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IMPACT F E MA L E S These females have earned impact status at Smith Genetics and along with their progeny are destined to impact SimGenetics. We are utilizing our females to produce purebred Simmental and Simbrah, as well as percentage lines.
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A Penchant For Hard Work Get to know the Jud Flowers Family and learn about their commitment to agriculture.
20 Summit Offers Future Solutions For Breeders A summarization of the Simbrah Summit held August 10th and elements for emphasis going forward. 14 Processing Cattle: Spend Time Improving Your Skills A little etiquette goes a long way on a long day of working cattle.
6 News You Can Use 23 Save The Date 23 Index To Advertisers Smith RFI Sweet Deb 250B-Purebred Simbrah Sired by Smith Nu Approach and out of RFI Debutante. Sweet Deb was the two-time National Champion Female and she is the dam to Smith RFI Go-To 708E, the 2018 International Champion Bull. Owned with Reavis Farms.
Smith Bella Kris 08A-Percentage Simbrah Sired by Smith Matt N Black and out of Smith Bella Bella. Kris is a full sister to Smith CRC Belle Vive, who is Lubbock’s dam. Lubbock of course was the 2016 International Champion Bull. Kris also brings a top 10% ranking in the breed for API and 3% for TI to our program.
WLE/Smith Missy C493-Purebred Simmental She is a double bred Shawnee Miss 770P, who along with her daughters and sons have several high-profile championships to her credit. 770P is also the dam to the popular Simmental sires, WLE Uno Mas and WLE Twang. C493 is bred to Lubbock for a fall percentage Simbrah calf.
WE HAVE CATTLE THAT CAN IMPACT YOUR PROGRAM IN A PROFITABLE WAY. CONTACT US!
Tim Smith, Joel Isgrig & Haley Smith P.O. Box 330, Giddings, TX 78942 512-587-7896 • smithgenetics1@gmail.com
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Fall, 2018 • SIMBRAH World
A Simbrah female at work in the Rio Grande Valley at La Muneca. Photo by Carlos X. Guerra
HOTSSA/ETSSA plans sale The Heart of Texas Simmental/Simbrah Association (HOTSSA) and East Texas Simmental/Simbrah Association (ETSSA) will hold their Fall Fest Sale, September 15th. The sale will be held at Buzzard Hollow Ranch, Granbury, Texas and will be on DVAuction.com. For additional information contact Robert Piper at 830/305-4550 or Jim Carter at 254/697-1078. Alamo City to host sale The Alamo City group has announced that their fall sale will be held September 17-19th The sale will be online through www.cattleinmotion.com for additional information contact Joe B. Rodriguez, 210/275-0839. Synergy XI set for September Sale host, Tim Smith announced that Synergy XI will be held September 21-23rd. It will include a sale of approximately 100 lots of Simbrah, Simmental and percentage cattle, a junior show for qualifying heifers, showmanship and educational contests. For additional information contact Smith at 512/587-7896 or smithge-
netics1@gmail.com. You may also visit the Synergy Facebook page or their page on www.smithgenetics .com. La Muneca announces event/sale dates La Muneca Cattle Co., Linn, Texas has announced that their annual LMC Roundup & Futurity will be held at the ranch October 6th, Linn, Texas. In addition, they will host their annual LMC & Friends Giving THANKS Online Sale, November 17-20 on www.cattleinmotion.com. World Simmental Fleckvieh Federation Congress includes Simbrahs The World Simmental Fleckvieh Federation Congress will be held in Fort Worth, Texas September 24-28th. The week-long event will include meetings, social occasions, touring and on September 28th, cattle shows and a sale will be held. The show and sale will include Simbrahs. The Congress will be held in historic Fort Worth Stockyards area. For more information on the show and entries, contact Fred Schuetze at 817/573-0957. For more information and deadlines on the entire event visit www.worldsimmentalcon (Continued on page 9)
HR MEGA RED ADD HIM TO YOUR SIRE LINEUP! • Sired by Mr Strack Y254 and out of MM Miss Nike 70Y, our black homozygous polled donor. • Polled 3/4 sire. Non-diluter. Tested as a double red. • Top 20% or better for Calving Ease, Weaning Weight, Yearling Weight, Maternal Weaning Weight, Ribeye Area and Shear Force. Ranks in the top 5% for API and 10% for TI. $100 per unit for sexed semen. $50 per unit for non-sexed semen.
CALL BILLY HALLAK 903/203-8524 TO PLACE ORDER HR MEGA RED DAUGHTER— SHE AND THREE OTHER MEGA RED DAUGHTERS SELL IN SYNERGY 9.22 FIRST OF MEGA RED PROGENY TO SELL
Strack Farms Billy & Malika Hallak 1156A Oval Drive, Athens, TX 75751 903/203-8524 Nhalla@hotmail.com www.hallakranch.com
7918 CR 497 Marquez, TX 77861 281-455-5896 Keith and Shelley Strack keith.strack@yahoo.com
SIMBRAH World • Fall, 2018 PAGE 5
The Flowers Family. Standing (left to right) Trent Bishop, holding Valentina Bishop, Veronica Bishop, Mike Flowers, Margie Flowers, Jud Flowers, Summer Flowers, TJ Flowers and April Flowers. Sitting (left to right) Maddie Flowers, Marin Bishop and Lily Flowers.
A Penchant of rHard Work
Jud Flowers (center), along with Lone Star Citrus personnel, inspect fruit in one of their orchards. Lone Star Citrus is one of three vertically integrated grower/packer/shipper/processing businesses in the Rio Grande Valley and is a Flowers family owned limited partnership.
By Mike Barnett Jud Flowers is a builder of dreams—big ideas and grand schemes he pursues with single minded determination, a ton of smarts and penchant for hard work. It’s a formula for success that has resulted in a booming citrus operation and a premier Simbrah herd for this Rio Grande Valley native. He runs a vertically integrated citrus operation, Lone Star Citrus that started as a vision 10 years ago and today grosses in excess of $40 million a year in sales. He has also built a commercial cowherd into Monte Christo Cattle Company, a purebred Simbrah herd increasingly recognized in the breed as a sound program with an excellent genetic base. Flowers, the son of a rural mail carrier, had his start in PAGE 6
Fall, 2018 • SIMBRAH World
agriculture in high school helping on his uncle’s ranch. His uncle gave him a couple of nurse cows as payment and Flowers would go to the local auction barn and buy orphan calves. His love for the cattle business grew with those calves. “I had a commercial herd from the time I was in high school up until the early ‘90s,” Flowers recalls. “And I bought some Simbrah bulls at a sale. From that point on, I’ve been pretty well sold on Simbrahs.” Lone Star Citrus is born Concurrently, Flowers started with citrus when he packed fertilizer in a factory to pay his way through Pan American University. He then went into ag chemical sales
with Farmland Industries and after a couple of years joined with Rio Farms, a citrus research and demonstration farm. After managing their citrus operation for several years, he was invited to join a commercial operation where he received the background for his business today. When that company sold he decided to go out on his own. “It wasn’t a conscious decision,” Flowers said. “It’s where the Lord led me." Today, Lone Star Citrus is one of three vertically integrated grower/packer/shipper/processing businesses in the Rio Grande Valley. Flowers runs the family owned limited partnership with the help of his sons, T.J. and Mike, and Trent Bishop, who are partners. His daughter, Summer, helps out in the office. His wife, Margie, oversees the office staff and keeps books and tracks cattle registrations from the office at home. “We take the trees out of the nursery and put them into the ground into orchards,” Flowers said, explaining his business. “Then we harvest them, process the fruit and sell it to national grocery chains coast to coast and around the world.” A cattle operation grows Meanwhile, Flowers was breeding up his commercial herd to purebred Simbrah. Then, the success of Lone Star Citrus helped to fund his desire to buy other breeders’ genetics. He chose Simbrah for several reasons. “They’re excellent mothers and they’re docile,” he said. “They perform well in the feedlot and they’re marketable. They have great carcass quality characteristics on the slaughter side.” It took him a decade to move from the commercial operation to Simbrah. He bred up and expanded his herd as land became available. “I didn’t focus on it until about 10 years ago,” he said. “We started buying aggressively and expanded and improved our pastures and our automated irrigation systems. Improved forages gave us the ability to have a higher stocking rate and we started pursuing a more aggressive purchase of genetics.” He started with cattle from some of the pillars of the Simbrah community—Bill Travis of Pine Ridge Ranch in Athens, Tim Smith of Smith Genetics in Giddings and Carlos Guerra of La Muneca Ranch in Linn, Texas, as well as Sally Buxkemper. In 2016, he purchased the entire Mossy Creek herd from Kevin Kent in Georgia. “He had some super genetics he had accumulated over a period of years, so that was a big spring forward for us as far as big genetic improvement,” Flowers said. "We use artificial insemination and embryo transfer, as well. But that purchase put us on the map as far as quality goes.” This year Monte Cristo Cattle Company will breed 300 purebred Simbrah females, which will max out his land resources. “I’m going to hold it to 300--so my wife’s eyes don’t get any bigger,” he said, laughing, “unless a great real estate deal comes along!” Flowers said about 100 of the females will be artificial inseminated and the rest bred by natural service. He likes a moderately framed cow that weighs between 1,200 and
1,300 pounds. Cows must pass rigorous criteria to stay in the herd. They have to maintain a calving frequency of less than 360 days. They must be able to raise a calf that weighs at least 575 pounds. She must also be able to produce a calf that is efficient in the feed yard. “So, if they keep an average daily gain above four pounds, then they’re a keeper for us.” Finally, cows must have a good disposition. “I’m done raising angry cattle,” he said. “Nobody wants to help you and your stuff is torn up all the time.” Flowers selects his herd sires in terms of milkability, weaning weights and yearling weights. He prefers championship quality bulls. One is RFI Red Raider, who was the reserve champion in San Antonio in 2013 and from the Reavis program. The bull is out of one of Tim Smith’s cows, Bella Bella, a cow that Flowers said put Smith on the map. His most recent purchase is a bull from the Hallak Ranch that was named reserve champion at San Antonio this year. (Continued on page 22)
Jud Flowers selected Simbrah as the breed for the Monte Christo program, because in his words, “They convert forage efficiently, they gain weight fast, they mature early, and you can make money with them.”
Flowers likes a moderately framed cow that weighs between 1,200 and 1,300 pounds. He expects his cows to maintain a calving frequency of less than 360 days.
SIMBRAH World • Fall, 2018 PAGE 7
February 13, 2019 San Antonio Livestock Show, San Antonio, Texas Showmanship. Each division showmanship in 2018 (8 divisions) paid 10 places, plus a buckle was awarded to the top two placing individuals in each age division. The overall grand showman received $1,000 and th ereserve grand received $750.
Last year more than $45,000 was distributed in money, scholarships and prizes. Show includes
Scholarships. This past year 41 scholarships were also awarded at the conclusion of the event.
Showmanship—In 2018, we had 8 divisions of showmanship Purebred and Percentage Simbrah Shows Purebred and Percentage Simmental Shows For details, updated sponsor list, entry form and more visit our website and/or follow the event on Facebook.
Hayden Hackett won the Purebred Simbrah title with his senior division winner, sponsored by McCrary Farms and Smith Genetics. He received a buckle for his class win, $200 for division win and $1,500 for grand.
Diana Garcia took the Purebred Simbrah reserve title with her heifer sponsored by Cameron Chappell. She received a buckle inclass, $200 in division and $1,000 for the reserve title.
Allie Jordan claimed the grand honor in the Simmental Show with her Circle M Farms sponsored heifer. She received a buckle for her class win, $150 for division title and $1,500 overall.
Lily Romanchuk claimed the $1,000 prize as the Reserve Grand Simmental, plus class and division awards. Her heifer was sponsored by Elmore Cattle Services.
Reeze Gonzalez won the Percentage Simbrah show with his Baring Cattle Co. sponsored heifer and won $500.
Robert Stavinoha won the reserve grand title in the Percentage Simbrah Show with his heifer sponsored by 6G Ranch. He won $250.
In the percentage Simmental Show, Kayden Tanner won the grand honor and $500 with his Southern Jewel sponsored heifer.
Kaylee Langford was the reserve grand champion in the Percentage Simmental Show with a heifer from Udell Cattle Co. She won $250.
Entries are due December 10, 2018. Website will have entry form approximately October 15th. Heifer must be purchased from participating and paid sponsor and you must also be entered in the San Antonio Livestock Show Junior Breeding Heifer Show.
BREEDERS, PLEASE CONFIRM WITH TIM SMITH IF YOU PLAN TO SPONSOR THE 2019 SUPERBOWL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR ADVERTISING PURPOSES. SPONSOR PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED BY JANUARY 1, 2019.
For more information contact: Tim Smith, smithgenetics1@gmail.com or 512/587-7896 PAGE 8
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News you can use... (Continued from page 5)
gress.org. American Junior Simbrah Roundup held The American Junior Simbrah Roundup was held this summer and drew 94 exhibitors and 143 head of Simbrah cattle from three states. Full details, photos of all contest winners and all champions can be accessed at www.simbrahworld.com under the junior news tab. Maycie Wells weds Former junior Simbrah exhibitor, Maycie Wells, daughter of Ron and Rhonda Wells was married to Chris Rodriguez on May 12th. The couple exchanged vows at Mustang Waters Ranch, Johnson City, Texas. The groom is currently serving in the United States Marine Corp in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. The bride is residing in College Station, Texas and completing her dual major studies in ag education and ag science. Upon Rodriguez’s return from Bahrain, they will be stationed in Virginia.
Same Quality, Same Commitment to Simbrah—
But Things Are Changing
We’ve been involved for a long time in Simbrah— in fact our initial involvement was that of John David showing as a junior. Fast forward several years and as a family we are proud to announce that Burch Farms is undergoing a transition. John David, has completed his time in the Air Force and he has taken ownership of the majority of the cowherd. Rickey and Martha will continue on a smaller scale in the Simbrah breed, as well as run This female, Burch Vivian 02F sells in Synergy and she their commercial cows and maintain the real represents the type of female, we are striving to produce. She is a daughter of Burch Super Bull, who is a estate business. product of Smith Satisfies and our donor female,
We’re excited about our family’s future in the 5S/326. 02F’s dam carries Top Shelf and La Muneca breeding. breed and look forward to producing Simbrah genetics that will help advance the breed.
Sept. 22 Check out our lots in the catalog and we look forward to visiting with you at the event.
John David and Elizabeth Burch
BURCH CATTLE
John David Burch • P.O. Box 755• Hempstead, Texas 77445 361/563-3124 • burchcattle@gmail.com • www.burchcattle.com Follow us on Facebook at Burch Cattle Maycie (Wells) and Chris Rodriquez
Smith JCC Top Choice
Look who’s entering our donor program—Smith JCC Top Choice 917D. She’s a Detonator daughter and her dam is Smith JCC Top Price. That makes Top Choice’s pedigree read like a who’s who in the Simbrah breed—Satisfies, Smith Ciao Bella, Simply Great, Nu Approach, Bella Bella, Charismatic and Smith Priceless. Top Choice just delivered us an outstanding bull calf out of Smith Just Because the bull we purchased an interest in a year ago. He’s a Stout N Black out of a Diva daughter—add those greats to the lineage of her dam and WOW is what you get genetically and she’s very impressive phenotypically. Thank you to Jacob Friedrich and Lauren and Jeremy Ebert for purchasing cattle from us. We appreciate your business. We’ve got top bred cattle in our program and we’re choosing to produce them.
Smith Just Because
In partnership with Smith Genetics We will sell a purebred Simmental Baby Doll-lot 35 Sired by Upgrade and fancy.
JOHNSON CATTLE CO. Wayne Johnson 830/391-2571 Kenny Johnson 361/438-3413 wjohnson4945@sbcglobal.net Tim Smith consultant • 512/587-7896 smithgenetics1@gmail.com Follow us on FacebookJohnson Cattle Company, Kenedy, Texas
This is the kind of female we want to establish our herd with and the kind we are utilizing to build a program for the long haul. This is 257Y and she is a daughter of Smith Hide N Seek, which makes her a granddaughter of Smith Nu Approach. On the bottom side of the pedigree, she has the maternal powerhouse sire, Sargeant in her tabulation.
We are excited to be in the Simbrah breed and we’re powering our program on proven genetics that are loaded with potential.
Mark Melson P.O. Box 1085 Caldwell, Texas 77836
979/777-0771 www.melsonsimbrah.com melsonsimbrah@gmail.com SIMBRAH World • Fall, 2018 PAGE 9
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Simbrah Summit Offers Future Solutions For Breeders By Emily Lochner As a joint product of the American Simmental Association (ASA) and the Simbrah Breeders Council (SBC), the first ever Simbrah Summit was held Friday, August 10 in San Antonio, Texas. The event was co-moderated by ASA trustee and Simbrah committee chairman, Randy Moody of Alabama and SBC President, Wayne Reavis of Texas. The Summit boasted over 30 breeders from Tennessee, Alabama, Texas and Louisiana. “The Simbrah breed needs to be recognized as the industry relevant breed is it, therefore the Simbrah committee felt it important to host an event for breeders to collaborate and voice their opinions,” said Moody. The collaboration began with ASA’s Executive Vice President, Dr. Wade Shafer, leading an open discussion from the group to determine the intent of the meeting. All breeders in attendance were given the opportunity to speak their aspirations for the event, yet two overwhelming topics continuously surfaced: the need to develop a fool-proof marketing plan for the Simbrah breed and ways to capitalize on selling Simbrah bulls and females to the commercial breeder. “I think I speak for all Simbrah breeders when I say our “product” is not the issue. Any issues from the past have been overcome as a breed. However, now it seems we have a problem getting our product across the industry and that our product is not as well received as we’d hope because of past perceptions,” mentioned Reavis. For nearly two hours Shafer led a casual interaction amongst the group discussing topics such as Simbrah’s major competitors – Braford, Brangus, and Beefmaster, the trends of the Simmental and Simbrah breeds for calving ease, weaning weight, stayability and carcass traits since the 1970’s, and the value of heterozygosity. Shafer ended by stating, “The genetic evaluation for the Simbrah breed isn’t as reliable as we’d prefer. Frankly, we need data and we need it now.” After lunch, the group reconvened to hear from Maurice Janda, feedyard manager for Graham Land & Cattle of Gonzales, Texas. “With an ideal climate year-round, featuring mild temperatures and minimal snow or freezing, Graham Feedyard is an ideal location to feed Bos indicus cattle,” explained Janda. And, with a capacity to feed 30,000 head and background an additional 15,000, it’s safe to say the South Texas crew is experienced and primed to give attention to cattle with extra ear. In a recent group of Simbrah-sired cattle, Janda reported the stats: average in-weight of 735 lbs., average out-weight of PAGE 12
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Bill and Jane Travis of Pine Ridge Ranch pose for a photo with Maurice Janda of Graham Feedyard. Janda regularly feeds Simbrah steers for the Travis family.
im ter) and T hwietz (cen sc ie N e et vis (left) P h Summit. Wayne Rea sit during the Simbra vi t) h ig (r Smith
Dr. Joe Pasc hal was one of the featur Summit. ed speakers for the
1,335 and the cattle gained an average of 2.8 lbs/day. On the rail, 3% of the Simbrah group quality graded prime, 72% graded choice, and 25% select, compared to a yard average of 55% choice, the Simbrah-sired pen reigned superior. “In terms of maintenance, Bos indicus cattle require about 10% less energy than their Bos taurus counterparts. The difficult perception to overcome is proving that Simbrah cattle are more ‘fit the box’ in terms of size, disposition and weight than old notions held.” Janda then prompted that breeders should begin shifting their mindset from the ‘traditional marketing’ of hauling a weaned calf straight to the sale barn to receive an instant check with no tangible way to keep records or capitalize on quality carcass genetics. Rather, he defends, if breeders can know their breakeven costs, maintain a successful calfhood vaccination program, and precondition on grain for 45 days post-weaning, retained ownership would yield profitability and stability for breeders. Graham Feedyard works with their packers, Sam Kane of Corpus Christi and Cargill of Friona, to help collect reportable data on average daily gain (ADG), ribeye area, backfat, quality grade, yield grade, and tenderness. “Retained ownership just makes sense for breeders who value record keeping. They’ll skip the sale barn commissions, weaned calf shrink weight and will get financially rewarded for a good breeding program,” concluded Janda. To wrap up the presentation, Fred Schuetze, ASA trustee of Texas, posed the question, “How do we, as breed-
Beth Merce r, S American S imbrah breeder and D r. Wade Sh immental A af ssociation share conve er, EVP of the rsation.
to uded: (left ndance incl bama, Tim te at in s of Ala member dy Moody of Trustee ASA Board on of Tennessee, Ran xas. Lig of Te right) Jim d Schuetze xas and Fre Smith of Te
ers, expand the use of Simbrah genetics into the feedyard industry?” Janda replied, “simply keep meticulous records, eliminate outliers and continue to have the cattle grade well on the rail.” Back to Dr. Shafer, the group was led in a presentation to understand the traits that go into calculating an index at the ASA. For the All Purpose Index (API) input traits such as feed intake, mature weight, milk, replacement female rate, and stayability alongside output traits of weaning weight, number of calves weaned, and cull cow base cost are encompassed. In the Terminal Index (TI) input traits of feed intake and yardage and output traits of feedlot gain, carcass weight, quality (choice/select spread) and yield are included. The speaker presentation session concluded with Dr. Joe Paschal, livestock Extension specialist of Texas A&M Agrilife Extension on “Utilizing Simbrah Cattle in Today’s Cattle Industry.” Dr. Paschal began by saying “Truthfully, I see more Simbrah cattle outside the United States than I see inside. The reason is, breeders have honed in on the golden key of trying to match their cow to their environment of forage availability and other environmental stressors such as heat and humidity.” Paschal believes that in general, Bos indicus cattle are undervalued in today’s market place because “they grow well, they hardly ever get sick and they never yield grade 4 or 5.” Though, profitability of a beef producer can be boiled down to a few pressure points of a good management program, cost of input, value of the product and a good breeding system, he states. A few genetic factors affecting cattle efficiency could include the characteristics of breed used, whether hybrid vigor is utilized, and individual traits of the dam and sire. “Honestly though, breeding a solid sire and dam are the base cake, while the resulting hybrid vigor is just the icing on top,” Paschal added. After the conclusion of Dr. Paschal’s session, Tim Smith, ASA chairman of Texas, finished by asking, “What are the ways you personally would throw the Simbrah name back into the beef industry to attract consumers to the product?” Paschal answered, “Get into universities and get them to validate your breed through research projects, then mail them magazines, hold a field day, send producers to speak to them, outreach to different variations of industry (producers, feedlots, packers, academia) and poll where advancements could be made, and promote breeders at the cow/calf level from a marketing and social media level-- as a high tide floats all boats.” Co-moderator Randy Moody finished the day by recapping the action plan to take back to the Simbrah committee at ASA and for the SBC. Main elements involved the creation of a steer feedout program to collect carcass data, establishing marketing pieces to explain the value of Simbrahs and also charts showing the breeding up from Brahmans or Simmentals to create a Simbrah, targeting the market of Simbrahs in the commercial industry, and a potential for Texas to host a future ASA Fall Focus to showcase the value of the breed. Moody affirmed that “Simmental and Simbrah breeders are similar to that of the Burger King motto ‘you can have it your way’, you can run your operation the way you see fit, but at the end of the day, we are all on one team.” SIMBRAH World • Fall, 2018 PAGE 13
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PROCESSING CATTLE: Spend time improving your skills Basic protocols – and politeness – can add efficiency to the task By Kindra Gordon As a veterinarian, Arn Anderson from Bowie, Texas, has been part of all kinds of cattle working scenarios, and he believes with a little etiquette there’s some easy fixes to an otherwise stressful day. Anderson is an ardent supporter of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) protocols, and says, “If you don’t know BQA, shame on you. Learn it.” That said, he also promotes BQA etiquette around the chute to add not only efficiency, but he says as a result, “…You will live longer, be better at processing cattle, and be a better rancher.” He suggests recognizing 6 P’s to bring efficiency to processing cattle. They include: 1. Purpose. “Determine your purpose when you are working cattle for the day. Then, communicate and make sure everyone involved knows that purpose,” Anderson says. He adds, “Are you preg-checking cows, vaccinating calves? I advise you to keep it simple. Don’t do too many things in one day.”
“You need to understand you are working in a situation that is inherently dangerous.”
(Continued on page <None>)
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2. Plan. Anderson advises making a list of everything that will be needed to accomplish the purpose – from double checking that the chute hydraulics are working to ensuring you have enough product if something gets spilled. He seen ample days gone awry when appropriate planning had not occurred by the producer. 3. People. Regarding this P, Anderson emphasizes that the “boss for the day at the chute” must be identified. He notes, “This helps reduce arguments – especially between husbands and wives.” Anderson says the boss may not be the owner, it might be delegated to someone else; the selected “chute boss” might change from one work day to another. The important thing is to identify who is boss, communicate that with everyone, and that person is in charge for the day. He also emphasizes, “Surround yourself with good people who know what they are doing when you are working cattle, otherwise people can get hurt.” 4. Pay Attention. “You need to understand you are working in a situation that is inherently dangerous,” Anderson states. He underscores that all workers should put their cell phones away and stay focused while working cattle. 5. Politeness. Additionally, Anderson advocates being polite, saying, “If you get angry at the cattle, or the guy running the chute, or the veterinarian, what happens?...Your ability to work cattle goes out the window.” He encourages keeping hot shots away from the chute, to reduce the risk of getting angry and grabbing one. “At our vet clinic, we put them away. If you decide to use one, you’ve got to go get it, which gives time for you and the animal to cool down.”
He adds, “Remember that someone is always watching you and that you sell beef. Be polite.” As an additional P, you might add “patience” to the list. Anderson says, “Patience is the summary of everything we’ve talked about. If you remember the 6 P’s – purpose, plan, people, pay attention, politeness, and patience – your ability to efficiently process cattle will be greatly enhanced.” Low-stress tips, too Additionally, livestock specialist Ron Gill has frequently demonstrated how moving a group of a dozen yearling heifers down an alley and through a chute can be done calmly and quietly when low stress cattle handling principles are utilized. Gill, who is employed by Texas AgriLife Extension, can walk heifers through a chute and alley three times – without ever raising his voice, all in a matter of 45 minutes. For producers who aspire to achieve that type of low stress animal handling, Gill emphasizes his movement is about putting pressure on – or off – a group of animals to get them to move. Pressure is applied by moving toward or away from the front half of an animal’s body. “I deal with the eye and the ear of the animal. Once their head responds to me, all of my communication is with the front four inches of their head – the rest of the animal’s body will follow,” Gill shares. His preference is to work from the side or front of a group of cattle. He explains that when you stand behind the group they simply start to circle. “Don’t go behind cattle to empty a pen. You want to draw them to you, and release them. Find (Continued on page 18)
Smith Detonator 321AWe now have 30 of his daughters in our herd.
Hurricane Harvey unleashed on our operation with full power and while it’s been a struggle many days to continue, we have. Our resolve is stronger and we are fully committed to our cattle program. Leading our program is Smith Detonator, a son of Smith Satisfies and Smith Ciao Bella. This past year, we have selected 30 of his daughters for our program and we are anticipating some great production from them. Detonator daughters are also featured in our Synergy Sale offering. We also are using Smith Celebrated in our herd—he is also by Satisfies and goes back to the Bella Bella Cow Family. His dam is the fourth generation of the famed Bella Bella Cow Family.
Smith Annie LouWe have a daughter in our donor lineup.
Another move we have made to make our herd stronger is to add to our donor lineup. We are. very excited about the addition of Smith JJJ Annie Marie 75Y—She’s a direct daughter of the Annie Lou Cow and her sire is Smith Nu Wave II.
Our Lots Are 139-148 Sept. 22nd
FRALISE FARM AND RANCH, LLC/TRIPLE J RANCH Jake and Amber Tortorice 409/782-5892 (Jake) 409/287-3234 (Amber) Jake and Mary Tortorice Sour Lake, Texas • jt@raosbakery.com
This Detonator daughter sells in Synergy as Lot 147.
SIMBRAH World • Fall, 2018 PAGE 17
Processing... (Continued from page 17)
that balance point [at the front of the animal or group of animals] and move in to stop them and move out to release them to go forward. Start training them this way,” he advises. Gill adds, “The more you work with your cattle, the easier it is to get them to move where you want them to if you have a good set of replacement heifers spend time training them.” “The first time through the chute, you want them to just flow through,” he shares, and suggests leaving the front head catch open and just letting heifers calmly walk through the system. He adds, “If we can get heifers through the chute quiet and calm, it shouldn’t be a big deal to go back.” Specifically, Gill suggests acclimating animals to go through the alley and chute a few times prior to the actual processing or breeding day. He shares that some research has shown a 10% boost to pregnancy rates among heifers that were handled with low stress methods and were acclimated to the chute. Additional pointers •Get all animals facing the same direction or it will be more difficult to move the group where you want them. •If animals are queued up in an alley and are not moving forward into the chute, try walking from the front of the alley, down along the side toward the last animal in the queue – Gill says that they will then move forward. •Gill says having a solid side on one side of the alley sys-
They’ve arrived and we’re even more excited than we anticipated. Smith DRFF Established is our senior herd sire. He’s a red, homozygous polled three-quarter bull. He is sired by the now deceased Smith Stout N Black, who carried Dream On and Triple C She’s a Lady genetics. His dam is 12W, a Sargeant and JSSC Perfection N12 daughter and she is the only red sister to the Irreplaceable cow. Established ranks in the top 3% of the breed for API and 10% for TI.
tem can be beneficial because it may prevent animals in the alley from seeing cattle or people moving the opposite direction. That said, he does not advocate solid sides on everything, and expressed, “We’ve gotten way too enamored with solid sides.” •Regarding sweep tubs, Gill explains for smaller systems he prefers a 135° sweep, which better mimics the large 270° sweeps. Both systems bring cattle just a little past the alley and then points them to the way out through the alley. He’s found the 90° or 180° sweep allow too much room for cattle to start a circling motion instead of finding the alley. •Gill also comments that for gentle cattle the sweep tub works well, for cattle that are more high-strung, he prefers to use a Bud Box. •Another rule he emphasizes – don’t put more stock in the sweep tub than will fit in the lead up alley to the chute. In closing Gill notes, “When cattle don’t cooperate, it’s not their fault. It’s our fault. Look at yourself [your actions] and do something different. If we ask them right, it’s easier to get them through a system.” He adds, “Normally cows will figure it out, if you stop putting pressure on them in the wrong place. Give them time to think their way through it.” Additionally, he advises, “If you want something entertaining, film yourself working cattle sometime.” Lastly, Gill suggests, “Ask yourself, ‘What would Gill say?’ Don’t make it complicated.” ***
ESTES RANCH
Simbrah-Simmental
Smith DRFF Established
We are selling his first calves at Synergy— your choice of two heifers. We are expecting great things from him and we are breeding him heavily to our herd.
9.22
Lot 126A
Offering you choice of these Established daughters at Synergy Lots 126A & 126B
See Established and his first heifer calves.
13-year-old Simbrah cow in her working clothes. Your Volume Source for Purebred Bulls and Heifers, as well as Commercial Simbrah-Angus Heifers. “The Simbrah cow is the best BEEF producer ever developed! Estes Ranch Simbrah cows are proving their value in the Real World. We fed 73 of our lower end heifers at Lubbock Feeders in 2017. They graded over 86% CHOICE or better, with no Standard grades! Our family has over 400 Simbrah and Simmental Cows, Contact us for your replacement heifer or bull needs.
ESTES RANCH Lot 126B
PAGE 18
Fall, 2018 • SIMBRAH World
Paul Estes 580-675-2407 home, 940-357-1454 cell Dr. Ben Estes, DVM 940-357-1483 cell • estesfamily@swoi.net 4100 CR 290 Wellington, TX 79095
SIMBRAH World â&#x20AC;¢ Fall, 2018 PAGE 19
A Champion Anyway You View Her Smith Charming Moves was the HLSR Supreme Champion for Kaleb and is the premier donor in our program. She continues to impress us and her progeny are proving to be as impressive. A daughter, Smith TMP Simply Moves sells in Synergy as Lot 3 from the Smith/Paul partnership. Simply Moves produced the 2018 MAS Reserve Grand Champion Female for Cody Labry.
Smith Charming Moves-From the She Moves Cow Family and she is writing her own chapter of breed history with her progeny. Our premier donor. Owned with Smith Genetics.
Watch for Smith Charming Moves to continue to make her mark on the breed. Also check out Lot 28 in
We are offering Smith TMP Whitney 032E in partnership with Smith Genetics. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a three-quarter blood sired by Devils Cut and out of our Nu Wave II x Whitney bred female. 032E sells bred to Smith Satisfies. PAGE 20
Fall, 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ SIMBRAH World
Smith TMP Simply Moves-Daughter of Smith Charming Moves and Lot 3 in Synergy.
Smith TMP Whitney 032E-Lot 28 in Synergy.
Ronnie Reeves 9660 FM 713 Dale, Texas 78616
512/507-5719 rrtranspo@yahoo.com * Semen & Embryo Sales * A.I. & ET Equipment Sales * MVE & Taylor Wharton Tanks * A.I./Palpation Clinics * TruTest Scales * Professional Exporting & Importing * Semen & Embryo Warehousing * A.I. Consultation
STARTING WITH THE BEST BURESH CATTLE Bob Buresh For information contact our consultant, Tim Smith, 512/587-7896 We have the influence of Priceless in our young program.
KATHY HUTTO & JEFFREY REED
Bovine Elite, LLC 3300 Longmire Drive • College Station, Texas 77845 800-786-4066 • 979-693-0388 • 979-693-7994 Fax carl@bovine-elite.com • www.bovine-elite.com
SHALLOW WATER RANCH Your Leading Source for Black Simbrah Cattle - Since 1993
9660 FM 713
REGISTERED BLACK SIMBRAH BULLS FOR SALE
Dale, Texas 78616 512/507-5718 Embryos for sale sired by Charismatic
Simmental and Simbrah
Featuring Sargeant daughters
For cattle information contact Tim Smith, 512/587-7896
HODGES CATTLE COMPANY
Sam Hodges 825 Usener Street #821 • Houston, TX 77009 903/701-7929 SamHodges90@gmail.com
SIMMENTAL & SIMBRAH BULLS & FEMALES
Featuring the influence of WHF Devils Cut
SIMBRAH CATTLE LITTLEFOOT CATTLE COMPANY Doug, Karen, Daniel and Kevin Lightfoot
4410 Meyer Road • Needville, Texas 77461 Home: 979/793-3482 • Cell: 832/473-0671 dlitefoot@yahoo.com • www.Littlefootcattle.com
Bobby & Jeanne Thornhill 21501 CR 496 Rising Star, TX 76471
SWR Black Chief Homozygous black, purebred Simbrah.
Ranch 254-643-6715 Cell 325-647-4030
RNDCattle Services Roberto N. Davila
Semen, Embryos, Custom AI Services International Live Cattle Marketing P.O. Box 2133 • College Station, Texas 77841 (956) 975-9050 • rndcattle@gmail.com • Se habla español
Robertson Farms
Ryan Robertson
14846 South Hwy 183 Luling, TX 78648 512-217-6205 • rtfarms@gmail.com SIMBRAH World • Fall, 2018 PAGE 21
Hard work... (Continued from page 7)
Other current sires include Smith McCrary Fireball, PRR Revolution739B, and PRR Unanimous Decision, which was the pick of the Pine Ridge herd sold at the Houston International Simmental/Simbrah Sale in 2016. "I try to use genetics that have been recognized by some kind of authority other than just a ranch," Flowers said. “When you talk to someone who has a knowledge of Simbrah genetics, then it helps to refer back to herd sires who had some type of recognition.” “It’s not that you can’t have a really good bull calf that hasn’t been in a show. I have a bunch of them, too.” Color is also a selection criteria for his herd sires. Flowers prefers his cattle to be dark cherry red. About half of the bulls he uses are black hided, blaze face bulls that he puts on blaze face cows. The other half are dark cherry red bulls that he puts on solid color cows. Uniformity in his calf crop is the ultimate goal in his bull and cow selection. “When someone wants to buy a load of heifers they don’t want a couple of tall ones and a couple of short ones,” he said. “They want a group of heifers that look like peas in a pod. When somebody’s buying, eye appeal, to have a matched set of cattle that look like they belong together— same size, same color, same age—they’re easier to sell that way.” Flowers sells females through private treaty and consignment sales such as the Synergy Sale and the MAS Online sale. They’ve also participated in the Houston International Simmental/Simbrah Sale the last couple of years. Most of his bulls at this point are marketed through a feedlot as steers. A look at the future Flowers says the future looks bright for both his citrus business and his purebred operation. Three years ago, he added a juicing plant to his citrus operation to handle rejections from his fresh fruit operation. He works hard to ensure his fresh fruit meets his high standards. “If you want to buy some good Texas citrus, you ought to buy it from someone who gets it from us,” Flowers said, noting he is a supplier for Walmart and most major national retail grocery chains. For the cattle, he will continue to build quality in his herd. He plans to develop a larger customer base for his replacement heifers and at some point, expand to sell 20 or 30 bulls a year. He remains sold on his chosen breed. “The good thing about Simbrah is you can raise them profitably because they are high performance cattle,” Flowers said. “They convert forage efficiently, they gain weight fast, they mature early. And you can make money with them.” He admits his preference between the cattle and citrus businesses changes day by day. It’s a busy lifestyle managing both and at times can be a bit overwhelming. But Jud Flowers wouldn’t have it any other way. The idea of retirement doesn’t appeal to Flowers. “I’m going down swinging," he said. “I’m not slowing down a bit." PAGE 22
Fall, 2018 • SIMBRAH World
Many thanks to Braden & Glen Janecek on purchasing this outstanding young herd sire prospect out of LMC Gold Medal and the Houston Champion, LMC Moonlight. In addition, thank you to the Boening Brothers for their confidence in our program with the purchase of a super stout, LMC Arcadio son. Finally, many thanks also to Hugh Long and Kevin Koehl for purchasing bulls from 6G.
We have another stout set of bull calves on the ground that are about to get weaned. Pictured is the full brother to 6GLMC Golden Boy, the many time champion bull purchased by the Mullins Family. This young prospect with a handful of other herd sire prospects will be weaned shortly and put in our development program. Look for this exciting set of calves to make an impact in the near future!
We have a couple 16 to 18 month-old bulls remaining that are ready to go to work in someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cow herd. One of these is the first son of the LMC 6G Desperado to hit the market and he is stout and good. We are excited about the muscle, correctness and overall design of the Desperado calves that we have on the ground.
Congratulations to all the 6G Ranch customers on their success this past spring at the major shows! You are all to be commended on your hard work and dedication! We welcome Charlee Bell, Kenneth Showers, Jr., and Keegan Cavness to the 6G Family with purchases of heifers from this past calf crop!
SIMBRAH World â&#x20AC;˘ Fall, 2018 PAGE 23
Registered Simbrahs
Joe B. & Nelda Rodriguez 2854 CR 331 Floresville, TX 78114
KENTUCKY DIVISION Quarter Horses, Simmental and Simbrah Cattle Mobile: 210/275-0839 www.lamorracattle.com
Smith Andy N Black
Jason Smith, Aimee & Andy Nienaber, Lisa & Nathan Naive, William & Beth Smith For information contact Tim Smith, smithgenetics1@gmail.com • 512/587-7896
Breeding Quality Simbrah Blayre Meligan & Nancy Maywald P.O. Box 398 Llano, TX 78643 325/248-5282 country07girl@hotmail.com 832/407-0871 njmredd@hotmail.com
LAZY SF RANCH 6899 Rossignol Road Bell City,LA 70630 Doug Schultz • 337.540.8901 Craig Schultz • 337.802.2173 Email:lazysfranch@live.com
Grinstead Dan & Kris Grinstead Des Moines, Iowa
Smith Bella Kris 08A-A daughter of Smith Matt N Black and Smith Bella Bella.
Contact Tim Smith, Consultant 512/587-7896 - smithgenetics1@gmail.com PAGE 24
Fall, 2018 • SIMBRAH World
For Simbrah news, go online For additional news, events, updated calendar listings Simbrah breeders and enthusiasts are encouraged to visit www.simbrahworld.com. or follow us on our Facebook page.
September 15-Heart of Texas and East Texas Simmental/Simbrah Associations Fall Fest Sale, Granbury, Texas September 17-19- Alamo City Fall Online Sale September 21-23-Synergy XI, Giddings, Texas September 24-28-World Simmental Fleckvieh Federation Congress, Fort Worth, Texas October 6--Annual La Muneca Jr. Roundup & Futurity, Linn, Texas November 17-20-LMC & Friends Giving THANKS Online Sale December 1st-Louisiana Simmental/Simbrah Association Sponsored All Breed Junior Cattle Show, Lake Charles, Louisiana
— 2019 — January 22-Junior Simbrah Show, Fort Worth Livestock Show, Fort Worth, Texas January 28-Open Simbrah Show, Fort Worth Livestock Show, Fort Worth, Texas February 11-National Simbrah and National Percentage Simbrah Show, San Antonio Livestock Show, San Antonio, Texas February 13-Simbrah-Simmental Superbowl, San Antonio Livestock Show, San Antonio, Texas February 14-Junior Simbrah Show, San Antonio Livestock Show, San Antonio, Texas February 27-International Simbrah Show, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Houston, Texas March 7-Junior Simbrah Heifer Show, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Houston, Texas March 7-17-Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show, Mercedes, Texas March 29-30 Junior Heifer Shows, Star of Texas Show, Austin, Texas
6G Cattle Co. ..........................................21 7N Ranch ............................................8, 24 Bovine Elite.............................................19 Burch Cattle..............................................7 Brolaco Cattle Co......................................8 Buresh Cattle .........................................19 Diamond E Cattle Co. .............................22 Diamond RF Cattle Co. ..........................16 Estess Ranch .........................................16 Fort Worth Livestock Show .....................20 Fralise Cattle Co. ...................................15 Hallak Ranch ............................................3 Hensgens Bros. .....................................18 Hodges Cattle Co. ..................................19 Hutto, Kathy............................................19 KQ Cattle Co.............................................8 J&L Cattle Services.................................22 Johnson Cattle Co. ...................................7 La Hacienda Hinojosa...............................8 La Morra Ranch ......................................22 La Muneca Cattle Co. ........................8, BC La Negra Cattle Co. ..................................8 Lazy SF ..................................................22
Littlefoot Cattle Co. .................................19 LMC Daydream Partners ..........................9 Lost Cause Ranch ..................................22 LPJ Ranch ................................................8 McCrary Farms.......................................17 Melson Simbrah........................................7 Monte Christo Ranch.........................IFC, 8 Pine Ridge Ranch .............................12, 13 Reagan, Terry .........................................19 Reavis Farms....................................8, IBC Reed, Jeffrey ..........................................19 Reeves, Ronnie ......................................19 RGV Cattle Co. ...................................8,14 Rio Grande Valley Breeders......................8 RND Cattle Services ...............................19 Shallow Water Ranch .............................19 Simbrah-Simmental Superbowl ...............6 Smith Genetics ......................................1,2 Smith Kentucky.......................................22 Strack Farms ............................................3 Temperance Livestock............................18 Tindel Cattle Company ...........................22 Top C Cattle Co. .......................................8 Trial Run Cattle .......................................22 Vela Cattle Co. .........................................8 SIMBRAH World • Fall, 2018 PAGE 25
our herd. in g in k r o w ave power we h strong performance e th t a k o ce Just lo st to produ e u q as well as a , n s r o e e b m u n We ar API and TI traits, high ling cattle. a e p p a e y e
7N Kira’s Kim-This female won a reserve division title at the 2018 International Show in Houston for Jaden Butler, as well as several other honors. She now has a Possibilities sired heifer calf at side. The Butlers have added more 7N genetics to their program recently and we want to say thank you to them. She ranks in the top 20% for TI.
Mr. 4F Accelerator is a double polled Brahman. His sire is Mr. V8 279/7 (P) , his grand sire is +JDH Mr. Elmo Manso. Accelerator’s dam is a grand daughter of the 2005 International Champion MR V8 845/5 “The Rock” who goes back to the first polled bull in the ABBA Register of Renown +Mr. V8 212/3 who is still used successfully today. We are using him to produce new lines of Simbrah.Semen will be available this fall.
Pete Nieschwietz P.O. Box 303 • Falls City, Texas 78113 956/460-6002 • www.7Nranch.net pjnieschwietz@sbcglobal.net PAGE 26
Fall, 2018 • SIMBRAH World
Smith Possibilities-The 2016 National Champion Percentage Bull. Sired by Steel Force and out of Smith Ciao Bella, an International Champion Female. He ranks in the top 25% of the breed for both API and TI.
7N Out Of Moves 153D-This red, polled purebred female sells in Synergy on Sept. 22, along with eight other lots. This is a Smith Satisfies daughter that has the She Moves Cow Family and Smith Hide N Seek on the maternal side. She ranks in the top 30% of the breed for API and 25% for TI. She, along with many of our other lots sells bred to Smith Possibilities, the 2016 National Champion Percentage Bull.