Benson Hall Farm

Benson Hall Farm

by | Apr 26, 2023

Easy keep, vesatile simmentals

Leaving more money for
cumbrian dairy farm

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Snap shot feature of the Ladds family at Benson Hall Farm, Kendal, Cumbria where the versatility of the Simmental is adding £200-£300 per calf.

By using a Simmental bull on their dairy herd to produce strong, sellable store cattle, the Ladds family at Benson Hall Farm, Kendal, Cumbria have developed a low input, high output system that works well within their busy farming enterprise.

Brothers Richard and Chris Ladds, work alongside their wives Beth and Brooke and parents Andrew and Cath. In all, the Ladds milk 180 Holsteins and 22 pedigree Jerseys, with 800 breeding ewes (North of England Mules) and 40 pedigree Texels. They also run a contracting business and a caravan site. Within the Holstein herd, sexed semen is used on the heifers and young cows to breed replacement heifers, with an Angus bull used to sweep up the heifers. For the past four years, they have been using a Simmental bull to sweep up the young cows and on the older cows.

Richard explains: “We have tried a few different beef breeds over the years and thought we’d try something a bit different. We wanted frame and carcase, but also something that would be cheaper to feed and calving ease was a major priority. The Simmental seemed an ideal option, so we spoke to the Barlows, told them what we were looking for, and they were able to provide us with a decent, easy calving bull from their Denizes herd, which we bought privately.”

Calves are left on the dam for 24 hours before going onto a powder replacement milk for 12 weeks, then a ration of straw and cake until they are six months old, when they then go onto clamp silage.

“The Simmental calves hit the ground running and are easier and cheaper to rear than other beef breeds we’ve tried – they do really well off silage and a little cake. Costs obviously vary, but we think we’re around £200-£300 per calf better off, with the Simmentals,” says Richard.

One of the main advantages the Ladds have found is being able to sell the calves two months quicker than previously. They are sold as strong stores at 22-months, through Lancaster Mart, to a high demand. The 2021 batch of stores averaged £1,380.

Richard adds: “Our steers sell to a regular buyer, who has noted that the Simmental crosses go on and do well for him. There’s a good demand for the heifers through the ring, with some of them being bought as breeding heifers. We also bulled a few heifers this year and sold them as cow and calf outfits, so we have a lot more versatility with the Simmentals too.

“We’ve found it worthwhile buying a decent bull, as it definitely helps to sell the heifer calves – a lot of buyers do take note of the sire.”

The current bull is Denizes Kodak, sired by the Dinton Nautical son, Denizes Hamish, which is in the breed’s top 1% for calving ease.

“In our experience of using Simmental bulls, the breed does what it says it’s going to do. They are versatile and easily calved and the calves go on and do well,” adds Richard.

Denizies Herd

Denizies Herd

by | Apr 26, 2023

Focus on breeding female
lines key to producing

‘Future Fit’ Modern Simmental genetica

In the denizes Herd

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Herd feature on Michael Barlow and sons John and Matthew, and their Denizes pedigree herd at Littlewood Hall Farm, Lancashire.

Simmentals have been kept at Littlewood Hall Farm in Lancashire since the 1980s, but a shift in focus and a change of breeding philosophy twelve years ago, has resulted in a huge amount of success within the breed for the Barlow family in recent years. In fact, 2022 saw them achieve their top price to-date when Denizes Lancelot sold at 30,000gns, the second top price paid at a UK auction for a Simmental bull, and their nine bulls and heifers sold at auction over the year averaged out at £10,500.

The team includes brothers John and Matthew Barlow, who work alongside their dad, Michael (a past BSCS President),

on the 340-acre unit, all of which is grass. On that, there are 430 head of cattle, including 70 milking cows and the Denizes herd of 80 pedigree Simmental cows. John explains: “We worked away with the Simmentals over the years, selling the better young bulls straight off the farm, but bringing out bulls was never a priority. During my degree in agriculture, I did a placement with Wilson and Geraldine Strachan, working with stockman Andrew Reid at their Balmaud herd in Banff, which really changed my outlook on our own Simmentals. I could see the potential with the breed and I believed we could be achieving a lot more with them.

“We considered what the commercial buyer was looking for – easy fleshing, shapely bulls, with length and back-ends – and from that time on, we began focussing on breeding that type of bull.”

This new objective clearly worked. Since 2010, the Barlows’ seventy-three bulls sold at Society sales in Stirling alone, have averaged £5,600. The family have built up customers for every bull born in the herd – those not sold at Society sales find homes with dairy customers and commercial herds. To breed bulls with the desired attributes, John says it is the female lines they have concentrated on improving and he cites the privately bought bull Ashland Tornado as a turning point.

“We bought Tornado at five months old from Pat and Frank Kelly in Northern Ireland, having researched the bull’s family line. He has gone onto breed some good sons, but it’s his daughters that have been particularly impressive – they have bred sons to 30,000gns and grandsons to 20,000gns. They are very well-balanced females, which is the type we aim to breed; structurally correct, medium sized cows that will do well with various bulls,” says John, who suggests this concentration on female lines probably comes as a result of their dairy background.

“That’s how we think with the dairy cows. They tend to breed daughters like the mother, so if we can get good female lines, they will breed good calves with different bulls. We do a lot of research into bloodlines and study what works.”

This approach results in the Barlows often buying in females from particular family lines off other high health herds and then breeding them with home-bred bulls. The 30,000gns Denizes Lancelot, sold in February 2022 at Stirling, had two generations of home-bred bulls on the sire side, while the dam was Denizes Hannadante, a 13-year-old daughter of Ashland Tornado. Likewise, Denizes Monty, which secured the Barlows their first overall championship at Stirling and went onto sell for 20,000gns in October 2022, is sired by the home-bred Denizes Hamish.

“Hamish is out of our ‘golden cow’ Auroch Eve, which we bought as a calf. She won several calf shows and went onto win at the Royal Highland Show twice. Hamish was her first natural calf and was winning calf shows too, until he broke his leg at 11-months-old. We thought so much of him that we paid to have it operated on and kept him as a stock bull. His son Monty made 20,000gns and we’ve another good son of his for Stirling in February,” explains John.

Along with keeping commercial traits in mind when breeding bulls, the Barlows say the whole herd is run very commercially. Cows are fed on a straw-based diet and plenty minerals and calve between June and September, while heifers calve from 2½-years-old, in February and March, with the calving system arranged with Society sale dates in mind. John says they aim for a 280-day calving interval.

“We’re big on pre-calving minerals and we also make sure we don’t rush calving. In the past, we’d be too quick to feel we had to assist with calvings, but we’ve learned to give them plenty time and they normally calve themselves with no issues,” he adds.

When it comes to deciding which females to breed from, the Barlows are very selective. They go by their Grandad’s theory ‘sell your best, keep your very best and beef the rest.’

“There’s a huge demand for Simmental females and we’ve definitely seen that increase in recent years. They have so many positive traits – good temperament, calving ease and milk.”

“That’s what Grandad always said, and it’s still relevant today. We sell some of the best females privately or at Society sales, but there’s a good market for other types to sell as recipients. There’s a huge demand for Simmental females and we’ve definitely seen that increase in recent years. They have so many positive traits – good temperament, calving ease and milk.

“Our own breeding cows tend to get three chances – if it doesn’t work the first time, we’ll change the bull, but if she’s still not breeding to the standard that we’re looking for, we don’t keep her after the third calf,” says John.

The family sold the heifer, Denizes Eve’s Beauty 7th at December’s NxtGen sale at Carlisle, for 8,000gns. She is a daughter of Auroch Eve, and sired by Blackford Galaxy, another privately bought bull that’s proved his worth in the herd. He was breed champion at the Royal Highland in 2018 and has bred sons to 9,500gns. More recently, Saltire Impressive joined the herd, a bull with excellent figures, including huge growth rates but also ease of calving.

“We do pay a lot of attention to figures because we’ve found they do make a difference. Denizes Hamish is in the top 1% for calving ease – he was a small when born but thrived from that day onwards and that’s what you want. The buyers are noticeably paying attention to figures too – we had eight bulls at a sale recently, four with better figures than the other four. There was a far higher demand for the four with better figures, they sold easily.

“Growth is important, along with ease of calving, but customers are also looking at milk figures. Commercial buyers often outbid pedigree buyers at sales – it just depends where your priorities are. For us, we would rather buy the bull we want than a tractor.”

Despite plenty of success at shows and winning the breed championship at the Royal Highland three times, John says they are not breeding cattle to win a show – they’re breeding for what the commercial buyer wants.

“We’re very much focussed on sales rather than shows but having some success at the shows definitely helped us build up the name of the herd and it’s a good opportunity to break in the young bulls. The main reason we show though, is because we enjoy the social side of it!,” adds John, who has noticed an increase in new breeders over the past 3-4 years.

“It’s a fairly accessible breed for new breeders to get into, compared to some other breeds. If you turn up to a sale with a good commercial bull, it will sell, no matter who you are. From Cornwall to Thainstone, there’s a huge demand for Simmentals all over the UK.

“I think the breed is particularly relevant now. They are a long-lasting, low input breed that can rear a calf – and as costs continue to rise, these qualities are more important than ever,” adds John.

The Dairy Farm Meriden

The Dairy Farm Meriden

by | Apr 26, 2023

SIMMENTALS

COMPLEMENTING
AN EXTENSIVE REGEN SYSTEM

At The Dairy Farm, Meriden, Coventry

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We visit the Beaty brothers, Tom and Adam together with Adam’s daughter Charlie, at the Dairy Farm, Meriden, Coventry, who are finding their low maintenance grading up Simmental herd is future fit and complementing an extensive regenerative farming system.

“We’re looking for a quick return by maximising output from a very simple, minimum input, self- sufficient livestock system that has to fit in with the arable operations, which had been managed by just the two of us until Charlie decided to come home a couple of years ago,” Tom explains. “And we’ve found that our Simmentals are delivering.

“We’ve been grading up our commercial sucklers – they’ve virtually reached purebred status, and together with their calves, they’re thriving on pure forage diets.

“The herd grazes our 50ha of river meadows, which are in Countryside Stewardship, from April turn out until December when outwintering is extended. The herd is introduced to strip graze 13ha stubble turnips and brassicas prior to housing at the end of the month. Once housed, they’re fed silage until after calving in January when we introduce them to homegrown rolled oats to give milk a boost.

“The same applies to the calves; they graze with their dams until weaned in November, when they’re housed and introduced to least cost

silage, ad lib homegrown oats and molasses prior to trading in the store ring to repeat buyers – steers averaging 12 months around 400kg, and 16 to 20-month-old heifers, an average 450kg, apart from those retained for replacement purposes.”

Adam continues: “We’re scheduling these heifers to calve at 24 months and an average 650kgs – it’s a more cost-effective weight and contributes to a smaller, more efficient cow. Going forward we’re targeting the graded-up Simmental herd to reach 700kg maximum mature cow weight; we don’t want big 800kg cows, they eat more, take up more space and require more bedding, and they don’t wean a bigger calf.

“The vast majority of cows and heifers calve within the first six weeks and rearing rate percentage is in the high 90s. We make a point of being around during calving, however I can count on one hand how many we’ve assisted. Calves are lively and soon up and sucking. Simmentals are noted for their milk, and our cows know how to look after their calves.”

The Beatys have been running a Simmental bull with their sucklers for the last 11 years prior to which they had introduced a continental sire, however the calves proved to be ‘too wild’. They then progressed to native breed genetics, but the 12-month-old calves weren’t sufficiently grown to meet with market demand, Tom explains.

FARM FACTS

The Dairy Farm, Meriden, Coventry

  • 285ha mixed, tenanted all within ELS/HLS
  • 365ha mixed, contract farmed
  • 85 suckler cows, grading up to purebred Simmental status
  • 350 ewes

Herd KPIs

  • 24 months age at first calving
  • 700kgs target max mature cow weight
  • 95% calving within the first six weeks
  • 95% calves reared • 14 – 16-year lifespan

“We looked at all the options, however we’d spoken to one or two finishers around the store ring and found they liked Simmentals for their growth and coverage; we were also aware the breed had a better temperament and agreed it would be much safer and quieter to work with. And that’s proved to be the case.”

When Charlie Beaty returned home she says she was determined not to let the grass grow under her feet. “I went to Harper Adams University, graduated in Agriculture in 2017, spent the next two years in Australia driving combines and working on a stock property before flying home and then considering other jobs in the industry, however I didn’t find anything that suited,” she says.

“Instead I’ve made a space for myself in the family farming business which has eased the pressure all round. Yes, I’m the skivvy, I get a lot of flak, however I’m all about further stepping up the unit’s efficiency and providing all round help including introducing new ideas. For example, we’re considering introducing weigh cells to enable us to more accurately assess herd performance and act accordingly.

“As well as launching a box meat enterprise, I’ve taken over managing the sheep and am currently working towards closing the flock.

“We are also planning to further incorporate our livestock enterprises in to the rotation for example, introduce the sucklers to a forage brassica mix ahead of potatoes, whilst grazing the sheep on OSR undersown with a white clover companion crop mix,” she explains adding: “The future for us is about focusing on the margins, not the yields, by further reducing input costs and remaining profitable in the pending ELM scheme. We are confident our Simmentals will complement that plan.”

Meriden Farm beef and lamb box scheme

Charlie Beaty’s beef and lamb box enterprise is providing a welcome boost to the family’s farming business.

“Yes, there are margins to be made, however we’re also getting a lot of satisfaction from selling our own Simmental beef at the farm gate: it’s 100% forage fed, locally slaughtered, hung 28 days, totally natural, no processing,” she says. “And it’s particularly rewarding to hear from repeat customers – we love the interaction; they come back saying they’ve never eaten such high-quality meat before. We know we’re getting things right.

“By close of 2021, we’d sold nine cattle through the beef boxes in 12 months, whilst demand for lamb boxes has almost doubled in the last two years to 15 boxes per month. Margins on the lamb box are slimmer than those for beef, however we regard lamb as a marketing tool to selling more beef.

“We keep things simple. I use social media for marketing purposes – I’ve over 10,000 followers across Facebook and Instagram, whilst all sales are via social media too. The boxes have to be pre-ordered one month in advance prior to collection at the farmgate on one set day per month. The logistics require quite a lot of organising the day before collection, however we don’t have any real over heads and the whole sales operation is completed for the month in a very short time period.”

Prior to launch, Charlie with some help from her mother, Mary Ann carried out essential market research and then established price points to ensure the enterprise would be economically viable. “We used local Facebook groups to determine the level of interest in locally reared, forage reared beef and grass-fed lamb, and concluded that living halfway between Birmingham and Solihull does have advantages, however we’ve since found the majority of customers live in affluent areas within a five-mile radius of the farm.

“While lamb was relatively straight forward to market with a limited volume and number of cuts per carcase, beef has proved more of a challenge. One 375kg heifer carcase can be split in seven different cuts – quick and slow roasting joints, rump and sirloin steak, mince, stewing and braising steak – packed in to 22 general boxes, leaving the high value rib of beef and ribeye steaks for individual sale along with fillet steaks.

“Initial trade was helped by (Covid) lock down, particularly in the start-up months, however, confident that we have an established customer base with potential for growth, in the near future we would like to increase sales to at least 12 cattle per year through the beef boxes.”

Simmental 3rd Suckler Dam Breed For Current Slaughter Generation

Simmental 3rd Suckler Dam Breed For Current Slaughter Generation

by | Jul 2, 2021

SIMMENTAL #3
SUCKLER DAM BREED

FOR CURRENT SLAUGHTER GENERATION

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Prime cattle slaughter data from abattoirs across Great Britain between 2010 and 2019 shows the Simmental breed is currently the 3rd most popular dam breed for suckler producers, behind the Limousin and Aberdeen Angus breeds, and running neck and neck with Angus for the number two position.  Simmental dams accounted for 9.2% of prime cattle slaughtered during this time period.

Showing the importance of the Simmental breed in the national suckler herd it is reasonable to assume a significant percentage of Simmental genetics in the non-Simmental sired females. 

STEPPING IT UP WITH SNPs

DNA parentage testing has traditionally been done with microsatellite markers. These markers are simple repeats in the DNA sequence, and the number of repeats present is highly variable. This high level of variability is what allows us to correctly assign DNA-based parentage using a relatively small number of markers.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) occur when there is a high amount of variation amongst individuals at a single position in the DNA sequence. There are millions of SNPs present across the cattle genome. Genotyping using SNP ‘chips’ can provide data on many thousands of SNPs at once, as opposed to the small 16 marker panel for microsatellites. 

As well being used for parentage verification, genotype data from SNP chips can be used to assess animal status for many single gene traits, such as myostatin status, or carriers of disease mutations such as arachnomelia and curly calf syndrome. They are also the technology that underpins genomic selection, which uses phenotype and genotype information on a reference population of animals to predict genetic merit in cattle at an early age.

Historically, the cost of SNP genotyping has been higher than that of microsatellite genotyping, however these costs have significantly decreased over time, and are now much more comparable. Moving from microsatellites to SNP-based parentage verification will provide many opportunities to accelerate breed development.

BRITISH SIMMENTAL MOVING ITS DNA SERVICE PROVISION TO SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM (SNP) TECHNOLOGY IN 2021

In a progressive step, the British Simmental Cattle Society will move its DNA services in 2021 from the presently used Microsatellite (MS) technology to Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) technology.   

The work to make the transition has commenced with the aim being that the new service will fully commence from 1st March 2021.   To explain this change as clearly and simply as possible, please see the following Q&A where we have anticipated what we think may be the most relevant and helpful questions:

Q: Why is the Society moving to using SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism technology)?

A: There are a few reasons but the first thing to say is that SNP technology provides an improved and robust parent verification test that is internationally accredited. The technology has been used in the livestock industry for almost a decade now and with most of the principle herdbooks, that work with Weatherbys, already having moved over.

Q: What other reasons are there to move to this new technology.

A:  Importantly, the increasing use of SNP technology at an industry wide level has seen a significant drop off in the use of Microsatellites (MS) for parentage verification purposes. Weatherbys have made clear that the use of MS technology will be phased out and possibly as early as 2022.  As use across the industry diminishes then costs for MS may also increase. Given this, it is important and sensible to make the transition to SNP technology in a good time prior to the phase out of MS. 

Q:  Are there any other advantages or benefits that moving to the SNP technology may bring members?

A: Yes.  As above, the SNP technology will bring improved and more robust sire and parentage verification and is a move forward in technology.  The SNP technology will also give the ability to add more to a single test, a parentage plus polled test would be an example of this.  Both could be done at one test and as opposed to two separate tests at a greater cost.  Members will therefore, in such an instance, make a considerable saving.

SNP technology will also give the platform from which, if the Society chose to do so, major gene testing can be carried out for a range of such as health traits, traits of economic importance, and for work in genomics generally. 

Q:  What will the cost of DNA testing for parentage verification be to members?

A: The base cost of SNP DNA testing is higher.  After full consideration Council have set the cost of a DNA test for parentage verification at £27.50. This increase is unavoidable but prices are in line with other principle breed society herdbooks.  The set price has a small margin on top of the cost price to the Society from Weatherbys.  This margin allows the Society to absorb some costs where additional DNA testing is required with regards to sale matters, general herdbook work, and for herd inspection work. As above, where you are requesting a further test such as polled at the same time the overall cost will be significantly lower.   For example Parentage + Polled will be £33.00 (£27.50 + £5.50) + VAT which is a considerable saving.

As noted in the second question, Weatherbys have made clear that the use of MS technology will be phased out and possibly as early as 2022.  As use across the industry diminishes then costs for MS may also have to increase.  

Q:  What work is required from here for the Society to make this transition?

A:  At present we are testing and SNP genotyping the most commonly used Simmental sires.  SNP genotyping these breeding bulls means the bull SNP profiles will be available in the parentage testing data base in advance of the offspring presenting for sire verification. So it is in effect a library of bulls to check progeny against and that has to be established prior to 1st March.

Q: How many bulls will require to be tested and who will pay for the SNP genotype testing of the most commonly used sires.

A:  The Society, in discussion with Weatherbys, are compiling a list of all Simmental sires that have had at least one calf registered to them in the last three years.  This will come to approximately 1500 sires.  These sires will require to be SNP genotyped with the total cost likely to be £25 – £30k.  Again, it’s an unavoidable cost and one which the Society will pay.

Q:  Why is the ‘new’ service provisionally set to commence from 1st March?

A: We want to make the transition quickly to ensure that members are getting the best value by using the best technology.  Continuing to use a technology that is getting phased out is not practical or sensible.  As noted, work has already started to make the transition.  If the hair samples are in the British Simmental sample archive, held in Weatherbys Scientific bio-bank, then these samples can be retrieved and SNP genotyped reducing the necessity to re-collect from animals.  There will inevitably be some samples from storage that may not be good enough to use and some bulls where we will have to request further hair samples from breeders.  We are taking aim at an eight-week working period to test these bulls and to make the transition from microsatellites to SNP’s.

Q: What will happen to the Society’s DNA testing between January 2021 and the 1st March?

A:  We are asking members to continue to submit DNA samples for testing as would be required.  The DNA samples received from now until 1st March will be logged and held, and then tested beyond the commencement date.  All samples received up to the 1st March will

be tested at the present prices.  The new pricing schedule will be applicable from 1st March and for samples received after that date.

If there are sale or ‘special’ situations where DNA testing is required then consideration will be given to this prior to March but it would be using the existing and in effect ‘old’ MS technology.

Q:  What challenges might the transition bring?

A:  We hope of course for the transition itself from MS to SNPs, and the DNA service provision thereafter, to be as smooth as possible.  It is likely, if not inevitable, that challenges will arise from time to time regarding such as ‘older animals’ and embryos in storage.  We hope that these will be at a minimum and each will have to be considered on their merits and as they arise.  Weatherbys have faced and successfully met similar challenges in other transitions, and whilst we are closer to the MS technology being phased out, we trust that this will also be the case during and beyond the Simmental transition also.   

Q: What about testing turn round times for SNPs

This is an important point.  The turn round time for DNA testing should be largely the same as at present i.e. from receipt of the sample, members should have results back within 4-6 weeks.  However, please note that the SNP process in itself takes 3 weeks from the time Weatherbys receive that sample, for samples to have DNA extracted and parentage tests carried out thereafter.   Therefore, particularly with reference to sale animals, samples will be required in plenty of time in advance of sale dates.  Where there are any problems or need for retesting following the initial sample being tested,  then at least three weeks is required for a second test beyond receipt of the sample at the lab.

Q: Are there any other suggestions for members in collecting samples?

A: Yes. If a member is selling/disposing of a bull that has had, or is due to have, progeny registered to him, then it would be good practise to collect a hair sample from the bull.  Identify the sample on the bag it’s put in, and keep in a drawer out of sunshine.  This could be very important in case the sample held and retrieved from Weatherbys is not good enough to be SNP profiled, or where a bull is having his first calves registered to him.     It would be sensible to take a hair sample in this manner from any pedigree breeding animal, male or female, that is being sold or disposed of, just in case there is a requirement for a DNA purpose, now or in the future.

Please note, hairs should be collected by plucking (not cutting) from the animal’s tail. This is preferable to hairs from the neck as the root follicles are bigger. It is recommended that 20-30 hairs are required per sample collected.

Q:  Will the Society be able to help with member queries around this transition now and beyond 1st March?

Absolutely.  The Society’s staff will be working hard to ensure the ‘new’ service is rolled out as smoothly as is possible and to help members with queries and problems.  Many members will remember Bloodtyping being the standard technology.  The livestock industry then transitioned to Microsatellites.  This move to SNP technology is the next and further step forward in the provision of DNA services. 

Igniting Genetic Improvement In British Simmental

Igniting Genetic Improvement In British Simmental

by | Jul 2, 2021

IGNITING GENETIC IMPROVEMENT

IN BRITISH SIMMENTAL

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20 years of breeding – where have we come from, and what does the future hold?

Breeding lies at the foundation of any beef production system. Whilst herd breeding decisions are just one element of cattle management, selecting superior parents for breeding will lead to cumulative and permanent gains in herd productivity, profitability and efficiency. 

Suckler farmers across the UK have a variety of systems, resources and end markets, each of which has its own requirements in terms of both male and female performance. Identifying what you yourself, and your customers require from your cattle, is an essential first step to choosing a bull to breed your cows with. 

Good genetics are the basic building blocks of animal production, no amount of extra feed and good management 

can truly overcome the influence of poor genetics. The benefits of genetic improvement are both cumulative and permanent, so good breeding decisions will continue to pay dividends in the herd over many years, and the use of estimated breeding values (EBVs) across the agricultural industry has led to huge gains in productivity and profitability in the past 50 years. As the industry has gained more knowledge on the use of these tools, we are now able to continue that improvement in productivity while maintaining health and welfare traits.

In this article we take a closer look at Simmental genetic improvement since 2000, to discover how the breed has improved over time, and how more effective use of EBVs could speed up progress and add value within the breed.

Genetic index trends

Looking at the trend in index values for the Simmental breed since 2000 (Figure 1), we can see that the breed has made progress in terms of both the Terminal Index, and the Self Replacing Index. The breed averages (Mean EBV) for the Terminal and Self Replacing index have each increased by over 50%. For each index, animals that were within the top 10% of the breed in 2000, would find themselves in the bottom 20% of the breed by today’s standards. 

Breed strengths

In figure 2, we can see that over the past 20 years, the traits where we see the biggest improvements have been terminal traits such as weaning weight, yearling weight, and finishing weight, where genetic gains have increased by approximately 40% between 2000 and 2018. On the maternal side, milkiness remains a strength of the Simmental breed, where the breed average EBV has increased by 50% since 2000.

Breed challenges

In figure 3 we can see the genetic trend lines for the 4 traits relating to calving: birth weight, calving ease direct, calving ease daughters, and gestation length. Here we see an increase in genetic gain for birth weight, calving ease daughters, and gestation length, and a decrease in genetic gain for direct calving ease. Where there has to be care is in the trends that can be seen for birth weight and for calving ease direct, and particularly in a breed where value is placed on maternal characteristics. 

The Simmental has a recognised reputation for being an easy calving breed, and this may become an increasing challenge to take sight of and maintain if the current genetic trends for birth weight and direct calving ease continue. 

Both the calf and the dam have an effect on overall calving ease, the calf through its size and shape (the ‘direct’ component), and the dam through her pelvic size and shape (the ‘maternal’ component). The calving ease daughters EBV is made up of the maternal genetic component, plus ½ of the direct genetic component for calving ease. The increase we see in calving ease daughters over time will be driven by the maternal genetic component of this EBV. 

The other potential challenge is the EBV for mature cow size, where we see the breed average EBV increasing by over 1kg per year. Despite larger cows generally producing progeny with higher carcase weights, these gains are outweighed by higher cow maintenance costs, and decreased fertility. The question of “how heavy is too heavy” is discussed in more detail on page 80.

How can maternal traits be an issue if the self-replacing index is improving?

The Self Replacing Index is designed to rank bulls by their genetic potential for the production of female replacements while producing prime steers and excess heifers for beef production. It therefore takes into account both terminal and maternal traits. It is quite likely that the improvements in the self-replacing index are being driven by the terminal component of this index. It’s therefore important to look at individual EBVs for maternal traits, as well as the self-replacing index when selecting maternal bulls for breeding.

Where do we go now?

Trait (units)Current Change Per YearIntensity Of Selection (2019 Benchmark)
Milk (kg)0.1440%
Mature cow weight (kg)1.0945%
Carcase weight (kg)0.9045%
Eye Muscle Area (cm2)0.0845%
Gestation length (days)-0.0250%
Calving ease direct (%)-0.0350%
Calving ease daughters (%)0.0150%
Birthweight (kg)0.0650%
Weaning weight (kg)0.5450%
Yearling weight (kg)1.1650%
Finishing weight (kg)1.1450%
Scrotal size (cm)0.0250%
Fat depth (mm)-0.0150%
Retail beef yield (%)0.0450%
Intramuscular fat (%)-0.0150%

Table 1: the current rate of change per year for each recorded trait in Simmental cattle, based on animals born in 2000-2020, alongside intensity of selection that this is equivalent to.

Data since 2000 shows that the general strategy employed in breeding Simmental cattle is to select animals whose genetics reflect the breed average or better (Table 1). The breed has therefore taken the important first step towards good genetic progress, by not breeding from animals whose genetics are below average.

Although it’s a great first step, using the breed average as your selection threshold for breeding will set an upper limit to the amount of progress over time. If the breed continues to use “above average” as their selection threshold, while other breeds push towards breeding only animals from (for example) the top 20% of the breed, there is a high risk of the breed being left behind in terms of performance. 

To really ignite genetic progress in the breed, and ensure that the Simmental retains and kicks on it’s place in the UK beef market, then there is a challenge to hold your breeding cattle to higher standards of performance, and target only the top 25% of animals for use in breeding.   

At the moment it may not be as easy as you would like to identify these higher performing animals. As with so many things in life, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. The best way to identify the best genetics within the Simmental population is to encourage widespread performance recording among pedigree breeders. 

Take home messages:

  • Aim high, not average (select within top 25% of breed)
  • Performance record wherever possible “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”)
  • Keep an eye on maternal performance
  • Know your market, and breed animals that will excel for yourself and your customers

*The British Simmental Cattle Society uses the Breedplan system which is one of the most widely used beef recording systems in the world. Breeders submit weight and performance data to the Society which is in turn sent to ABRI, the providers of Breedplan, who generate the EBVs across a range of maternal and terminal traits. EBVs are calculated and updated on a monthly basis and fed back to members. Herd costs to performance record starts at £120 per annum.  If you are a BSCS member and wish to begin performance recording your herd, please email information@britishsimmental.co.uk and request a Breedplan membership pack.