The resurrection of the 1980's simmentals

Help Support Steer Planet:

Woody

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
358
Location
Ithaca, MI
Here is one of my random thoughts:  With the cow herd numbers at 50+ year lows, and the present dry conditions across the true cattle country, could there be a place again in the industry for the " Big and Tall" ?  Crossed with today's marbling abilities and nutrition know how?  Could it be the next fad of the industry, history repeating itself?
 

knabe

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 7, 2007
Messages
13,639
Location
Hollister, CA
Send a unit of papillon to Kerry Taylor at univ of Missouri and anything else  Fullbloods SIMM.
 

Woody

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
358
Location
Ithaca, MI
I'm not saying we need to go back to the " All legs no gut era", but more pounds per head slaughtered does look like it could come into play. Just a thought.
 

ShowmanQ

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
808
Location
Ohio
Woody said:
I'm not saying we need to go back to the " All legs no gut era", but more pounds per head slaughtered does look like it could come into play. Just a thought.

Pounds per head slaughtered is a good thing AS LONG AS you take feed efficiency into consideration. Feed costs are at an all time high. With the dry conditions, mentioned above, feed shortage is a real concern. IMO it is important to consider beasts that are low input...that's where you see a return on investment.
 

Lucky_P

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 27, 2012
Messages
326
I'd use Generation III(a Single Nick Doubletime son) and DS Pollfleck 809 again in a minute, if it weren't for the color dilution gene - they made some great halfblood SimAngus cows that lasted well into their teens, and produced some good calves here.
Papillon? Nah, don't want THAT much frame!
Had a Buck daughter - never would breed; granted it was only one - but I didn't use him again.  When I look at his photos now, it's hard to believe that I ever considered using him.
 

Woody

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
358
Location
Ithaca, MI
I would bet that some of the Shorthorn breeders would have a staw or two in the tank to help out the cause.
 

heatherleblanc

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
163
Oh gosh, I hope not.  I was looking at one of my old pictures from about 15 years ago, one of my champion females, and thinking what would happen if I showed up with the same cow today at a show.
 

Aussie

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
1,495
Location
Tasmania Australia
Woody said:
I'm not saying we need to go back to the " All legs no gut era", but more pounds per head slaughtered does look like it could come into play. Just a thought.
And a good one. Works over here.
 

vc

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 24, 2007
Messages
1,811
Location
So-Cal
This was the last one I showed, I believe he weighed in at 1207 late march calf, he was the heaviest at the fair that year. Our range was 900- 1300, under or over you could not show in market.  I could not tell you who he was out of, we purchased our calves from a lady who raised cattle for a hobby, she had around 30 cows. Her husband had a big electrical contracting company up in Linden, CA.

You can deffinitely see the Sim in his head and neck.
I think right after that year the calves all got about 3 to 6 inches taller. Chi was the next BIG thing, the race horses era had began.
 

Attachments

  • 4H 1983.jpg
    4H 1983.jpg
    64.2 KB · Views: 609

sue

Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2007
Messages
1,906
Lucky_P said:
I'd use Generation III(a Single Nick Doubletime son) and DS Pollfleck 809 again in a minute, if it weren't for the color dilution gene - they made some great halfblood SimAngus cows that lasted well into their teens, and produced some good calves here.
Papillon? Nah, don't want THAT much frame!
Had a Buck daughter - never would breed; granted it was only one - but I didn't use him again.  When I look at his photos now, it's hard to believe that I ever considered using him.
Lucky,  I remember Generation 3- almost too wedge shape for the 80's? Who owned Generation 3?
 

sue

Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2007
Messages
1,906
vc said:
This was the last one I showed, I believe he weighed in at 1207 late march calf, he was the heaviest at the fair that year. Our range was 900- 1300, under or over you could not show in market.  I could not tell you who he was out of, we purchased our calves from a lady who raised cattle for a hobby, she had around 30 cows. Her husband had a big electrical contracting company up in Linden, CA.

You can definite see the Sim in his head and neck.
I think right after that year the calves all got about 3 to 6 inches taller. Chi was the next BIG thing, the race horses era had began.
vc
we must be about the same age!!? your  outfit is awesome in this pic!  ;D
 

vc

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 24, 2007
Messages
1,811
Location
So-Cal
I was so glad when our fair started letting the kids wear blue jeans instead of white pants, you needed 2 to 3 pair of pants, and that was the only time they would wear them and by the next year they had out grown them.

Sue, I think it was right after I finished showing, Levi started making white jeans, I could have tolerated them allot more. I still remember my mom complaining about trying to find the white pants, and then how hard they were to get clean after the show. Market, showmanship, and then the sell, they got worse and worse each time.
 

Woody

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
358
Location
Ithaca, MI
Sue, Generation III was owned by Dave Stough and Singletree Farms. He was born in 1980. I referred back to my 1989 ABS sire directory, Singletree was a very prominent breeder of those flowered giants back then. Kingpin was also mostly owned by Michigan breeders.
 

Gargan

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
3,060
Location
West Virginia
Woody said:
Sue, Generation III was owned by Dave Stough and Singletree Farms. He was born in 1980. I referred back to my 1989 ABS sire directory, Singletree was a very prominent breeder of those flowered giants back then. Kingpin was also mostly owned by Michigan breeders.

any way u can post a pick of Gen 3? i remember him from when i was a kid and thought he was the best thing goin.
 

Woody

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
358
Location
Ithaca, MI
I will do my best, no grantees. The one in the abs book is his 1983 Denver pic. I would bet they have a shorter backdrop now. 63 inch hip height with a 52 inch flank height.
 

leanbeef

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Messages
944
Location
Tennessee
In response to the original post... Lord, help us if that happens! Thank goodness not every Simmental breeder went down that path...I think that's what saved us when the market crashed in '94. Because of that, Ryan, there were actually some usable bulls by the late 1990s. Not that every bull from 1980 until the mid 90s was all bad--we actually owned a Papillion son from Volks in NE that was a pretty dang good bull. I've seen some train wrecks, too, though...Pavilion, Superstar, Lightning, Tribute, Victory, and my favorite...Keystone. I had one of those, too...the best thing I got out of owning that bull was an education about real world cattle breeding! And the next bull I bought was a good one! We had cattle out of some of those big bulls that weren't bad cattle, but there weren't a lot of em that you could classify as small framed or early maturing. In all honesty, I think our weaning weights have increased or at least maintained as we've decreased frame drastically, and we've improved efficiency, productivity, fertility, soundness & longevity.

I'm actually going back and using some Bold Future on some Angus cows that I manage now, and those heifers are sure nice. I like em enough that I plan to make some more of em next year!
 
Top