Volume 17 Issue 1 January 2018 What’s Inside Simmental Cross Helps Combine Performance & Efficiency — Lazy HE Ranch
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From the Gate Post — Simmental So Much To Offer / La race Simmental a tant à offrir
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Breed Improvement — The Nuts And Bolts Of BOLT / Les rouages du système BOLT
34, 96
Vet’s Advice — Full Breech Births
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2017 Simmental Federation of the Americas Conference & Innovations Workshop
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Simmental On the Move
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What’s Happening
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Publication Mail Agreement # 40012794
Simmental Cross Helps Combine Performance & Efficiency
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Story By Lee Hart
wen Almberg along with his family partners of Lazy HE Ranch are expecting to have at least 1,650 good reasons to continue with a crossbreeding program that has well served their multi-generation family ranch over the past 30 years. All things being equal, the Lazy HE Ranch located in Czar, Alberta should be weaning around 1,650 calves at the end of October. Their crossbreeding program with three breeds — Simmental, Hereford, and Angus — produces excellent calves on their extensive family ranching operation in the scenic rolling, prairie hills. “They are not necessarily what some might call high performance cattle, but they do very well on these dryland pastures,” says Almberg, who along with his wife Lyanne, is part of the fourth generation. “The calves from these mid-size cows are healthy, vigorous and grow well. When buyers look at these calves they are always impressed with the nice uniform groups, and they know will perform well in the feedlot.” The ranch has deep roots in the Czar area. Owen’s great grandfather homesteaded in the area in 1911. The Lazy HE Ranch name was created by the Almberg family in 1960. At one time they raised straight British breed crossbreds — Hereford, Angus and Shorthorn — then as the exotic or Continental breeds appeared in Canada they included a combination of Simmental and Charolais in their breeding program. Roughly 20 years ago they decided to focus on Hereford and Angus crossed with the Simmental influence.“What we were really looking for were maternal characteristics,” says Almberg. “Yes, we wanted growth and performance, but we also wanted females with good mothering abilities, structural soundness, excellent udder quality and manageable temperment. Along with those features we felt the Simmental influence also added that extra “style” that we desired.” Four Breeding Herds With a large number of females, the Almberg’s have developed four different breeding herds. They have an Angus-sired cowherd that is bred to black Simmental, a Hereford-sired cow herd that is bred to black Simmental,a solid red and black Simmental cow herd bred to polled Hereford bulls, and a white/brockle faced Simmental cowherd bred to black Angus bulls. “What we are working towards in this breeding program is to develop females that are 50/50,” says Almberg. Females that are 50% British breed and 50% Simmental. This is something that takes years to develop. Over time, cows have been culled heavily to select for performance,structural soundness, udder quality and temperament. An 80 head bull battery consisting of roughly 30 Simmental bulls is selected from trusted purebred programs for performance, style, athletic ability and other traits, including a good heavy hair coat that protects cattle from the some times harsh winter prairie winds. The 2018 calving season is a few months away at Lazy HE Ranch. They start calving on pastures within fivequarter sections in mid-April, with the last calves being delivered on pasture by mid-June. After fall weaning all ranch calves are backgrounded until mid to late winter the following year before being marketed.“We are fortunate to have accumulated a land base to accommodate the various herds,” says Almberg. “Nothing is calved in the yard, always out on large calving pastures with dry rolling hills, covered with grass and brush. While we are checking and tagging regularly, we have developed and managed a herd that largely calves on its own with minimal assistance. This is very important as there can be as many as 75 calves per day when things get rolling.” With calf birthweights ranging from 80 to 100 pounds depending on the breeding program, Almberg says it is an easy-calving herd with as few as perhaps two dozen calving assists over the season. Once calving season is underway, the ranch begins sorting the herd. They do two or three sorts during the season
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