Before I go any further, I will state right off the hop that I am a purebred Simmental breeder, that way, everyone knows where I am coming from. I am also located in the Cattle Capital of Manitoba, lots of good cattle outfits around...

I think your best bet for a great F1 cross in the canadian prairies is Sim X Angus (be it Red or Black, but I think Red is still more sought after, or it is around here, I should say.) I dont want to be knocking other breeds, so I will not go there, but, the Sim X female is by far the best female out there & I am not afraid to say it. Just look at the markets this fall, what was selling the best? It didn't seem to matter what the weight of the calves were, everyone was getting a buck a pound, or .90 a pound. Therefore, a 800lbs calf vs. a 400lbs calf, made quite a difference on your paycheck at the end of the day. Lots of guys that went with more british breeding are comming back with the exotics, primarily Simmies. Now is more important then ever to have the Simmental influence in your herd; more milk, more pounds, docility & easy keeping are a few attributes that come to mind, and the ability to breed that female to any other breed and still get a good calf is a huge assett as well.

In our area of Ste. Rose, 10 years ago, there were a lot of Char cattle, our local Auction Mart promoted the heck out of em & wouldn't do anything for the Simmentals. Now, almost all the herds are using the Simmental cow as their "production factory" and we are selling more bulls in this area then ever. Guys that never owned a Simmental bull are now buying Simmies, the whites are disapearing more and more every year. As we drive down the roads, we see more & more Red/Simmental females & I must say they have some very nice calves by their sides. Also, order buyers have been telling me that the market for the buckskin/Chars which is Ontario & Quebec is shrinking, they don't seem to be as anxious to be buying those types. They are starting to bid on the Sim X & Red AngusX calves more & more. Our Fleckvieh Simmental steers all went to Quebec for the third year in a row. We do sell our steers privately with a few other guys & we always seem to come out ahead, than if we were to go to the Auction Mart route. As long as your calves are good, uniform & have a good herd health program, it is the best way of selling them.

 *we could always help you out with a few good Fleck/Simmental bulls... just check out our website.

Just my .02... Stay Warm!

Regards,

David

http://www.rendezvousfarms.com

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