Best Simmental or Angus bulls for the fescue belt

[BFE]

In your experience, what bulls (Simmy, Angus, or SimAngus) produce the best calves on fescue pasture, including making replacement heifers? I'm talking minimal input, not cattle propped up on a feed bucket. I have had good luck with Pays to Dream daughters raising nice calves on some pretty hot fescue. Any other lines that work good for you?

 

[Bright Raven]

The Rocking P folks know Simmental and Angus cattle. They bred Angus cattle for good feet and minimal input for many years. The old family patriarch put cows on fescue stockpiled pastures and only fed hay when the snow required it. The current generation has introduced Simmental. They use several lines but one of their dominant lines has been Built Right for making good solid females that have good feet for Kentucky mud and hillsides and thrive on fescue pasture. They are unique in that they don't like clover in their pastures. Cannot say I agree with the limited clover policy but they have done extremely well with over 300 cows.

 

[BFE]

Thank you. We generally don't have a lot of clover, or not as much as I'd like anyway. I forgot to mention I had a BC Lookout son who threw good calves and was a tank on nothing but grass. Sold him fifteen miles up the road and they love him, last I knew. Does Conley have anything that fits the bill? I assume he raises them for fescue, considering the limited results I've seen.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Optimizer is a Simmental bull that works great in the fescue area. We have had no problems with him or his calves. We have lots of the calves, and several females in production, I love him!

 

[Lazy M]

The Rocking P folks know Simmental and Angus cattle. They bred Angus cattle for good feet and minimal input for many years. The old family patriarch put cows on fescue stockpiled pastures and only fed hay when the snow required it. The current generation has introduced Simmental. They use several lines but one of their dominant lines has been Built Right for making good solid females that have good feet for Kentucky mud and hillsides and thrive on fescue pasture. They are unique in that they don't like clover in their pastures. Cannot say I agree with the limited clover policy but they have done extremely well with over 300 cows.

What's their reasoning for no clover? Bloat?

 

[Bright Raven]

The Rocking P folks know Simmental and Angus cattle. They bred Angus cattle for good feet and minimal input for many years. The old family patriarch put cows on fescue stockpiled pastures and only fed hay when the snow required it. The current generation has introduced Simmental. They use several lines but one of their dominant lines has been Built Right for making good solid females that have good feet for Kentucky mud and hillsides and thrive on fescue pasture. They are unique in that they don't like clover in their pastures. Cannot say I agree with the limited clover policy but they have done extremely well with over 300 cows.

What's their reasoning for no clover? Bloat?

Yes. Keith delivered some heifers here. When he saw how much clover I had, he suggested spraying it.

 

[Ky hills]

Don't know anything about Simmental but Sydenstryker Angus uses their cattle being raised on fescue pastures as a marketing angle. I have some Hoover Dam cows that would be granddaughters of their CC&7 bull and one of his daughters that do ok good here on the fescue covered hills. I also try to select for slick haired cattle. I have also found descendents of New Design to do pretty well. This is a very interesting subject for me as I often wonder if the geographic location of some lines made them more suited to some regions as apposed to others. My theory is that some cattle from the South and areas with fescue are more suited for our areas as those from say the northwest, where a lot of the heavily used bulls come from. I have found some of those bulls calves slicked off good while others didn't.

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

Personally I've always considered just a grass pasture a horse pasture. We don't have very much Red in the pasture but really like the White. The Crescendo White is one we really love. Invasion cattle did real well on fescue.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I have no experience with fescue, but there's very few Angus and even less Simmental that can make a living without a feed bucket. BFE you need to look for an operation that runs a lot of cows for starters. And secondly but just as important, has cows that look like cows. The majority of the small breeders feed everything and are just multipliers. Nobody wants to buy a skinny bull or heifer, but the bigger operations don't usually feed the females, they just creep feed the calves. You can feed an adverage calf into a really nice, sometimes outstanding calf, but that doesn't transfer to their offspring.

 

[torogmc81]

Hoover, Musgrave, Sydgen, PVF, SS would be good places to start.

Supposedly SAV Angus Valley sheds quicker than about any of them, maybe someone else could attest to that?

 

[ALACOWMAN]

im using a Occ bull that he and his offsprings are doing well.. Need something with plenty of capacity to offset the poorer quaility forage we have in the south "" here anyway..

 

[BFE]

im using a Occ bull that he and his offsprings are doing well.. Need something with plenty of capacity to offset the poorer quaility forage we have in the south "" here anyway..

Are the OCC cattle moderate in frame size? Most of my cows are probably around a 6, I want to stay in that 5-6 range.

From what I've read, I think the OCC cattle are something in line with what I am looking for.

 

[Angus Rocks]

I have no experience with fescue, but there's very few Angus and even less Simmental that can make a living without a feed bucket. BFE you need to look for an operation that runs a lot of cows for starters. And secondly but just as important, has cows that look like cows. The majority of the small breeders feed everything and are just multipliers. Nobody wants to buy a skinny bull or heifer, but the bigger operations don't usually feed the females, they just creep feed the calves. You can feed an adverage calf into a really nice, sometimes outstanding calf, but that doesn't transfer to their offspring.

Could you clarify what your calling the feed bucket?

Is this feeding in the winter or feeding them grain?

 

[True Grit Farms]

I have no experience with fescue, but there's very few Angus and even less Simmental that can make a living without a feed bucket. BFE you need to look for an operation that runs a lot of cows for starters. And secondly but just as important, has cows that look like cows. The majority of the small breeders feed everything and are just multipliers. Nobody wants to buy a skinny bull or heifer, but the bigger operations don't usually feed the females, they just creep feed the calves. You can feed an adverage calf into a really nice, sometimes outstanding calf, but that doesn't transfer to their offspring.

Could you clarify what your calling the feed bucket?

Is this feeding in the winter or feeding them grain?

Some cows can thrive on nothing more than 10% hay and grass year round. And those are the cattle that the commercial cattleman needs to make money. I had to supplement my cows this year because of poor hay and cold weather. And it looks like our feed bill it's going to end up costing us $75 per calf right off the top not including labor and fuel.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

im using a Occ bull that he and his offsprings are doing well.. Need something with plenty of capacity to offset the poorer quaility forage we have in the south "" here anyway..

Are the OCC cattle moderate in frame size? Most of my cows are probably around a 6, I want to stay in that 5-6 range.

From what I've read, I think the OCC cattle are something in line with what I am looking for.

Yep they are moderate framed.. Easy fleshing..with a great disposition..they had rather get out and rustle if they can, than stand at a hay bale..

 

[WinterSpringsFarm]

I have no experience with fescue, but there's very few Angus and even less Simmental that can make a living without a feed bucket. BFE you need to look for an operation that runs a lot of cows for starters. And secondly but just as important, has cows that look like cows. The majority of the small breeders feed everything and are just multipliers. Nobody wants to buy a skinny bull or heifer, but the bigger operations don't usually feed the females, they just creep feed the calves. You can feed an adverage calf into a really nice, sometimes outstanding calf, but that doesn't transfer to their offspring.

That may be the most ignorant post I've read on this site to date. I raise both breeds, and a mixture of the 2 and once they calve as 2yr olds they never see the feed bucket again. If they can't get it done on Timothy hay and fescue pastures and good mineral then they don't need to be here. Mine maintain weight, breed back, and raise nice calves without supplement.

While there are genetics that are better suited to fescue, I honestly think its also important for them to be raised on and adapted to fescue if you want them to perform.

 

[BFE]

I have no experience with fescue, but there's very few Angus and even less Simmental that can make a living without a feed bucket. BFE you need to look for an operation that runs a lot of cows for starters. And secondly but just as important, has cows that look like cows. The majority of the small breeders feed everything and are just multipliers. Nobody wants to buy a skinny bull or heifer, but the bigger operations don't usually feed the females, they just creep feed the calves. You can feed an adverage calf into a really nice, sometimes outstanding calf, but that doesn't transfer to their offspring.

That may be the most ignorant post I've read on this site to date. I raise both breeds, and a mixture of the 2 and once they calve as 2yr olds they never see the feed bucket again. If they can't get it done on Timothy hay and fescue pastures and good mineral then they don't need to be here. Mine maintain weight, breed back, and raise nice calves without supplement.

While there are genetics that are better suited to fescue, I honestly think its also important for them to be raised on and adapted to fescue if you want them to perform.

It is important, but with the way that cattle all around the nation are bred all over the place, I can see that cattle from different regions have not been naturally selected to perform in my environment. Sometimes they will, sometimes not. It costs too much to either AI from or use a bull who can't handle the heat, humidity and feed they and their offspring will see here. I want to breed my cattle to be specifically made to handle where they're gonna live.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I have no experience with fescue, but there's very few Angus and even less Simmental that can make a living without a feed bucket. BFE you need to look for an operation that runs a lot of cows for starters. And secondly but just as important, has cows that look like cows. The majority of the small breeders feed everything and are just multipliers. Nobody wants to buy a skinny bull or heifer, but the bigger operations don't usually feed the females, they just creep feed the calves. You can feed an adverage calf into a really nice, sometimes outstanding calf, but that doesn't transfer to their offspring.

That may be the most ignorant post I've read on this site to date. I raise both breeds, and a mixture of the 2 and once they calve as 2yr olds they never see the feed bucket again. If they can't get it done on Timothy hay and fescue pastures and good mineral then they don't need to be here. Mine maintain weight, breed back, and raise nice calves without supplement.

While there are genetics that are better suited to fescue, I honestly think its also important for them to be raised on and adapted to fescue if you want them to perform.

Do you have any cows for sale? I wouldn't mind trying couple. I've never had a Simmental cow hold condition on my good 10% hay, and at 8% hay they get looking pathetic rather quickly. I'm planning on attending the Shenandoah Valley Simmental sale again next Saturday, that shouldn't be very far from you.

 

[R V]

This is also a subject that I have been watching and working with for years. My best luck with Angus has been an elderly farmer in Arkansas. His cattle are mostly Emulous and linebred. I don't have any experience with Simmental that work here. I have tried a couple from Iowa, but with no luck. Other cattle that work here are Danny Miller's Herefords, the Mashonas and it seems like most of the more moderate Charolais cattle have worked here. I would like to purchase a few older Charolais cows that work on fescue as I am down to one older cow and one older bull and their sons.
Ron

 

[WinterSpringsFarm]

I have no experience with fescue, but there's very few Angus and even less Simmental that can make a living without a feed bucket. BFE you need to look for an operation that runs a lot of cows for starters. And secondly but just as important, has cows that look like cows. The majority of the small breeders feed everything and are just multipliers. Nobody wants to buy a skinny bull or heifer, but the bigger operations don't usually feed the females, they just creep feed the calves. You can feed an adverage calf into a really nice, sometimes outstanding calf, but that doesn't transfer to their offspring.

That may be the most ignorant post I've read on this site to date. I raise both breeds, and a mixture of the 2 and once they calve as 2yr olds they never see the feed bucket again. If they can't get it done on Timothy hay and fescue pastures and good mineral then they don't need to be here. Mine maintain weight, breed back, and raise nice calves without supplement.

While there are genetics that are better suited to fescue, I honestly think its also important for them to be raised on and adapted to fescue if you want them to perform.

Do you have any cows for sale? I wouldn't mind trying couple. I've never had a Simmental cow hold condition on my good 10% hay, and at 8% hay they get looking pathetic rather quickly. I'm planning on attending the Shenandoah Valley Simmental sale again next Saturday, that shouldn't be very far from you.

I do not have any for sale at the moment. But if you are serious I will keep you in mind. We are expanding and trying to keep back everything that we can.