Looking for Simmi cow makers

[Prairiegrass]

I would appreciate some ideas on proven Simmental cowmaker bulls that throw very good udders, solid feet and legs. Looking for moderate milk, definitely don't want bulls in the top 10% milk. AI techs have mentioned Shear Force, Catalyst and Uno Mas but they have a lot of milks. Don't require calving ease, do require good maternal calving ease, docility and fertility EPD numbers. Prefer moderate size but can work with smaller or larger frame. Using on a commercial herd with Angus, Hereford and Gelbvieh cross cows. Considering on switching out Gelbvieh for Simmi so wondering what's out there. Looking for black or black white - red gets me docked and with the Hereford already have to be careful. Weaning and yearling weights should be in top 30. I can do EPD searches but of course those don't answer the udder and conformation questions. Much thanks to all that take the time to answer!

 

[Bright Raven]

I have two Uno Mas, they are nice. Shear Force is definitely a good bull for maternal traits. I would add Built Right but finding semen may be difficult.

 

[Lucky_P]

We've used several Shear Force sons and grandsons and have gotten along well with most of them - Long's Shear Pleasure, WS All In W111(red), Triple C Singletary, CLRS After Shock, Hooks Pharaoh 16P... Triple C Bettis (Singletary's full sib) didn't produce anything that stayed... just no growth to the Bettis calves we got.
PRS Blazin Hot W192 left some very nice daughters that are turning out to be very good cows. Fairly consistently put a white face on 'em, too, which we like.
Have a few ASR Longevity heifers coming on that look good - he threw quite a bit of chrome on the BWF SimAngus cows we bred him to - and we're doing it again this spring.
Kappes L Man U291 (ASA 2455005) is one I'd like to try, as is Long's Damien (Shear ForceXLucky Man; hetero black) but may never get around to them... got too much Milestone semen to use up.

 

[Prairiegrass]

Bright Ravin
Thanks for bringing up Uno Mas. I had discounted him because his milk was too high but actually read the EPD wrong and he is low milk, which I can deal with. However, he is listed in the bottom 1% of the breed for ribeye, ADG and yearling weight, bottom 5 % for stay and bottom 10% for weaning weight. Am I reading the epds incorrectly? Has ASA made changes in reading epds since 2010?

 

[Bright Raven]

Bright Ravin
Thanks for bringing up Uno Mas. I had discounted him because his milk was too high but actually read the EPD wrong and he is low milk, which I can deal with. However, he is listed in the bottom 1% of the breed for ribeye, ADG and yearling weight, bottom 5 % for stay and bottom 10% for weaning weight. Am I reading the epds incorrectly? Has ASA made changes in reading epds since 2010?

Very welcome. I have an Uno Mas cow that is maybe the bext cow in my herd. I raised her here out of a cow with Flying Cut Above on her paternal side. Give me a minute, I will find a picture.

 

[Prairiegrass]

Lucky P

Still looking up bulls you mentioned, but Blazin Hot is pretty low stay and milk for retaining heifers. Or do you feel those epds will change dramatically with higher accuracy? Thank you for your options.

 

[Bright Raven]

She has it all. Very good feet. Excellent udder. Good disposition. A great female IMO.
I am proud that she was conceived and raised here on the farm. Her first daughter was purchased by Fire Sweep and shown all the way up to the Nationals.


This was taken back in the fall 2018. I know. The grass looks like spring.

 

[Prairiegrass]

BR
Very, very nice looking cow. This would be a perfect fit in my herd. Thanks for posting.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

The IGS co-op breeds have had big changes in the epds in the last couple of years.

 

[Lucky_P]

Prairie
I've never paid much attention to Stay...can't say that it's ever played a role in giving one sire an edge over another in our selection process.
Already got plenty of milk in our herd and these Blazin Hot daughters did a good job with their first calves. Time will tell. We like them.

 

[Prairiegrass]

I never know how much value to place in some of the maternal EPDs such as HP, Stay, PG30, etc. the various breed associations use. I have assumed as long as the accuracy is there they should be good, but maybe I'm wrong. For example, I have never used Mytty in Focus for retaining heifers due to his low and continuously dropping HP, but he's been pushed for a long time as a cow maker. What did other people know that I didn't, and did I make a mistake? I used TC Total 410 and quit as his HP dropped, and I have to say in my herd those daughters did drop out due to fertility issues. For Stay, daughters need to hang around at least 6 years to collect data and it's tough to get accuracy in the smaller herd associations. So, just another tool for us to interpret - I guess that's what keeps things interesting. Thanks for your comments and impressions of Blazin Hot. I'll take a good look at him.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You know, I don't even look at the milk EPD. I have never had a Simmental cow that didn't have enough milk, and I haven't had but one cow for past (maybe) 10-15 years that had TOO much milk. Used her as a recip until the last newborn couldn't get on teats by itself. I have been breeding Simmental's for nearly 50 years. I know the old Simmies with too much milk.

 

[Prairiegrass]

That's very interesting Jeanne that you tend to not look at milk epds. I pay attention but with angus gelbvieh and Simms it's to make sure theres not too much. It seems to me the higher milking cows have a more difficult time keeping the bag high and tight as they age. I figure all the milk comes from glandular weight which weakens the ligaments over time even in the best of them. Our cows eat enough to handle the production it's just I hate low udders and having to start calves. There are certainly poor Milkers with bad udders and heavier milkers with good ones.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I guess since I am more interested in growth compared to milk - they are antagonistic, so never has been a problem. Like I've mentioned, I've had TOO much milk in the early years. Even with the cows with too much milk, I rarely had an udder go bad - strong ligaments. I will say, I have NEVER had a Simmental dam starve her calf. Just not a problem one way or the other. I couldn't tell you if my herd average for milk was high or low. Just never look at it. Not a problem - so not a concern.
Edit: Over maybe the past 15 years, I have had 1 cow that I did not like her udder - enough, that I put embryos in her every year since her fist natural calf - she was a purchased cow - so not out of my cow lines. I did not want to propagate the udder. Finally, at the age of 12, calf could not get on teat, so she got shipped this spring.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

No one has mentioned Cowboy Cut. I have heard great things about his daughters in production, our first will be this fall.
Club King is a beast also, and we have several females in production on him. Great milkers, nice udder and picture perfect teats years later.