: CE: 9 $API: 100 $TI: 59

By W/C No Remorse 763Y EPDs: CE: 12 $API: 114 $TI: 54

SimAngusTM

SimAngusTM

FBF1 Combustible Y34

LLSF Uprising Z925

CCR Anchor 9071B

SS/PRS Tail Gater 621Z

By Steel Force EPDs: CE: 8 $API: 114 $TI: 62

By Heads Up 20X ET EPDs: CE: 5 $API: 103 $TI: 73

By CCR Cowboy Cut 5048Z EPDs: CE: 13 $API: 160 $TI: 87

By HTP/SVF Duracell T52 EPDs: CE: 10 $API: 127 $TI: 72

W/C Grandstand 6B

W/C Catchin A Dream 27X

HPF Rockstar B332

WAGR Dream Catcher 03R

By W/C Wide Track 694Y EPDs: CE: 11 $API: 129 $TI: 70

By Dream Catcher EPDs: CE: 10 $API: 135 $TI: 69

By JF Milestone 999W EPDs: CE: 7 $API: 124 $TI: 74

By Dream On EPDs: CE: 10 $API: 138 $TI: 70

3/4 SimAngusTM

GLS/JRB Cash Flow 163C

Long’s Stand Alone B35

Yardley High Regard W242

HILB Maverick A43

By LLSF Pays to Believe ZU194 EPDs: CE: 9 $API: 124 $TI: 73

By Built Right EPDs: CE: 8 $API: 102 $TI: 61

By Yardley Impressive T371 EPDs: CE: 3 $API: 71 $TI: 57

By GLS New Direction X148 EPDs: CE: 5 $API: 114 $TI: 60

Call for your free book

866-356-4565 SimAngusTM

Rousey Gold Strike 512C

WLTR Nashville 22A ET

SAS Big Bruzer Y131

By Hooks Trinity 9T EPDs: CE: 19 $API: 161 $TI: 86

By High Voltage EPDs: CE: 10 $API: 128 $TI: 62

By King of the Yukon (outcross) EPDs: CE: 9 $API: 109 $TI: 62

EPDs as of 9.20.16

Entire lineup online at:

www.cattlevisions.com Semen available on the best Angus and Clubbie sires too.

30

SIMTALK

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FEED INTAKE DATA

Incentivizing the Collection of Important, Hard-to-Collect Data Given that feed intake and carcass traits can have a significant impact on profit, it is important that we collect data on them to help us quantify animals’ genetic levels for the traits. Fortunately, the ASA has been collecting carcass data through the Carcass Merit Program (CMP) for going on twenty years. Also, a five-year project with the University of Illinois yielded intake data on 3,500 CMP steers; however, that project wrapped up over five years ago.

To jumpstart collection and ensure an ongoing flow of intake data, ASA recently worked out an arrangement with Chappell Feeders, Chappell, Nebraska, to collect intake data on the CMP cattle they feed. However, if we were to rely solely on the CMP to deliver carcass and intake data we would only add 500-600 records a year — a relatively small amount of information. In an effort to encourage reporting, the ASA Board of Trustees recently announced that ASA will be providing an incentive for members to collect and submit carcass and intake data.

The resolution is below:

ASA will provide a 50% price discount on an LD genomic test per each animal on which an ASA member provides feed intake and/or carcass data.

To qualify, an animal’s record must be viable for use in genetic evaluation (i.e., come from a valid contemporary group in ASA’s Herdbook database) and have been born later than August 31, 2015. Data produced through the Carcass Merit Program are not eligible for this discount.

Mike Mallett, a former ASA Trustee and Board Chairman, whose operation is located near Lampasas, Texas, is intrigued by the possibilities of collecting feed intake data. “I’m a member of the Cattlemen’s Kind group that consigned 69 bulls to a calf development center at Navasota,” he explained. “I’d been aware of the collection of intake data for several years, but this was the first time that any of my cattle had been tested for feed intake.”

Mallett admits that he doesn’t know what kind of a resource the intake data might become, but believes that it shows great promise.

“I can imagine that there would be definite advantages for organizations that have large amounts of individual intake data, but I certainly wouldn’t use it for single-trait selection,” he says. “My partners, Jim Newsome and Mike Bartush and myself received the feed intake data back,

32

SIMTALK

Hays

While ASA typically receives slightly more carcass data directly from our members than what is produced through the CMP, intake data submitted from members is about as rare as a blue moon. The most consistent and largest supplier of member generated intake data has been Craig Hays, from Marysville, Missouri. Hays and his wife, Becky, run a company that specializes in ultrasound services, and has invested in a GrowSafe System for use in his own herd and for providing a feed intake service for interested area breeders.

Before GrowSafe type technology, feed intake was a labor-intensive process. “When I was a student at Auburn years ago, we had an old Calan gate system.

Each animal had to eat out of its own bunk; you had to feed it each day, weigh the feed; and weigh the animal before and after it fed,” Hays reported. “It is far more accurate with the new technology, but with technology comes added expenses. However, it becomes cheaper the more people buy into the system, much like DNA testing has become cheaper and cheaper. We also turn that data into the American Simmental Association, so it is now in the database.”

Everything is done electronically. The animals are identified through radio frequency IDs (RFID) in their eartags,” Hays said. “That eartag chip is appended to when they walk into their stall or overbunk where they eat, corresponding to the weight on that bunk. When the animal leaves, we know how much feed they have consumed, because it all goes directly back to a computer and into a database.”

Editor’s Note: For questions about ASA’s data collection incentive program please email: jatkins@simmgene.com.

Mallett

but haven’t taken advantage of it at this point other than listing it in our sale catalog.”

According to Hays, “It has been determined that intake is a moderately highly heritable trait. Considerable research has been done in Canada and institutions in the US (including the ASA). Reproduction and feed resources are the primary drivers of profitability in this business. The industry is now attempting to develop genomic markers for predicting dry matter intake, but

Shafer

that process is in its earliest stages,” he added.

Dr. Wade Shafer, CEO of the American Simmental Association, states that “the science of genomics has the potential to help us greatly with the prediction of expensive and hard to collect traits like feed intake and carcass; however, to effectively leverage genomics, we must amass a large database of phenotypes on these traits. Hopefully ASA’s new incentive program will help make that happen.”

T

S

www.coloradosimmental.com www.missourisimmental.com www.georgiasimmental.com

PHILLIPS FARMS

Bulls for your heifer expansion with top of the breed genetics, SimAngus™, Balancers (GvAn)

Simmentals

PBG Bull Sale

Roy L. Phillips 770-547-9584 Home: 770-745-7331 Fax: 770-773-9657 phillipsfarmsga@bellsouth.net 104 Manning Mill Rd. • Adairsville, GA 30103

November 5, 2016 March 25, 2017 Windsor Livestock Auction

All 18-month-old and forage developed to settle more early in the season.

Bred heifer mates to run with the best.

Harriman Santa Fe (Bob) Montrose, MO • 660-492-2504 bharriman39@hotmail.com

www.gerloffcattle.com

3162 Hwy A • Bland, MO 65014 573.437.3751 • 573.437.2507 573.680.9117 cell • khuebler@fidnet.com

LUCAS CATTLE CO. Registered Simmentals, SimAngusTM & Angus Cattle Forrest & Charlotte Lucas, Owners Cleo Fields 417-399-7124 RT 91 Box 1200 Brandn Atkins Cross Timbers, MO 65634 417-399-7142 Office 417-998-6878 Jeff Reed Fax 417-998-6408 417-399-1241 www.lucascattlecompany.com Visitors Always Welcome

L

www.breedingcattlepage.com/ INSimmAssoc/index.htm

Mark, Jame, Anna & Peter Krieger PO Box 145 Universal, IN, 47884 www.kriegerfarms.com

812-239-5102, Mark mark@kriegerfarms.com 812-208-0956, Jame jame@kriegerfarms.com 269-470-7553, Anna 812-208-8224, Peter

www.oregonsimmentalassociation.com

Annual Sale First Sunday in October

www.washingtonsimmental.org Mike, Margo, Crystal, & Katelyn Alley

Trinity Farms

Angus SimAngusTM Simmental

Generations of Excellence Sale...first Saturday in March Robb & Debbie Forman Mike & Paulette Forman 509-201-0775 509-968-4800 2451 Number 81 Rd. Ellensburg, WA 98926 www.trinityfarms.info • Email: trinity@fairpoint.net

34

SIMTALK

8925 SW Green • Culver, Oregon 97734 Home: 541-546-8171 • Cell: 541-948-3521 E-mail: mike@barckcattle.com • Fax: 541-546-6420 www.barckcattle.com

www.northdakotasimmental.com

Prickly Pear Simmental Ranch Birthplace of the first Polled Black Simmental Bull Made in Montana Sale • February 4, 2017 Troy Wheeler, Cattle Manager: 406-949-1754 Don and Nancy Burnham • Gary Burnham 2515 Canyon Ferry Road • Helena, MT 59602 ASA No. 174 E-mail: burnhams@mt.net

SYS SIMMENTALS Gary Sys 9400 205th Ave. SW Douglas, ND 58735 701-722-3244

SRF Simmentals

Hill’s Ranch Simmentals

Roger Roger and and Susan Susan Finke Finke family family 35500 35500 114th 114th Ave. Ave. NW NW • • Berthold, Berthold, ND ND 58718 58718 701-453-3157 701-453-3157 Roger Roger • • 701-453-3105 701-453-3105 Todd Todd email: email: srf@srt.com srf@srt.com

Box 186 Stanford, MT 59479 406-566-2479

Edge of the West Bull & Female Sale February 6, 9, 2017 2015

Bull Sale • February 28, 2017

hillssimmentalmt@yahoo.com • www.hillsimmental.com Phone: (701) 384-6225

Terry Ellingson & Family

Curtis Olafson 13043 84th St. NE Edinburg, ND 58227 701-993-8240 or 8450 Performance colafson@polarcomm.com Predictability www.bataolafson.com Personal Service

5065 125th Ave. NE • Dahlen, ND 58224 tellings@polarcomm.com • www.ellingsonsimmentals.com Annual Production Sale, January 27, 2017

SIMMENTALS T TN Kevin & Lynette Thompson

KENNER

Roger, Jeanette, & Erika Kenner

5606 57th St. NE Leeds, ND 58346 Phone 701-466-2800 Erika 406-581-1188 erika.kenner@gmail.com Fax 701-466-2769 www.kennersimmental.com

SIMMENTALS

5125 53rd St. Almont, ND 58520 Visitors always welcome.

701-843-8454 Only 15 miles off I-94 www.tntsimmentals.com Annual Bull Sale • Friday, February 10, 2017

5831 Highway 7, Wibaux, MT 406-588-3371 nlcsim@midrivers.com www.nelsonlivestockco.com

Watch for our Annual Bull Sale April 15, 2017.

Willis Simmentals 5759 Enville Road Marietta OK 73448 willissimmentals@arbuckleonline.com

Quality Simmental Breeding Cattle 10 miles east on Hwy. 32, 1/4 mile north on Enville Road.

Bobby 580-276-2781 (ph. & fax)

Jon 580-795-4601

www.oklahomasimmental.com

Lazy U Ranch Dave & Debbie Umfleet 20858 West 10th St N • Haskell, OK 74436 918-693-9420 • davelazyu@aol.com TM Simmental Bulls Simmental & & SimAngus SimAngusTM Bulls & & Females Females

Pine Ridge Ranch Pine Ridge Ranch Pine Ridge Ranch

LLC

ATHENS, TX

Jane and Bill Travis billtravis@simbrah.com

www.simbrah.com

9876 PLANO RD. DALLAS, TX 75238 Office: 214-369-0990 Cell: 214-850-6308

SIMTALK

35

S

NELIGH, NE

www.nesimmental.com

www.SandyAcresSimmental.com

Triangle J Ranch 35355 Arrow Road • Miller, NE 68858 308-627-5085 Darby Cell Just 30 minutes of I-80 www.trianglejranch.com

402-643-4429 402-641-2936 Cell

Black Simmental Bulls & Females Purebred to Percentage

402-640-8875

Darby & Annette Line

Annual Production Sale last Sunday in January

Jay & Kim Volk • 402-720-7596 Clark & Leslie Volk • 402-720-3323 Bob & Jeanette Volk • 402-720-0469 20604 US Hwy 30 • Arlington, NE 68002 volkjk@aol.com • www.jandcsimmentals.com Consigns to Ladies of the Valley – October 16, 2016 J&C Annual Bull Sale – January 28, 2017

Western Cattle Source

)

303 Northern Heights Drive • Seward, NE 68434 a.sloup@juno.com Nick, Andrea, www.sloupsimmentals.com Shane, Shelbi, Brevin, Natalie Join us at the Farm, October 15, 2016 and Haylie for our 21st Annual Production Sale.

J&C SIMMENTALS

LEONARD MILLER

SIMMENTAL

(

JF

Jock & Brenda Beeson 100 Wohlers Drive Crawford, NE 69339 308-665-1111 (home) 308-430-2117 (mobile) 308-430-0668 (mobile) Email:wcsbeeson@bbc.net

JC

SPECIALIZING IN BLACK & RED POLLED SIMMENTAL, SOME FLECK INFLUENCE

JC

Bull Sale - Feb. 17, 2017

FORSTER FARMS Just 20 minutes off I-80

Verlouis Forster Family 74096 Road 434 Smithfield, NE 68976-1039 Ph/FAX 308-472-5036 Verlouis Ph 308-876-2316 Alan Email: alan_forster@hotmail.com

“Red and Black, Polled, Pigmented Simmentals”

James, Merlin, and Delores Felt, Renee & Matt Schulte 57977 857 Road • Wakefield, NE 68784 402-287-2488 home • 402-369-1069 cell delores@feltfarms.com • www.feltfarms.com Herdsman, James Felt 402-369-0513 cell • jamesfelt02@gmail.com

Foxy Ladies Bred Heifer Sale November 26, 2016 • West Point, NE Ohlrich/Felt Farms Bull Sale February 4, 2017 • Norfolk, NE

Berger’s HerdMasters Angus x Simmental Hybrids Both Red and Black 308-532-0939 308-520-3836 berger@nque.com

Loren & Peggy Berger 9339 E. Autogate Rd. Stapleton, NE 96163 www.bergersherdmasters.com

Like us on

www.illinoissimmental.com

www.breedingcattlepage.com/ TNSimmAssoc/

Owner: Jim Berry

Commercially Targeted Seedstock

Slate Farms

Cattle Manager: Robbie Duis 815-858-4129 6502 Rt. 84 South Hanover, IL 61041 815-591-3731

& www.wildberryfarms.net

Our Business Is Bulls Anthony Rhodes Larry and Suzy Rhodes 9350 Rte 108 Carlinville, IL 62626 217-854-5200 rhodesangus@royell.org www.rhodesangus.com

36

SIMTALK

C

A T T L E

C

O M P A N Y

Female Select Sale/Herd Bull Select Sale Visitors Always Welcome

Steve Slate 4437 Highway 49 W Vanleer, TN 37181 931-206-5026 slatefarms@att.net www.slatefarms.com

www.breedingcattlepage.com/ vsa/index.htm www.breedingcattlepage.com/ Simmental/iasimmassoc/

www.texassimmentalsimbrah.com

Jass Simmentals Reds and Blacks Available

SIMBRAH Sarah J. (Sally) Buxkemper

2617 CR 400 Ballinger, Texas 76821 325-442-4501 sbuxkemper32@gmail.com www.rxsimbrah.com

Heat Adapted Cattle Simbrah TM SimAngusTM TM SimAngusTM HT Simmental

Steve, Alan & Mark Jass 1950 Quincy Avenue • Garner, Iowa 50438 641-587-2348 or 641-587-2174 641-860-0645(c) or 515-689-6219(c) www.jassimm.com • email: jassimm@comm1net.net

Dixson Farms, Inc. Carol Dixson, Kevin Dixson, & Lyle Dixson, D.V.M. 13703 Beaver Creek Rd • Atwood, KS 67730 785-626-3744 • drlyle@live.com www.dixsonfarms.com

DX Ralph Brooks Cassidy Brooks 7440 Lake Elbo Rd. Manhattan, KS 66502 C: 785-556-0385

www.kansas-simmental.com

THE MOSER RANCH SimAngus • Simmental • Angus

Kaser Brothers Simmental Stephen Kaser H 785-346-5181 • C 785-346-6077 629 County 388 Drive Osborne, KS 67473

Cow Camp Ranch Kent, Mark and Nolan Brunner 3553 Upland Rd. Lost Springs, KS 66859-9652 785-466-6475 Kent 785-466-1129 Nolan Black and Red Purebreds 785-258-0173 Mark Angus nolan@cowcampbeef.com SimAngusTM Halfbloods

Spring Bull Sale - Friday, February 17, 2017.

M

Harry & Lisa Moser & Family Wheaton, KS 66521 Phone 785.396.4328 www.moserranch.com

25th Bull Sale • November 12, 2016

ROCK CREEK RANCH B L A C K , P O L L E D S I M M E N TA L S Jim & Jean Houck, 250 Road 392, Allen, KS 66833 • 620-443-5700 Jeff & Lori Houck, 3031 Road G, Americus, KS 66835 • 620-443-5751 Toll Free 866-687-4656 • www.houckrockcreekranch.com

Annual Production Sale March 17, 2017

Simmental Angus SimAngusTM

Steve & Mary Gleason • Jake, Becky, Ben, Joe & Sam 12410 Blazingstar Rd • Maple Hill, KS 66507 Phone: 785-256-6461 • Steve: 785-640-8060 • Jake: 785-640-8062 www.Sunflowergenetics.com

Joe Mertz 785-456-9650 Bob Mertz 785-456-9201 Harold Mertz 785-456-9605 7160 Zeandale Road Manhattan, KS 66502 www.rivercreekfarms.com

26th Annual Production Sale February 8, 2017

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http://www.kysimmental.com Joe &Venedia Tingle 502.682.8637 Derek & Chelsey Tingle 502.682.0806 722 Drennon Rd. New Castle, KY 40050 www.tinglefarms.com

www.mnsimmental.com

Sargeant Farms Simmental Cattle BULLS

AND FEMALES AVAILABLE

BY PRIVATE TREATY

Owner • Howard E. Sargeant Box 400, Forest Lake, MN 55025 651-464-3345 • 651-464-2662

Dr. Lynn Aggen Office: 507-886-6321 Mobile: 507-421-3813 Home: 507-886-4016

www.southdakotasimmental.com

TRAXINGER SIMMENTAL

Reds, Blacks • Bulls and Females Private Treaty Sales

Mike and Terri Traxinger 11176 – 406th Avenue Houghton, SD 57449 Home: 605.885.6347 Mike’s cell: 605.294.7227 mtrax@nvc.net www.traxinger.com

Farm Manager: Adam Trest 52309 Fleming Logging Road Sandstone, MN 55072 320-245-2830 • 320-630-3608

Performance with Quality

Matt Aggen Mobile: 701-866-3544 Home: 507-772-4522 Email: mattaggen@hotmail.com

Harmony, MN 55939 www.oakmfarm.com

South Dakota’s Source for Outcross Performance Simmentals!

Clay Ekstrum 605-778-6185 (H) 605-730-1511 (C)

John Ekstrum – Specializing in Hard to Find 605-778-6414 Red Breeding Stock – 36220 257th St., Kimball, SD 57355 clayekstrum@midstatesd.net • ekstrumsimmentals.com

Benda Simmentals Jim and Jay Benda 26106 366th Ave. Kimball, SD 57355 605-778-6703

Jim: 605-730-6703 (Cell) Jay: 605-730-0215 (Cell) bendaranch@midstatesd.net

Black and Red Breeding Stock Lanting Enterprises, LLC

Contact us about our Private Treaty Sales.

2181 B N 2300 E Twin Falls, ID 83301-0643 208-655-4257 208-731-6646 Bob’s Cell 208-655-4371 John’s Home lant4257@filertel.com

Promise Land Ranch Mike & Cathy Stoltey Family 374 Promise Lane • Plummer, ID 83851 208-686-1515 (H) • 208-699-2335 (M) plrlivestock@gmail.com

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Eichacker Simmentals

ES

25446 445th Ave • Salem, SD 57058 Steve & Cathy Eichacker 605-425-2391 or 605-421-1152 email: es@triotel.net Annual Bull Sale • March 3, 2017

BOLT – THE iPHONE OF GENETIC EVALUATIONS

By Larry Keenan, Director of Breed Improvement, Red Angus Association of America Take a stroll down memory lane and recall the days prior to the cellphone. While peace and tranquility may be your first thoughts, you also remember your ability to communicate with customers, business partners, family, etc. was significantly less. As a society we quickly recognized the value of immediate communication and efficient access to data took precedence over the serenity of a cellphone-less world.

Following the release of the handheld cellphone, only minor technological advancements were made until the release of the Apple iPhone. The iPhone was a game-changer, as it was the first communications device that combined the cellphone, portable media player (iPod) and internet access into a single handheld device that used a touchscreen interface. The release of the iPhone spawned a communications revolution, which has largely shaped the highly efficient communication world that we live in today.

A similar revolution is brewing in the genetic evaluation world. Don’t panic.

Just as my old Motorola Razr could consistently complete a high-quality phone call, the EPDs that describe Red Angus cattle today are reliable, but improvements can be made to the software used to calculate them. Numerous genetic evaluation advancements have been made in the last decade, with the most prevalent being multi-breed EPDs and genomic technology. However, our ability to maximize the information gained from these advancements has been hamstrung by the 20-plus-year-old software currently used to calculate our EPDs.

Enter the next generation of genetic evaluation software — Biometric Open Language Toolkit (BOLT). Developed

by Theta Solutions’ Bruce Golden and Dorian Garrick: (www.thetasolutionsllc.com), BOLT holds promise to not only resolve the limitations known to exists in today’s genetic evaluation software, but will also provide the flexibility needed to deliver tomorrow’s advancements.

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Direct Incorporation of Genomic Data While the delivery of genomic technology has greatly increased the amount of data available for predicting an animal’s genetic merit, our ability to fully apply that data into the EPD calculations has been limited.

Currently, incorporation of the genomic data is achieved through a post-National Cattle Evaluation ‘blending’ method that adjusts the traditional EPDs of the tested animal based on the genomic information. The most significant limitation of ‘blending’ is the fact that the genomic data only impacts the EPDs of the tested animal. BOLT resolves this shortcoming. Once BOLT is implemented, the genomic data will be directly incorporated into the EPD calculation of the tested animal as well as all animals in their pedigree (sire, dam, progeny, grand progeny, etc.).

This advancement will provide producers with the necessary means to maximize the return on their DNA test investment.

Precise Calculation of Accuracy A recognized imperfection of all current genetic evaluations is the inability to directly calculate accuracy values on a large database. Less computationalintensive approximation approaches have been used to indirectly estimate accuracy. A scientifically known drawback of the approximation method is its tendency to overestimate accuracy.

BOLT’s powerful combination of streamlined statistical modeling and integration of modern computing power will allow for the direct estimation of accuracy values, therefore resolving the known issues of the approximation methods. Expect a minimal decrease in an animal’s accuracy, but know that the decrease is a correction to previously inflated accuracy and not a decrease in genetic prediction power.

14th Annual Increased Frequency of National Cattle Evaluations In your walk down pre-cellphone memory lane, you probably recalled ‘back-in-the-day’ when major events would happen in the middle of the day, yet you didn’t know about it until you arrived at home in the evening.

Similarly, while data is submitted and processed on a daily basis at the RAAA National Office, only two NCEs are performed per year.

The time interval from data pull to publishing of the resulting EPDs is a several-week process, with the EPD calculation segment alone consuming at least one week. BOLT takes a fraction of the time. An NCE calculation that currently takes days is achieved in a few minutes using BOLT, making the possibility of weekly NCEs a reality.

Saturday April 1, 2017 • 1:00 PM

“Our cows work for us; so our bulls will work for you.”

Select Group of Coming Two-Year-Old Bulls and Bred Females for Sale at Farm Now.

Full Suite of Multi-Breed EPDs A milestone in Red Angus’ genetic evaluations was achieved in 2010 with the release of multi-breed growth and carcass EPDs. Two short years later those same growth and carcass EPDs were presented on a multi-breed base which allowed for the direct comparison of all breeds participating in the International Genetic Solutions (IGS) genetic evaluation. Red Angus has continued to publish single-breed CED, CEM, ME, HPG and STAY EPDs due to certain limitations in the multi-breed EPD calculation for those traits.

BOLT, however, overcomes those limitations. As a result, producers will have access to a full suite of multi-breed EPDs presented on a multi-breed base. Identical to when Red Angus released growth and carcass traits on the multi-breed base, change should be expected when CED, CEM, ME, HPG and STAY EPDs are converted to a multi-breed base.

While the exact release date of BOLT-calculated IGS EPDs has not been determined, we anticipate their availability in the forthcoming months. The BOLT revolution is close and will be a game changer in resolving genetic software limitations, advancing turnaround speed and increasing genetic prediction power — all factors that impact knowledge, decision making and profitability. Just as technology has advanced our communication capabilities with the smartphone, BOLT will advance genetic prediction to a new elevation.

ST

Red and Black Heat Tolerant SimGenetic Cattle Simbrah – SimAngus™HT – SimAngus™ and Simmental

Bulls and Replacement Heifers for Sale Private Treaty.

Call us or see our website for details.

Our Cattle are bred to take the HEAT, HUMIDITY and INSECTS in challenging environments while maintaining fertility, performance and carcass quality.

ZZ

FILEGONIA CATTLE COMPANY

Joe Mercer 327 CR 459 Lott, TX 76656

ASA

Beth Mercer

Home/Office: 254-984-2225 Cell: 956-802-6995

PERFORMANCE R E C O R D S

www.filegoniacattle.com • bethmercer1974@gmail.com

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Would you like to get paid to use some of the most promising young bulls in the industry? Do you have accurate and consistent record keeping? Then we have the program for you!

The ASA is seeking additional cooperator herds for the Carcass Merit Program. Spring or Fall calving herds are welcome.

Incentives for Cooperators “Participating as a CMP cooperative herd for nine years has enabled us to get the hard facts on feeding efficiency and harvest value by traits on our calves. As a commercial cow/calf operation, interested in making genetic progress in the cowherd, we have used the data in replacement selection and are seeing a difference in our bottom line.”

Lynda Stuart, Stuart Land and Cattle Co. “We are glad to be part of the CMP program. It provided us with top quality calves while we get to participate in improving Simmental genetics.”

John Hall, Ph. D., Professor and Extension Beef Specialist and Superintendent at University of Idaho Nancy M. Cummings REEC.

u Free semen from the industries top herd sire prospects u All cows in herd will be put in ASA’s database which will provide EPDs for every female. This allows you to make selection and culling decisions within the cowherd based on EPDs. u You have the option to retain all or some of the females produced from the program u ASA will pay $60/AI sired carcass that is harvested u Cooperators will get carcass data back on all the calves harvested through the program. u A portion of the CMP calves have feed intake collected and records shared with the cooperators.

How does it work?

u ASA assigns all matings in a random fashion so that the test produces unbiased, accurate results. u ASA will work to provide bulls that fit the general criteria of your herd.

However ASA must use only bulls that are enrolled in the program. u At least two sires will be used per contemporary group and ASA likely will use several sires per contemporary group to provide better more accurate test results. u Only bulls with high calving ease EPDs are used on heifers.

Qualifications 1. All cows will be individually identified along with birth year and approximate breed makeup 2. Collect birth weights, calving ease scores, and weaning weights on CMP sired calves 3. Beneficial but not required — have a current AI program established 4. Must commit to collecting carcass data Contact Jackie Atkins or Jannine Story for more information at 406-587-4531.

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INDUSTRY UPDATE USDA Funds Veterinary Loan Repayment The USDA has announced that $4.4 million is available to help repay veterinary school loans in return for veterinarians serving in areas lacking sufficient resources. The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is administering the funding.

Recipients are required to commit to three years of veterinary service in a designated shortage location. Loan payment benefits are limited to payments of the principal and interest on government and commercial loans received while attending an American Veterinary Medical Association-accredited college resulting in a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree or the equivalent.

American waistlines and related health appears to have been the victims of large epidemiological studies and by real-world experience with varying dietary regimens, according to NC conclusions.

Meat Could Help Older People New research indicates that high quality protein can help increase physical function during weight loss in older, obese adults. The research showed that eating more protein from foods like lean beef, as part of a reduced-calorie diet, could help obese older adults with limited ability to exercise, lose weight and increase physical function.

Obesity in older adults contributes to negative health outcomes, leading to a potential loss of independence due to reduced muscle strength and limited ability to perform activities.

Obesity Guidelines Added Members of the “Nutrition Coalition” (NC) report that Americans followed the government dietary guidelines at the same time obesity increased.

That fact contradicts conventional wisdom, in which doctors and nutritionists have told people they are obese because they are eating the wrong foods and don’t exercise.

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Organics Set Sales Record The US organic industry hit a record $43.3 billion in sales, up 11% from the prior year’s record level and outpacing the overall food market’s growth rate of 3%.

The industry saw its largest annual dollar gain ever in 2015, adding $4.2 billion in sales, up from the $3.9 in new sales recorded in 2014.

Of the $43.3 billion in total organic sales, $39.7 billion were organic food sales, up 11% from the previous year, and non-food organic products account for $3.6 billion, up 13%. Nearly 5% of all the food sold in the US in 2015 was organic.

Beef Females Increase in 2015 Producers expanded the nation’s cowherd more than expected in 2015, according to the semi-annual Cattle Inventory report released by USDA. There were 30.3 million head January 1 — about 1 million more than a year earlier — a 3.5% increase.

Beef replacement heifers are reported at 6.29 million — 3.3% more than the year before. The figures are an indication that the rebuilding of the US cowherd is well underway.

Cattle Weights Above Last Year USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) reports that actual slaughter and weight data for March showed steer dressed weights at 887 pounds, down eight pounds from the previous week but still 13 pounds above year ago levels.

This most recent eight-pound drop is the largest week-to-week drop since the middle of February.

Cattle weights usually decrease seasonally starting in January until they bottom out in May. Based on a simple average of weekly data, monthly average steer dressed weights decline about three per cent from January to May. CONTINUED ON PAGE 54

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INDUSTRY UPDATE Amtrak Sues Kansas Feed Yard Amtrak has filed a federal lawsuit against a southwest Kansas feed yard, accusing it of gross negligence in relation to a train derailment that injured 28 passengers. The train derailed along a straight stretch of tracks in flat farmland near Cimarron, about 160 miles west of Wichita.

The plaintiffs allege Cimarron Crossing Feeders failed to notify the railroad or law enforcement after one of the company’s trucks slammed into the railroad roadbed and displaced the tracks. The truck was being loaded with grain when it was left unattended, out of gear, and without any brakes applied.

It rolled downhill, crossed over US 50 and ran into the tracks.

Another One Million Acres Gone The USDA has released the “Farms and Land in Farms 2015 Summary”, which indicates fewer (but larger) farms across fewer overall acres. In 2015, USDA counted 18,000 fewer farms compared to the previous year, and a million fewer acres of farmland.

USDA lists total number of US farms at 2.07 million and number of farm acres at 912 million acres. The average farm size is three acres bigger than a year, prior, at 441 acres.

Lanting Enterprises, LLC ASA# 004859 Bob, Jim, and John Lanting 2181 B N 2300 E Twin Falls, ID 83301-0643 208-655-4257 208-731-6646 Bob’s Cell 208-655-4371 John’s Home lant4257@filertel.com Sale Date: Contact us about our Private Treaty Sales. n Quality Red and Black Simmental and SimAngusTM Cattle. n Private treaty bulls and heifers. n 90 Bulls annually raised on high-desert range.

ASA# 156629 Mike and Lyne Wells 70 County Road 824 Selma, AL 36701-0311 334-412-2280 Email: wellsfs@yahoo.com Website: www.wellsfarm.net Sales: Southern Excellence Sale and Private Treaty Sales.

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Wells Farm’s goal is to supply commercial cattlemen with a large group of quality Simmental and SimAngus™ bulls to choose from in a relaxed setting at the farm. We pay special attention to disposition, carcass traits, and conformation.

We would like to invite you to become one of our repeat customers who use us each year for their bull purchases.

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Many states reported no significant farmland acre reductions. Here are the states that reported 100,000 acres or more lost: Alabama (down more than 100,000 acres), Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi, North Caroliina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Wisconsin (down 100,000 acres).

FY16 Beef Checkoff Budget After being forced to make cuts of more than $5 million from proposed programs, the Cattleman’s Beef Board will invest about $40.7 million into development and implementation of programs in fiscal 2017, subject to approval by USDA. The fiscal 2017 budget represents a decrease of more than 9% from the $44.8 million FY16 budget.

Fiscal Year 2017 budget includes: $8.1 million for promotion, $9.5 million for research, $7.6 million for customer information, $3.9 million for industry information, $7.2 million for foreign marketing and education in 80 countries, and 1.5 million for producer communications.

Cow-eating Gator Killed A 780-pound “monster” gator slain in a Florida hunt and hauled out of the water with a farm tractor was apparently attacking and devouring cattle. The animal was killed in a hunt at Okeechobee near the Florida Everglades. Farm officials estimated the alligator to be 15 feet long.

The gator was discovered in a pond where cattle came to drink. The hunters used a farm machine to pull it from the water after shooting it. A photo of the large animal dangling in the air from the farm equipment was posted to Facebook prompting mixed feelings, but later was removed from the site.

Vegan Butcher Shop The first vegan “butcher shop” located in Minneapolis, MN, sells meatless meat, cheese-less cheese, and uses non-GMO heritage wheat and seasoning to imitate the taste of pepperoni, short ribs, sausage, ham, and more.

The store, The Herbivorous Butcher, is a family operation that claims to “spare animals and also help the environment”. The store faces the challenge that 75% of vegetarians eventually start eating meat again.

Economic Impact of US meat The impact of the domestic meat and poultry industry on the US economy exceeded $1 trillion for the first time, according to the latest study commissioned by the North American Meat Institute.

The figure represents 5.6% of the nations gross domestic product (GDP) and was calculated using data from all types of meat and poultry producers, wholesalers and retailers as part of the “Meat Fuels America” research project.

The industry has a value of $1.02 trillion, is larger than the US trucking industry, and is almost as large as the US government.

Meat Prices Decline The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of economywide inflation for food, decreased slightly from April to May, by 0.2%, according to USDA’s latest Consumer Price Index.

The CPI for restaurants purchases was up 0.2% in May and is 2.6% higher than May 2015, but the CPI for grocery store food items decreased 0.5% from April to May and is 0.7% lower than last May. Beef and veal prices continued to experience the negative effects of the Texas/Oklahoma drought.

Beef and Veal Prices increased 0.2% from April to May, but are 5.4% lower than this time last year.

Beef Production Down Average cattle carcass dressed weights remain on a downward trend. In late May, cattle dressed weights were reported at 806 pounds, down six pounds from the previous week and seven pounds below last year, according to the USDA. Commercial Beef Production forecasts for the second quarter of 2016 were lowered approximately 90 pounds as the pace of marketing increased because of more cattle coming out of feedlots at lighter weights.

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INDUSTRY UPDATE Consumers Believe Burgers are Nutritious A survey of adults who ordered burgers at restaurants found 82% believe the item is a good source of nutrients, though many would like to see more non-beef alternatives offered, according to market research. Another 80% said they would pay more for burgers made with premium ingredients.

Three in five (62%) consumers said they love burgers, but expressed interest in a wide array of non-beef burger alternatives. Nearly half said they would like to see more chicken burgers (46%) on menus, and two in five (42%) were interested in more turkey burgers.

Another 34% wanted to see bison as a burger option on more menus.

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Combo Meals help Fast Casuals A renewed focus on combo meals is helping fast casual burger restaurant chains generate more visits by bargain-conscious consumers, according to a new report. Overall, visits to buy combo meals at burger restaurants climbed by 1% in the year ending in February compared with the previous corresponding year, and the entire increase was driven by combo meal deals.

Such deals — comprised of at least three menu items for a bundled price — had been on the decline in popularity for several years as consumers looked for more choices and the ability to customize their meals, NPD reported.

Lunch Advocates Oppose Grant Plan Consumers Vary Sandwich Order Consumers eat an average of 3.7 sandwiches per week, a rate which has remained stable over the past few years. However, consumers are now eating a wider variety of sandwiches as they look for new, unique foods, according to a 2016 Sandwich Consumer Trend Report.

Although burgers are still consumed most often of all sandwiches, other varieties — including deli salad, breakfast, flatbed and ethnic sandwiches — are gaining on burgers. The rise of all-day breakfast is creating new opportunities for sandwiches: 27% of consumers are buying breakfast sandwiches outside of typical breakfast hours.

Critics of the US House Bill recently approved by the education committee says the legislation, which would set up a block grant pilot program in three states, is the first step toward elimination of a federal guarantee of nutritious meals for school children.

The block grant provisions will cut funds for school meal programs and nullify crucial federal mandates, including student eligibility rules for free and reduced price meals and nutrition standards. The bill was approved by the House Education and Workforce Committee and now awaits consideration by the full house.

FSIS Clarifies Rule USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has posted a notice clarifying how products subject to its final rule on mechanically tenderized beef are not subject to the regulation.

For Sale: Twenty 9-month-old and three 14-monthold registered heifers. Nearly all are homozygous for both black and polled.

By popular AI sires. Mostly ¾ bloods and purebreds. Attractive, functional, good performing heifers with great EPDs and Indexes. Received all shots and poured.

Priced from $1,250 to $3,750.

Heifers like this 2015 heifer for sale.

Michael Dikeman, Manhattan, KS 785-770-2977 or mdikeman@ksu.edu

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According to the update, any mechanically tenderized beef product must include a descriptive designation, such as “mechanically tenderized”. If the product is needle tenderized, it can be described as “needle tenderized,” or as “blade tenderized” if it is blade tenderized. The notice specifies type styles as well.

Packing Jobs Dangerous A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicates that illness and injury rates are on the decline, but also underreported in the meat packing industry.

Evaluations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and academic studies found the nation’s estimated 526,000 meat and poultry processing workers face numerous hazards. Most hazardous tasks involve repetitive motion and prolonged standing linked to musculoskeletal disorders, exposure to chemicals and pathogens, and traumatic injuries from machine tools.

High Feed Prices Dampen Production USDA has lowered its forecast for total red meat and poultry production in 2016 and 2017, largely as higher feed prices dampen the rate of production growth.

In its monthly Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, USDA reduced beef production estimates on lower carcass weights, but the pace of second-quarter slaughter is slightly slower than previously expected. Projections for 2017 are reduced on slightly lower carcass weights and higher feed prices are expected to encourage cattle feeders to minimize the amount of time cattle are on feed.

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INDUSTRY UPDATE Food Stores Try to Attract Millennials

CONTINUED

Lightning Kills Cattle

Supermarkets are raising the bar on their foodservice offering with restaurant-quality and fresh food, chef-driven menus, attracting the attention of the coveted millennial market are variously described as consumers born from around 1978 to 2004.

Millennials use grocery stores less than other generational groups, although retail foodservice is gaining traction with them.

Lightning storms killed cattle in at least three states, and the largest amount of damage was in McCook County, SD, where 21 head of cattle were killed while they were feeding.

Cattle were also reported killed near North Platte, NE, where at least six head of cattle died when lightning hit a fence post and the electrical charge followed the barbed wire, killing the cattle. Then in Edger Springs, lightning struck killing 12 animals.

Vegan Owners Anger Patrons

Bull to Cow Ratios

The owners of two premier vegan restaurants in Vacaville, CA, have angered some customers after revealing that they have slaughtered animals and eaten meat at their farm. The owners’ report that they realized that farm animals keep farmland healthy so they bought some cows and some sheep, then later slaughtered some of the cows for food.

Now some of the vegan community says they feel “betrayed”, and have even received death threats.

A Facebook boycott group and a live protest are planned at one of the restaurants.

Research has found that a yearling bull should be placed with about as many cows as his age in months.

In the first year, a yearling bull should breed 12 to 13 females, and an 18 month old should be able to breed 15 to 18 cows. By the time the bull is two-years-old, he should be able to breed 24 or 25 cows.

In multi-sire pastures, bulls breed in pecking order. Australian data show bulls gain dominant roles as they mature and breed a larger percentage of the cows. Ranchers should refrain from putting younger bulls in the same pasture as mature bulls because bulls that don’t develop dominate status tend to breed only a small percentage of the herd in a multi-sire pasture.

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INDUSTRY UPDATE E. coli Survives High Temp, Pressure Food Research at the University of Alberta has found that cooking beef at 160°F, the level of heat treatment recommended by Health Canada and the USDA, does not always eliminate E. coli strains. They’re also reporting that some strains survive pressures up to 87,000 pounds per square inch, the long-held standard used in high pressure processing.

Microbiologists began noticing the inconsistent behavior of E. coli in 2008, when they assigned a student to look for differences in thermal survival among organisms in a large collection of E. coli from beef.

CONTINUE

Research Reduces Salmonella An old technology that uses natural predators called bacteriophages is the focus of new research at the University of Nevada, Reno. The technique is being used to reduce salmonella bacteria in meat products. Salmonella was reduced by as much as 90% in ground poultry, pork and beef during the research trials.

Salmonella is one of the most common causes of foodborne illnesses in the US estimated to cause one million illnesses in the US every year, with 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths. The bacteria can cause diarrhea, fever, vomiting and abdominal cramps.

In people with weaker immune systems or in young children and the elderly, it can be fatal.

Bovine TB Blood Test A new blood test to detect Mycobacteria in blood has been developed by a team at the University of Nottingham in England.

Researchers have used this method to show that cattle diagnosed with bovine tuberculosis (BTB) have detectable levels of the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) in their blood, which causes this disease.

The test detects low levels of mycobacteria in blood. The testing has a six-hour turn-around, and is currently licensed to a spin out company, PBD Biotech Ltd.

Early Shedding Correlates to Breeding Performance Genetic adaptation to environment may hold the key to breeding performance in beef cattle, according to research at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The research found that early shedding of winter coats correlated with better breeding performance.

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INDUSTRY UPDATE Four years of data showed that cow shedding in May had higher pregnancy rates to artificial insemination and their calves had higher weights at weaning than cows that shed their coats later in the year.

In short, cattle that are better adapted to the climate, grass and other environmental conditions feed better, grow better and reproduce better.

Elk Transmit Brucellosis Efforts to control brucellosis in cattle around Yellowstone National Park may be focusing on the wrong wildlife suspects, according to new

CONTINUED

DNA research. The study suggested that elk are the most likely source of brucellosis in domestic cattle, complicating the work of officials charged with controlling the spread of the disease.

Suspicion that bison were the main spreaders of the disease in cattle prompted extensive restrictions on bison trying to migrate out of the park into grazing lands around the park, found no direct links from bison to livestock.

New Blood Pregnancy Test for Heifers BioTracking, Inc. has introduced a new tool to the industry, the BioPRYNhfr-25 blood pregnancy test. At 25 days post-breeding, the test is an early open detection for heifers. It provides information to make timely heifer reproductive management decisions.

BioPRYN is designed to detect Pregnancy-Specific Protein B (PSPB) in heifers as a result of their accelerated physiological response in initial development of placental tissues. Research in a commercial setting confirms a high accuracy when a heifer is identified as open 25 days post-breeding.

FDA Finalizes BSE Rules The US Food and Drug Administration has finalized a rule for three previously issued interim final rules designed to further reduce the potential risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in human food.

This rule finalizes three rules from 2004, 2005, and 2008. It also provides definitions for prohibited cattle materials and prohibits their use in human food, dietary supplements, and cosmetics to address the potential risk of BSE. CONTINUED ON PAGE 64

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INDUSTRY UPDATE Group Advises on Cattle Antibiotics Warning that the world is headed to a future where routine operations are no longer possible and infections no longer tolerable, a coalition of 54 institutional investment groups is calling on fast-food chains to decrease the use of antibiotics in their global poultry and meat supply chain.

The campaign is led by the London-based Farm Animal Investment & Return (FAIRR) initive and responsible investment charity ShareAction.

It’s backed by a $1 trillion coalition of international investors. Around half of all antibiotics produced in the UK are given to livestock, with the figure rising to 80 % in the US.

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Group to Study Ogallala Aquifer A group of researchers will play an important role within the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture-funded university consortium to address agricultural sustainability on the Ogallala Aquifer. The consortium is led by Colorado State University, KSU, and six other universities as well as USDA’s Research Services.

The Ogallala, along with many of the world’s aquifers, is declining at a rate many consider unsustainable. The aquifer’s region currently accounts for 30% of total crop and animal production in the US and more than 90% of the water pumped from the Ogallala Aquifer is used for irrigated agriculture.

Protein “Highway” Coming A coalition of six US states and three Canadian provinces are joining forces to prepare to launch a branding program to establish was is being called “the Protein Highway,” delineating a region that is known for developing protein-rich crops.

The designated region includes North and South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana and Nebraska along with Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The project seeks to encourage researchers in the region to work to develop and promote protein sources.

Hormel Meals for Cancer Patients Hormel Foods has established “Hormel Vital Cuisine,” a line of packaged ready-to-eat meals, nutrition shakes and whey protein powders designed to support the nutritional needs of cancer patients.

ST

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Semen Available on Today’s Hottest AI Sires 866-356-4565 www.cattlevisions.com 3485 Nancy Lane Clinton, Illinois 61727

lmcs 2000@yahoo.com www.larrymartinlivestock.com

Mobile: 217-433-0242

NIVERSAL SEMEN SALES, INC. 2626 Second Avenue South Great Falls, MT 59405 800-227-8774 406-453-0374 406-452-5153 Evenings 406-453-0510 Fax unisemen@universalsemensales.com

www.universalsemensales.com 66

SIMTALK

Upcoming Events: April 7, 2017 Florida Simmental Association’s Annual Meeting 6:00 PM UF Greenwood Bull Test Site, Greenwood, FL

April 29, 2017 First Annual Spring Heifer Jackpot ShowSponsored by Florida Simmental Association April 29th, 2017 in Marianna, Fl at the Jackson County Ag center.

Contact Stacy Warden 850-693-3275, cntrydenise@yahoo.com for more details.

TBA 1st Annual Elite Female Sale Sponsored by Florida Simmental Association August of 2017, sale date and location to be announced at later date.

This sale will be limited to 40 to 50 lots. The best Open and Bred heifers, along with pregnancies only, that we have to offer will be sold.

Contact Craig Roberts 850-849-9314, biafarms2010@gmail.com for more details.

Florida Simmental Association Junior Program is growing.

Officers: President:

Vice President:

Secretary

Treasurer:

Craig Roberts 1046 Danford Bay Road Graceville, FL 32440 850-849-9314 biafarms2010@gmail.com

Jeff Snell 1027 HWY 171 Graceville, FL 32440 850-718-7746 jeff_snell@yahoo.com

Stacey Warden 5438 Goosebury Road Bascom, FL 32423 850-693-3275 cntrydenise@yahoo.com

Danny Melvin 5376 Rocky Creek Marianna, FL 32448 850-209-3869 rockycreeksimmental@gmail.com

Visit us at

Ad Sales Staff For All Your Advertising Needs

S

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imTalk is an 8 1/8 x 10 7/8 inch publication produced by the Register, the official publication of the American Simmental Association. Published four times annually, SimTalk is a glossy, full-color publication with a circulation of 50,000+ and targets commercial users of SimGenetics. Advertising in SimTalk provides a unique opportunity to brand and trademark your program to thousands of potential customers. If you are serious about communicating with the commercial beef business, consider an advertising presence in every one of our four annual issues.

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Send all ad materials to: register@simmgene.com or Fax: 406-587-9301 A non-refundable fee of $50.00 will be assessed if a client does not meet deadlines or if the client commits to advertising and cancels after the deadline or if the ad must be dropped to ensure on time publication.

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CALENDAR

OCTOBER

21 Buckles and Banners Sale — West Point, IA 21 MN Beef Expo – White Satin On Ice Sale — Minneapolis, MN 21 New Day Genetics’ Fall Bull and Female Sale — Eldon, MO 22 Flying H Genetics ‘Grown On Grass’ Bull Sale — Butler, MO 22 Pennsylvania Fall Classic Sale — Waynesburg, PA 22 Midwest Made Sale — Ames, IA 22 MN Beef Expo — All Breeds Sale — Minneapolis, MN 22 The Magnolia Classic 2016 — Starkville, MS 23-24 SVJ Farm’s Online Female Sale — www.dponlinesales.com 23 Tingle Farms’ 1st Annual Production Sale — New Castle, KY 28 22nd Annual Hokie Harvest Sale — Blacksburg, VA 29 7P Ranch 41st Annual Production Sale — Tyler, TX (pg. 25) 29 Michigan Simmental Association’s 3rd Annual Fall Sale — St. Louis, MI 29 Red Hill Farms’ “Bulls of Fall II” — Lafayette, TN (pg. 82) 29 Yon Family Farms’ Fall Bull and Female Sale — Ridge Spring SC 31 Rust Mountain View’s “Queens of the Pasture” Production Sale — Mercer, ND 31-11/1 Southern Harvest at Fenton Farms Simmentals — www.dponlinesales.com

NOVEMBER 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 10 12 12 12 12 12-14 13 14 14 15 17 18 19-21 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 20 20 20 23 25 26 26 26 26 26 27 27 27

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Genetic Blend Bull Sale - Fall Edition — Grand Saline, TX RS&T Simmentals, LLC — Online Female Sale Bull Power Sale — Colbert, GA (pg. 77) Ludvigson Stock Farms’ Fall Herdbuilder Bull Sale — Shepherd, MT (pg. 79) Drake Cattle Company’s Lady Diva Sale — Centerville, IA (pg. 34) Harriman Santa Fe Bull Sale — Windsor, MO Irvine Ranch 12th Annual Production Sale — Manhattan, KS Land of Lincoln Sale — Altamont, IL New Day Genetics’ Fall Bull and Female Sale — Osceola, MO (pgs. 58, 59) Pigeon Mountain Simmental’s Fall Bull Test Sale — Armuchee, GA (pg. 77) Western Showcase Sale — Moses Lake, WA Hawkeye Simmental Sale — Bloomfield, IA Triangle J Harvest Select Female Sale — Miller, NE (pgs. 16-17, 25) Koz-E Acres’ Fall Harvest Online Sale — www.sconlinesales.com Bieber Red Angus Fall Sale — Leola, SD (pg. 25) Deer Creek Farm’s Production Sale — Roseland, VA Gibbs Farms’ 11th Annual Bull and Replacement Female Sale — Ranburne, AL (pgs. 12, 25, 84-85, ) Moser Ranch 25th Annual Bull Sale — Wheaton, KS Two Fast Nickels Online Bull Sale — www.texassimmentalsimbrah.com Hudson Pines Farm Living Legacy XII Sale — Campbellsburg, KY (pgs. 40, 68) 74-51 Cattle Company’s Registered Herd Dispersal Sale — Marshall, OK (pg. 39) NAILE Select Sale — Louisville, KY 74-51 Cattle Company’s Commercial Herd Dispersal Sale — Enid, OK (pg. 39) Triple Creek Ranch’s Complete Cowherd Dispersal — Greeley, CO Heartland Simmentals’ Performance with Class Sale — Waverly, IA (pg. 53) LMC “Giving THANKS” Donation Online Sale — www.lamunecacattle.com Missouri State Simmental Association’s “Fall Harvest” — Springfield, MO MM Cattle/Callaway Cattle Co.’s 4th Annual Bull and Commercial Female Sale — Carrollton, GA (pg. 77) Shenandoah’s Shining Stars — Quicksburg, VA (pg. 66) “Southern Excellence” Bull Sale — Wadley, AL (pgs. 48, 77) Southwest Cattlemen’s Classic — Wytheville, VA (pg. 62) The Buckeye Best of Both World’s Female Sale — Newark, OH Timberland Cattle Company’s Black Angus and SimAngus Bull Sale — Vernon, AL (pg. 77) Value By Design Female Sale — Anita, IA (pgs. 23, 25) Yardley Cattle Company’s Focus on the Female Sale — Beaver UT 74-51 Cattle Co.’s Red Dirt Divas Sale — Marshall, OK Gana Farms and Gateway Genetics Production Sale — Martell, NE North Central Simmental Fall Classic — Hubbard, IA Canadian Western Agribition — Regina, SK (pg. 73) Ruby Cattle Company’s “Livin’ The Dream” Production Sale — Murray, IA Consolidated Genetic Solutions Bull Sale — Marianna, FL (pgs. 21, IBC) Foxy Ladies Bred Heifer Sale — West Point, NE (pg. 36) Grass-Lunning Bountiful Harvest Female Production Sale — LeRoy, MN The Event — Tecumseh, NE Trennepohl Farms’ Right By Design Sale — Middletown, IN Diamond M Cattle Company Production Sale — Hiawatha, KS Late Fall Harvest Online Sale at Krieger Farms — www.sconlinesaels.com The Chosen Few at Janssen Farms — Gilmore City, IA

CONTINUED ON PAGE 76

CALENDAR

CONTINUED

DECEMBER 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3

2638 Turkey Creek Road Starkville, MS 39759 Home: 662-323-0744 Cell: 662-418-0686 Fax: 662-324-7721 Farm Manager: Seth Spurlock 662-769-2577

,

Mikell & Mary Cheek Davis, Owners

www.littlecreekcattle.com

4 5 5 7 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 11 12 16 17 17 17 28-29

Calhoun Performance Tested Bull Sale — Calhoun, GA (pg. 77) SimPower Female Sale — Innisfail, AB (pg. 73) Tom Brothers’ Private Treaty Bid-Off Bull Sale — Campbellton, TX (pg. 65) Jewels of the Northland — Clara City, MN (pg. 55) Montana’s Choice Simmental Sale — Billings, MT (pgs. 12-13, 25, 40, 68) Next Step Cattle Co.’s 4th Annual Bull Sale — Auburn, AL (pg. 27) Pleasant Hill Farms’ “A December to Remember” — Rockfield, KY (pg. 75) T-Heart Ranch and L-Cross Ranch High Altitude Female Sale — La Garita, CO (pgs. 25, 33) Schaake Farms Heritage Sale — Westmoreland, KS Dakota Made Production Sale — Salem, SD Genetic Perfection Sale — Fremont, NE Double Bar D Farms’ Fall Female Sale — Grenfell, SK (pg. 71) Eagle Pass Ranch’s Annual Female Sale — Highmore, SD (pgs. 25, 63) Cowboy Logic Bull and Commercial Female Sale — Talmo, GA (pg. 77) Driggers Simmental Farm’s Bull Sale — Glennville, GA (pg. 77) Hartman Cattle Company’s Customer Appreciation Sale — Tecumseh, NE North Alabama Bull Evaluation Sale — Cullman, AL North Dakota Simmental Association’s Showcase/Classic Sale — Mandan, ND (pg. 48) Purdue Golden Girls Cow Sale — West Lafayette, IN Southeast Alabama Bull Test Sale — New Brockton, AL (pg. 80) Trauernicht Simmental’s Nebraska Platinum Standard Sale — Beatrice, NE (pg. 57) Stoughton Farms’ Complete Dispersal Sale — Lloydminster, SK (pg. 70) Friday Night Lights — Olds, AB (pg. 73) Money Makin' Mommas Sale — Ames, IA South Dakota Source Sale — Mitchell, SD “The Source” Sale — Nashville, GA (pg. 77) St. Nick's Eggstravaganza Online Embryo Event — www.dponlinesales.com

JANUARY 2017 14 SimMagic On Ice — Denver, CO 14 University of Florida Bull Test Sale — Greenwood, FL 16 National Western "The One-Volume XXIV" Sale — Denver CO 17 Wild, Wild West Simmental Sale — Brighton, CO 23 Fort Worth Stock Show – Jr. Simmental and Jr. Simbrah Shows — Fort Worth, TX 25 Sioux Empire Farm Show and Sale — Sioux Falls, SD 27 Ellingson Simmentals’ Annual Production Sale — ND (pg. 35) 27 Fort Worth Stock Show – PB Simmental, Percentage Simmental and Simbrah Shows — Fort Worth, TX 28 Double J Farms' 43rd Annual Private Treaty Simmental Bid Bull Sale — Garretson, SD 28 Forster Farms 38th Annual Production Sale — Smithfield, NE 28 J&C Simmentals Annual Bull Sale — West Point, NE (pg. 36) 29 Triangle J Ranch’s Annual Production Sale — Miller, NE (pg. 36)

FEBRUARY

Genetics That Work

JRW Farms, LLC Richard Woolwine, Owner 562 Marson Trigg Road Seminary, MS 39479

Brad Woods 601-441-0539 Johnny Ingram 601-408-4186 www.jrw-llc.com 76

SIMTALK

1 1-2 2 2 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 8 8 9 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 11 11 12 12 12

Begger's Diamond V Big Sky Genetic Source Bull Sale — Wibaux, MT Sloup Customer Appreciation Online Sale — www.dponlinesales.com Black Hills Stock Show and Sale — Rapid City, SD Stavick Simmental’s “King of the Range” Bull Sale — Veblen, SD Olrichs/Felt Farms Bull Sale — Norfolk, NE (pg. 36) Prickly Pear Simmentals "Made In Montana" Sale — Helena, MT (pgs. 35, 78) Springer Simmentals Sale of Value Based Genetics — Decorah, IA 35th Annual Klain Simmental Production Sale — Turtle Lake, ND Hartman Cattle Company’s Simmental Bull Sale — Tecumseh, NE 37th Annual Gateway "Breeding Value" Bull Sale — Lewistown, MT (pg. IBC) Edge of the West Production Sale — Mandan, ND (pg. 35) River Creek Farms 27th Annual Production Sale — Manhattan, KS (pgs. 7, 37) Wilkinson Farms Simmentals’ 19th Annual Production Sale — Napoleon, ND Lassle Ranch Simmentals’ 24th Annual Production Sale — Glendive, MT Bata/Olafson 20th Annual Joint Simmental Bull and Female Sale, Rugby, ND Hook Farms and Clear Springs Cattle Co. "Bred for Balance"Sale — Starbuck, MN (pg. 61) TNT Simmentals’ 32nd Annual “Genetic Explosion” Sale — Almont, ND (pg. 35) Watertown Winter Farm Show and Sale — Watertown, SD Bar CK Cattle Company’s Profit Sharing Sale — Culver, OR Berger’s Herdmasters’ Bull Sale — North Platte, NE (pg. 45) Dixie National Simmental Sale — Jackson, MS Grass-Lunning’s Bulls-Eye Bonanza Sale — LeRoy, MN Kenner Simmentals' 21st Annual Production Sale — Leeds, ND Hart Simmental Beef Builder Bull Sale — Frederick, SD Rydeen Farms 19th Annual "Vision" Sale — Clearbrook, MN Wicks Cattle Annual SimAngus/Simmental Production Sale; Richardton, ND

ST

2012 Across-Breed EPD Table, GPE Rep. 22, MARC, USDA * Major Continental Breeds — Simmental, Gelbvieh, Limousin, Charolais

Trait

Simmental Rank vs. Major Continental Breeds*

Angus/Red Angus Rank vs. Major British Breeds

Marbling Score Carcass Weight # Retail Product Weight Gain Feed Efficiency Weaning Weight Post Weaning Gain Shear Force

First First Second First Second Second First

Second First First Second First Second First

“Crossbred steers with a 50:50 ratio of Continental European to British breed inheritance are likely to produce a more optimum balance between carcass quality grade and yield grade than crossbred or straightbred steers that represent either 100% British breed, or 100% Continental European breeding.”

– MARC GPE Progress Report No. 22, USDA

November 4 – Bull Power Sale Colbert, GA • Info: 706-474-0091

December 2 – Calhoun Performance Tested Bull Sale Calhoun, GA • Info: 706-542-9102

November 5 – Pigeon Mountain Fall “Beef Builder” Bull Sale Select Cattle Enterprises, Armuchee, GA Info: Bruce Van Meter 770-547-1433

December 10 – 5th Annual Driggers Simmental Bull Sale • Glennville, GA Info: Jessie Driggers 912-237-0608

November 12 – Gibbs Farms 11th Annual Bull & Female Sale Ranburne, AL • Info: 336-469-0489

December 10 – Cowboy Logic Bull & Commercial Female Sale • Talmo, GA Contact: Cole Elrod 678-410-1312

November 19 – Callaway & McCravy Angus and SimAngusTM Bull & Commercial Female Sale Carrollton, GA • Info: 770-355-2165 November 19 – Southern Excellence Bull Sale Wadley, AL • Info: 404-473-6797 November 19 – Timberland Cattle’s Black Angus & SimAngusTM Bull Sale Vernon, AL • Info: 205-695-6314

December 17 – “The Source” Sale Nashville, GA, Contact: Chandler Akins 229-237-2449 February 25 – Pigeon Mountain Spring Bull Sale, Armuchee, GA Info: Bruce VanMeter 770-547-1433

Looking for Simmental/ SimAngusTM Bulls?

Visit our website to find a breeder near you!

AD INDEX Alabama

Illinois

Gibbs Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 85 Moore Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Next Step Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Southeast Alabama Bull Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Wells Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Whelan Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Allied Genetic Resources . . . . . . 12, 17, 21, 23, 25, 30, 31, 33, 41, 43, 51, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 69, 85, IBC Bramlet Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Hopewell Views Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Martin Cattle Sales, Larry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Rhodes Angus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 58 Wildberry Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 31

Colorado All Terrain Bulls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Altenburg Super Baldy Ranch, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . 34 Bridle Bit Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Far Out Cattle Ranch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 L-Cross Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Lechleiter Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Premium Sourced Cattle, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 SRS Red Angus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 T-Heart Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33, 34, 60

Indiana Krieger Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Matt C. Sims Auction, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Advanced Beef Genetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Brink Fleckvieh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Heartland Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Jass Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Long’s Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Ludvigson Stock Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Ruble Cattle Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Rugged R Cattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Springer Simmental. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Stanley Martins Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Value by Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Consolidated Genetic Solutions . . . . . . . . . 21, IBC Florida Junior Simmental Association . . . . . . . . . 67 Florida Simmental Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Southern Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Georgia Georgia Simmental Simbrah Association . . . . . . 77 Phillips Farms Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Kansas ART-JEN Simmental Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Brooks Simmental Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Cow Camp Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Dikeman, Michael Simmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Dixson Farms, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Gold Bullion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Hofmann Simmental Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 37 Jensen Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Kaser Brothers Simmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Idaho Lanting Enterprises, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38, 54 Promise Land Ranch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Kentucky DP Sales Management, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Pleasant Hill Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Tingle Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Louisiana Rugged R Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Michigan

Iowa

Florida

Moser Ranch, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 River Creek Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 37 Rock Creek Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Sunflower Genetics LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Freedom Run Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Green Valley Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 J Bar J Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 J/C Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Triple Z Simmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Minnesota Anderson Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Boehland Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Clear Springs Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Eberspacher Enterprises, Inc. . . . . . . . . . 53, 55, 57 Hecksel Simmental Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Hilbrands Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Hilbrands Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Jewels of the Northland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Learn Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Oak Meadow Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Rydeen Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Sargeant Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Sherwood Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Tom Hook Family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

EPDs as of 8.9.16

CONTINUED ON PAGE 80

CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW DOC

17 0

78

74 115 .26 10 18

SIMTALK

CW

YG

MB

BF

REA $API $TI

55 11.4 38.4 -.15 .29 .004 .85 145 77

CE BW WW YW ADG MCE Milk MWW DOC

10 1.9 77 121 .28 10 16

CW

YG

MB

BF

REA $API $TI

54 10.2 44.7 -.55 .06 -.109 1.27 126 76

AD INDEX

CONTINUED

Mississippi

Montana

Nebraska

JRW Farms, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Little Creek Farm, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76, 86 Rockhill Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Tanner Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Bulls of the Big Sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 35 Cold Smoke Cattle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 40, 68 Gateway Simmental & Lucky Cross . . . . . . 21, IBC Genetic Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Genex Custom Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Hill’s Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Hudson Pines-Hayes Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Ludvigson Stock Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Miller Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Montana Simmental Association . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13 Nelson Livestock Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Open 8 Genetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Open Gate Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 ORIgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Prickly Pear Simmental Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 78 Universal Semen Sales, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Berger’s Herdmasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 45 Felt Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Forster Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Gengenbach Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Hadwiger Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Hartman Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 J&C Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 JT Cattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Kearns Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Kersten Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Neuman, Chris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Plum Thicket Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Rains Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Sandy Acres Simmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Schram Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Sloup Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 State Line Simmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 The Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Trauernicht Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Triangle J Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17, 21, 36 Tucker Cattle Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Vogler Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Western Cattle Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Willers Mitten Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 68

Missouri Cattle Visions . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 9, 19, 28, 29, 66, 81 Genex Custom Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Gerloff Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Harriman Santa Fe (Bob) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Hill’s Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Lucas Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34, 74 New Day Genetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 59 Steaks Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC Terra Sol Beef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

New York Hudson Pines Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 68

North Dakota Dakota Xpress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Ellingson Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 James Creek Simmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Keller Broken Heart Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Kenner Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 North Dakota Simmental Association . . . . . . . . . 48 Olafson Brothers Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Rust Mountain View Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 SRF Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 SYS Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 TNT Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Oklahoma 7451 Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Lazy U Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Morris Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Premium Sourced Cattle, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 White Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Willis Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Ohio Ferguson Show Cattle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Haley Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Oregon Bar CK Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Thomas Angus Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Pennsylvania Elk Country Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Williamson, Ben & Jessica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

South Dakota 3C Christensen Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Benda Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Double J Farms Simmental Cattle. . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Eagle Pass Ranch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Eichacker Simmentals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Genex Custom Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 NLC Simmental Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Rocky Knoll Cattle Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 S/M Fleckvieh Cattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Traxinger Simmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Werning Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

CONTINUED ON PAGE 82

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EPDs: CE: 6 $API: 127 $TI: 78

Dam: URA Baby Doll

LLSF Pays To Believe ZU194 ASA#: 2659897 • Pays To Dream x Trademark Homozygous Black/Heterozygous Polled Granddam: Rockin Robin Pays To Believe is the spectacular 2015 NWSS and 2014 NAILE Grand Champion Bull! His first calves are averaging 5 digits in public auctions and his full-sib sisters averaged $16,000 in Lee’s 2014 fall sale.

WLE Big Deal A617

CNS-HFS Payload A330

EPDs: CE: 8 $API: 108 $TI: 60 ASA#: 2743620 • Homozygous Polled Steel Force x Shawnee Miss 770P Big Deal is exciting at Mid Continent Farms & Wesner Livestock. Big Deal is calving easily and adding value to progeny!

Maternal brother to Uno Mas.

EPDs: CE: 10 $API: 132 $TI: 65 ASA#: 2747228 • Homozygous Black, Heterozygous Polled • Pays to Dream x Navigator.

Extra sound structured, calving ease, solid black bull with added depth to use to make complete, sound progeny. He has no white on face to use on heifers or cows.

EPDs: CE: 6 $API: 110 $TI: 57

EPDs: CE: 11 $API: 133 $TI: 65

Reserve Champion NWSS Pen of Three Bulls for GLS, all sired by New Direction.

Famous donor dam, Hope Floats

GLS New Direction X184

TNGL Grand Fortune Z467 ASA#: 2654876 • Grandmaster x STF Montana Black 2014 NWSS Champion Bull!

Homozygous Black & Homozygous Polled Exciting, extra complete first progeny with lots of extension!

2014 NWSS Champion Bull $16,000 Grand Fortune daughter

EPDs: CE: 8 $API: 115 $TI: 61

ASA#: 2536539 • Better Than Ever x Powerline New Direction is the homozygous polled, Dream On free, outcross pedigree sire that you can use with confidence to make sound, soggy, Sim-Influenced progeny! New Direction sired the “Power Simmy” selection at The One Sale a heifer brought in from Hilbrands HILB Fashionista — $10,000 Cattle Co. MN. New Direction daughter at The One Sale.

New Direction bred at GLS, MN

HILB Maverick — $50,000 New Direction son at The One Sale

EPDs as of 9.21.16

EPDs: CE: 11 $API: 159 $TI: 83 Heterozygous Black Homozygous Polled Ignition’s fantastic full sister

FBF1/SF Ignition A811 ASA#: 2749323 • Combustible x In Dew Time Homozygous Black/Homozygous Polled Ignition packs an unprecedented load of muscle shape and internal dimension together with excellent structure and profile. Ask Randy Daniels, Trent Templeton and Todd Alford about progeny!

Calving Ease Outcross Ignition’s donor grandam

Long’s Damien A37 ASA#: 2789551 • Shear Force x GW Lucky Man

Damien is a fantastic, calving ease prospect who’d we never imagine to own this much eyeappeal studying his pedigree.

Genetic outliers with “look” are rare and we’re wayyy excited about Damien! Solid black-use on baldy heifers and cows to remove white.

866-356-4565 www.cattlevisions.com

AD INDEX Tennessee Martin Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Red Hill Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 82 Slate Farms & Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Texas 7N Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Allflex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Bois d’Arc Land & Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Brush Country Bulls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37, 43 Cattle In Demand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52, 75 Filegonia Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Flying F Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Fullblood Simmental Fleckvieh Federation . . . . . 86 Pine Ridge Ranch, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 35

CONTINUED

Reavis Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 RX Simbrah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Shipman, Jered, Auctioneer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Smith Genetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Southwestern Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Tom Brothers Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Triple J/Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Utah Top Hat Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Reasor Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Rocky Hollow Farm Simmental Cattle . . . . . . . . . 37 Shenandoah Valley Simmentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Washington Professional Livestock Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Trinity Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Wisconsin

Virginia

ABS Global, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 38 Accelerated Genetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 66 Elm Mound Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Deer Creek Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Little Windy Hill Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 McDonald Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Canada Circle 3 Genetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Direct Livestock Marketing Systems (DLMS) . . . 70 Double Bar D Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71, 86 Mader Ranches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Stoughton Farms, Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 T Bar Cattle Co., Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70, 71

Associations American Simmental Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC, 1, 30, 44, 46, 49, 65 Florida Junior Simmental Association . . . . . . . . . 67 Florida Simmental Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Fullblood Simmental Fleckvieh Federation . . . . . 86 Georgia Simmental Simbrah Association . . . . . . 77 International Genetic Solutions (IGS) . . . . . IFC, 65 Missouri Cattlemens Association. . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Montana Simmental Association . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13 North Dakota Simmental Association . . . . . . . . . 48

Livestock Services ABS Global, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 38 Accelerated Genetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 66 Allflex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Allied Genetic Resources . . . . . . 12, 17, 21, 23, 25, 30, 31, 33, 41, 43, 51, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 69, 85, IBC Allied Online Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 17, 21, 23 Cattle In Demand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52, 75 Cattle Visions . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 9, 19, 28, 29, 66, 81 Direct Livestock Marketing Systems (DLMS) . . . 70 DP Sales Management, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 DVAuction . . . . . . . 12, 17, 21, 23, 41, 47, 48, 63, 78, 79, 85 Eberspacher Enterprises, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 GeneSeek® a Neogen Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 International Genetic Solutions (IGS) . . . . . IFC, 65 LiveAuctions.TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 55, 59 Matt C. Sims Auction, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Professional Livestock Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Ritchey Livestock ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Ruble Cattle Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Superior Livestock Auction . . . . . . . . . . 33, 79, IBC T Bar Cattle Co., Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70, 71

Miscellaneous ASA DNA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 ASA Performance Advocate . . . . 35, 36, 37, 43, 82 ASA Publication, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 ASA Science Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Best of the Barns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Carcass Merit Program (CMP). . . 34, 36, 43, 44, 82 Have you Herd? Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38, 49 Low Density DNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Profit Through Data Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Sales Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 SimAngus™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 SimGenetics Profit Through Science . . . IFC, 30, 65 SimTalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49, 50 Total Herd Enrollment (THE) . . 34, 35, 36, 38, 43, 54 tReg Blog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38, 49

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