Porter Ranches 2025 by Kathy Matejka

Polled Red & Black Simmental Cattle

PORTER

RANCHES LTD. | ANNUAL BULL SALE

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2025 | 1:00 PM | Stony Plain, AB

90 Red & Black Simmental and 1/2 Blood Max Yearling Bulls

Widening the Gap between birth and weaning . . . .

Average API $ Index - 127.1 Top 10% of Simmental

Average TI $ Index - 78.3 Top 15% of Simmental

Welcome tWelcome to the 2025 edition of our annual bull sale. We have enjoyed 50 plus years of breeding and developing Simmental and Max (Simm x Angus) genetics. With great perspective we started in the 1970’s selling Simmental cross bulls and have now returned to where we started. We have 50 years of learning, sorting and paying our way along the path. Pedigrees are just names on a paper that look nice, but have no meaning without data and index. It has always been our priority to prove and sort cattle for traits that have merit when it comes to calving ability, calf vigour, fertility, growth and athletic ability. These are the traits that compose the full package that lead to survival in the beef business.

We have deliberately focused on breeding cattle that “widen the gap between birth and weaning”. Weight at birth and weaning have such an integral importance in achieving success in the beef business because they derive both this and next years projectable cash flow and have immediate impact on operating costs. Our foundation in breeding cattle is to be as hands off as possible. Ultimately cattle with correct conformation will be the best models for being hands free. Using ultrasound to track genetics gives us measurable separation between visual appraisal and reality, allowing us to separate beyond what your eye can see. The ribeye area on an animal is one of the most heritable traits and has a significant influence on the animals weight and structure. With over 120 years of agriculture behind us it has always been our goal to breed cattle with the intent of maternal improvement, more efficiency, and as few inputs as possible to improve margin. We gauge our cattle with the All Purpose Index (API) which moderates each trait into an index that presents an all round value of the animal. We believe that the majority of programs looking at our bulls will be helped by assessing their all purpose value within our contemporary groups.

This offering has expanded in volume but has maintained consistency and puts more bulls into the category of value buying. It is our intention for you to review this offering with many choices and be comfortable with a final selection in your budget. Our genetics will move your cow calf operation in the right direction by improving birth traits and weaning weights. We know this because of where our herd is positioned within the Simmental breeds data base.

It is a great pleasure to be working with Jared Sherman of Rebel Livestock. Call him at (403) 333-0499 to provide consult in your bull buying experience. Jared has marketed 1000’s of bulls. Jared and I have a very similar view of cattle and what it takes to build a premium product for your business.

We welcome your inquiries about our cattle. We would appreciate the opportunity to show you our cattle and assist you in making selections for your program. We look forward to seeing or speaking with you on or before March 14, 2025.

Kevin and Marie

Kevin, Marie, Hunter & Emilie

Peter Hunter

Abby

Emilie

Sandy & Keith

GENERAL INFORMATION All Bulls are Vet Inspected & Semen Tested Prior to Sale Day EPD EXPLANATION ……….

The initial EPD on an animal has about 20% accuracy. As we mate these cattle – and through selection for good conformation and good phenotype measure (like weighing and ultra-sounding) we will, in time, improve the accuracy. EPD’s express an animal’s potential within a given population. To get the animal to express that potential, the goal would be to mate it with an animal of equivalent EPD potential, which will improve the consistency of the cattle in the overall herd. Success will be found when you have the highest number of traits with average population EPD number expression. It is important not to deviate from the type of bulls you want the direction of your herd to take. Consistency leads to uniformity of the animals in your herd. This will not happen overnight, however you will see improvement in certain traits depending on that traits heritability.

CE = Calving Ease - % of unassisted births (the higher the number the better!)

BW = Birth Weight – pounds of birth weight (the lower the number, the lighter the calves)

WW = Weaning Weight –pounds of weaning weight (the higher the number, the more pounds will be weaned)

YW = Yearling Weight – pounds of yearling weight (the higher the number the more pounds as a yearling)

MCE = Maternal Calving Ease – predicts calving ease of a bull’s daughters (the higher the number the better)

MM = Maternal Milk – pounds of calf weaned by a bull’s daughters. A management number with reflection of the environment and feed resources.

CWT = Carcass Weight –estimates the average differences in carcass weight

REA = Square inches of ribeye area (0.57 is average)

FAT = inches of back fat measured over the 12th and 13th rib (0.59 is average)

MARB = numerical marbling score (-0.06 is average)

API = used to rank Simmental on an Angus cowherd. Maternal traits are calculated to retain the female value as replacements. The remaining progeny are put on feed and valued on carcass merit. This is an inclusive number, and the higher the number, predicts more retained value in the animal.

TI = this is an index that is expressed in dollars on carcass traits an animal has to offer when bred to an Angus cow and progeny are fed and sold as a graded carcass. Yield and marbling have influence here. No maternal traits are considered for the index.

INSURANCE:

LOCATION: 1207 TWP 511, Parkland County

AGENDA: 11:30 a.m. - Lunch 1:00 p.m. - Sale Time

Stockmans Insurance Dawne Toner - (306) 932-4866

DELIVERY OPTIONS: PRL INSISTS ALL BULLS LEFT AT PRL AFTER THE SALE BE INSURED. EACH ANIMAL BECOMES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PURCHASER AS SOON AS SOLD.

Option A: Bulls will be delivered free of charge within 250 km of PRL. Delivery will be as soon as possible after the sale - at the convenience of PRL and the buyers risk.

Option B: Bulls will be kept at the sellers farm at no charge until April 1, 2025. $4.00 per day thereafter. Bulls must be picked up by the purchaser.

Option C: Purchasers wishing to pick up their bull on sale day will receive a $50.00 discount per individual purchased.

SEMEN RESERVE: PRL reserves the right to collect 100 straws of semen on any bull in our sale. Semen will be collected at PRL’s expense and buyers convenience.

HEALTH: It is the buyer’s responsibility to determine the requirements for importing any animals into their Province. All PRL bulls have been treated with the following in the fall of 2024. One Shot, Pyramid 5F, Vision 7S, Ivermectin.

ACCOMODATION: BEST WESTERN - Stony Plain - 1-888-968-0315

I started working with Porter Ranches over 10 years ago, in search of outcross herd sires for the Soderglen Simmental and MAX programs. The synergies between our programs at the time were powerful and we are excited to be growing our partnership with Porter Ranches going forward. Separately, we worked to develop genetics that advanced commercial cowherds to maximize margin. Together, Porter Ranches and Rebel Livestock will bring industry leading genetics and service to commercial cowherds across Canada. We didn’t invent this business, but we aim to make it better. We are pursuing our goal through refined genetic selection rooted in economically relevant data, damn good cows, and superior service.

The data behind these bulls is so much more than a marketing tool. It is an invaluable tool buyers can utilize with high confidence to refine their bull selections. There is too much investment involved buying bulls to experiment with the unknowns- increase accuracy and confidence and buy bulls that give you the highest probability of increasing your bottom line.

Give us a call anytime to discuss bulls, or the beef business. We are passionate about raising better more profitable cattle and helping our customers do the same.

Jared Sherman (403) 333-0499

Reference Sire

LFE BS LEWIS 3091X

PRL ALFRED 13 152A

MS PORTER 11 29W

PRL AMERICAN 13 166A

MS PORTER 17 2E

MS PORTER 10 5X

Reference Sire

TRIPLE C SINGLETARY S3H

REMINGTON SINGLETARY 260Y

REMINGTON HONEY 57U

R PLUS 7214E

MS PORTER 19 26G

MS PORTER 17 108E

Reference Sire

SODER ODIN 604Y

SODER ODIN JR 627E

SODER MS ELECTIC 9636W

R PLUS 7273E

ELLE PORTER 19 51G

MS PORTER 16 124D

Reference Sire

LFE BS LEWIS 3091X

PRL ALFRED 13 152A

MS PORTER 11 39W

R PLUS HAMMERTIME 5051C

PRL PORTER 18 153F

MS PORTER 14 117B

Reference Sire

PRL MATADOR 97Y

PRL AMERICAN 13 166A

PRL RED RYDER 235R

WHEATLAND RED ACE 747T

MS PORTER 09 144W

PRL NETTA 853N

Reference Sire

R PLUS VENOM 4006B

MRL RED CONCEPT 140G

MRL MISS 4424B

JFK has a strong group of bulls and heifers. He numbers really well, with a pedigree stacked full of performance and maternal consistency. Good yielding and growth cattle. The value from JFK will come in the form of his progeny, as they are moderate and have another generation of soundness, and the next chapter of data.

CWP 133J PRL JAZZ 21 133J

Jazz is a Singletary son out a Grand daughter of R+ 5015C. 26G is an elite cow. Jazz is conformationally correct, with elite feet and makes daughters with perfect udder structure. This is a steady genetic package that is moderate on growth and improves conformation with balance.

CWP 122K PRL KASPER 22 122K

Kasper is a bull that widens the gap between birth and weaning. His pedigree is deep, with sound confirmation and performance. This is a herd sire that boasts growth while maintaining superior conformation; he tracks wide and is powerful through his chest. Both Kasper’s sire and dam have elite conformation and I would not change anything about their type.

CWP 146J PRL ALFRED 21 146J

An Alfred son out of a strong brood cow. PRL Alfred 146J is overall complete, with good vigor in his progeny. This sire has a couple of good sons in the sale. 146J’s Dam is my favorite female, as she is balanced - perfectly uddered with a deep heel and appropriate foot angle. Alfred has been power bull here for many years and will be continued to be used simply because he has yet to be surpassed - maternal, paternal power yielding cattle with “All Purpose”.

CWP 126H PRL AMERICAN 20 126H

An American son out of one of our most prolific cows. 126H progeny compete in the same arena as our black cattle. His progeny have held birth weight and maintained growth, with females that are good uddered and broody. Consistency and masculinity make good daughters.

WFL 2104K WFL MR. WESTWAY 2104K

LFE RED MOUNTAINEER 303C

WFL RED PRECIOUS 730E

WFL RED PRECIOUS 5101C

Our newest red herd bull WFL2104K. 2104K is an avid breeder with great athleticism and sound confirmation. 2104K has a group of progeny that have performed well in all categories; from birth to yearling weights, to strong carcass data. 2104K delivers a pedigree that adds depth and predictability.

Reference Sire

FBFS WARSAW 068W

WELSH’S WARSAW 312Z

WELSHS ROSIE 102W

SKORS BLACK ENTICER 287Y

HART MISS 102A

HART MISS X534

Reference Sire

MRL CAPONE 130B

MRL PRECISION 1143E

MRL MISS 2435Z

X-T THE FORCE 2A

NUG TAYLOR 53E

NUG VANESSA 825U

MRL 056C HART STATE OF

AI sire used on our heifers with great success. This sire group has impressed us with overall quality. They have a bit more bone and are finer haired, but we appreciate the sound confirmation and performance on feed. He’s a bull that is locked in on low birth, with growth and profile.

NUG 299K NUG FEARLESS 229K RGM

NUG Fearless is a bull that has exceeded expectation. His progeny are both correct, and stylish. The genetic potential he offers is undeniable, with traits that translate into healthy, thriving calves. Their robust performance is seen through calf vigor all the way up to yearling ultrasound data.

Reference Sire

KOUPALS B&B IDENTITY

MUSGRAVE AVIATOR

MCATL FOREVER LADY 1429-138

SODER PEACEMAKER 01X

SODER MS DIPLOMAT 2037Z

RED SODER MS HAMMER 0022X

Reference Sire

CONNEALY JUDGEMENT

KG JUSTIFIED 3023

KG MISS MAGIC 1443

BARSTOW CASH

RL CASH LADY 8988

RL MANDATE LADY 2981

Reference Sire

POSS EASY IMPACT 0119

BALDRIDGE ALTERNATIVE E125

BALDRIDGE BLACKBIRD A030

G A R PROPHET

BALDRIDGE ISABEL B061

BALDRIDGE ISABEL Y69

Reference Sire

BASIN PAYWEIGHT 006S

BASIN PAYWEIGHT 1682

21AR O LASS F24A

SGFC 33H SODER AVIATOR 33H

Fantastic Angus sire. Conformational soundness and growth. The progeny are eye appealing and uniform. Soder Aviator improves on any female he’s bred to with his impressive growth traits and uniformity. The width he carries through his chest floor and overall length of spine make his progeny attractive.

IMP 2096H RL JUSTICE

RL Justice is a low birth, calving ease sire offering elite maternal value. These are sound, growthy, attractive cattle with VIGOR and character. He’s the complete package that will improve some of the fundamental traits that it takes to make the next generation of females. The Justice sons in the sale have the potential to recover the shape and character you want to see in your cattle, to perform in the pen and on pasture.

IMP 780G BALDRIDGE MOVIN ON G780

Sound, trouble-free cattle, with excellent maternal characteristics. These bulls have impressive weight and ultra-sound values. The Movin’ On progeny are next level predictable and definitely part of herd improvement. We have calved many Movin’ on daughters. They are tidy uddered, angular, and big ribbed. This is a bull with broody, high performing genetics and a highly proven pedigree. We saw Movin’ On in Kentucky as a long yearling - he is an Angus muscle bull with excellent tracking ability, big feet and big muzzled.

IMP 7112E DEER VALLEY GROWTH FUND

PLATTEMERE WEIGH UP K360

DEER VALLEY RITA 36113

DEER VALLEY RITA9457

2024 Most prolific Angus sire. Top Angus growth bull with moderate mature size and sound confirmation. Deer Valley Growth Fund is the complete package for birth, growth, and carcass traits, while maintaining a high WPDA. We visited the Deer Valley Farm last year and viewed a group of Growth Fund females that were moderate, consistently correct and well uddered.

Reference Sire

JETSTREAM ZENITH 16Z

JETSTREAM DOMI 50D

JETSTREAM BRIGHT N CLASSY

YOUNG DALE ZORIAN 106Z

R PLUS 7002E

KBJ CLASSY LADY 363A

Reference Sire

S A V RENOWN 3439

S A V RENOVATION 6822

S A V MADAME PRIDE 0151

WHEATLAND BENTLEY 630D

SODER MS BENTLEY 8655F

SODER MS LINER 4698B

Reference Sire

MSR TENACITY 3733A

PRL BLACK MAX 18 940F

MS PROTER BLKMAX 16 911D

R PLUS HAMMERTIME 5051C

MS PORTER MAX 20 995H

ANGUS/ANGUS

LRPS 0152H R PLUS SHAQ 0152H

Shaq has a group of sons that are uniform in all traits. These bulls are rugged; good haired feed convertors. Great carcasses and big feet. Shaq daughters are big bodied females with a high level of calving ability. Good foot angle on these cattle with a body density that make them weigh heavily because of length and rib shape.

Reno has been a solid contributor. Sound conformation, producing females that boast good feet and udders. His bull calves are well muscled and have great hair. He brings balance to all the traits with another level of consistency.

CWP 875K PRL BLKMAX 22 875K KUZCO

PRL Kuzco brings the 940F and 5051C pedigrees together. Balanced performance with maternal consistency and added calf vigor. Excellent cattle that get it done on their own, with impressive result. Stock with a great return.

Measure Accomplishment

After 54 years of breeding Simmental cattle, you would think we would be good at this by now. More than 54 years ago our farm had many choices to make in choosing which breed of cattle to raise. My grandparents generation chose to cross dairy and British commercial cattle. In the late 1960’s they used both Charolais and Simmental. Back then they felt Simmental had the most to offer in creating all purpose cattle. After deciding Simmental was the future direction, cattle were imported from Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, and the British Isles. From the 1970’s to the 1990’s we were using semen and embryo’s to come up with sought after Simmental beef cattle. While approaching the year 2000 we were realizing that we needed to change direction; fulblood Simmental’s were becoming less sustainable in large numbers and were becoming too burdensome to manage. A transition to Red and then Black Simmental while incorporating a Max program evolved. The days of transitioning were not pretty but by being strategic and dedicated to the most heritable traits we believe we made our cattle sustainable.

Today our program centres around effective genetic traits like fertility, carcass traits, and efficiency to maximize how we use land and feed stuffs. Cost of production is in our control; price of our output is not within grasp. We are motivated in achieving as many grazing days in a year as possible while maintaining condition score and health of our cows. It is in our best interest to run our seed stock under strict production protocols. Our goal is to calve the majority of our herd in the first cycle. We feed and pasture those pairs until approximately 180 days of age and the calves are then weaned and put on feed. Progeny are sorted and cattle that are not selected replacement quality are fed and harvested at around 16 months having a 900 lb carcass. Since transitioning to a predominately black cow we have reduced our cow size and have reflectively maintained her production while keeping calving in the 365 day cycle. It is in our best interest to find the point of diminishing return, therefore challenging our cow and her performance while achieving a dense carcass. Carcass evaluation has moved the consistency of our program

more than anything. Cattle with larger rib area will always weigh/ yield more than smaller ribbed cattle. Identifying genetics with a big rib and sufficient back fat will get cattle to finish at a younger age. The goal is to achieve more dollars with less feed in fewer days. Transitioning markets may in the future be asking for more marbling which is why we have ramped up our Max program.

Our “MAX” breeding program started in the 1980’s with Herefords bred Simmental. People’s first impression of this program was not that positive. They believed there was too much 1 hybrid loss in the first cross, and for the most part they were correct. However, our program is different. We believe that improving predictability of our Simmentals can be enhanced by selecting Angus characteristics that are high in maternal traits and have high accuracy carcass values. Our “Max” (Simm/Angus) program is about maximizing duplication of traits like vigour, birthweight, maternal character, udder structure, foot angle, IMF, REA, back fat, yield, fertility, frame score, masculinity, and femininity. We improve efficiency and maximize output. We know we cannot do this with straight bred Simmental as there is not enough data collected on Simmental to make a selection on this broad of a spectrum of traits, as they all have heritable weight. Angus is generations ahead of Simmental in genetic evaluation so it makes selection of Angus bulls in our program easy. I believe that the Angus breed has comparable problems to Simmental as they compete head to head in terms of performance. Angus identifies their cattle with more accuracy in the traits we are looking for. We believe the opportunity to “Max” is the future for all around traits. We need to deepen the pedigrees with more generations and stay focused on achieving accuracy on all the traits.

We are all about making strategic steps that can make positive returns to the land we run cattle on. We are very conscientious about how we make forage. Genetics work to maximize yield by reducing our footprint. Genetic selection that will enhance your land and lifestyle is our goal.