I can't comment on the actual bull himself... but if the Nichols is the Nichols that I think it is... I can comment on that operation.
I travel to Des Moines, usually a few times each year, and my destination always involves two stops- one: Thomas and Nellie Harris (the folks I purchased my foundation Oxford flock from), and two: Roger Nichols- a National legend in the Hampshire and Suffolk breeds of sheep. Roger has sold MILLIONS of dollars of stud rams and females out of his little barn along the 4 lane highway right after Prairie City. My visit with Roger is always the highlight of my year- he knows everything about everything, everything about everyone’s breeding program, politics, sports, national news, technology, and everything- seriously.
Anyways, to what you are asking… I specifically remember asking Roger once about the Nichols with Sim and Angus cattle- and I’m about 95% certain he told me that was his brother- I’m also sure he told me that he had another brother that was a very large row crop farmer. I’m thinking he told me that growing up each of the three brothers had hands in each aspect of the ag industry… but as they grew up, and moved off each separated into their own segment. He went on to tell me about several bulls they had produced over the years (most of which I had not heard of, but assumed were trendsetters in their days. Roger then proceeded to tell me about his past showing these heifers here, and winning over there and on and on… I asked him about Dream On and his sire the Legacy bull- and I’m pretty sure that he said it had been several years since he’d had any involvement with the cattle—and so he really couldn’t tell me anymore than that.
I guess what I’m saying is, that if this is the same Nichols that I am thinking it is… That program is a legit one—and if it is the same Nichols, and they are Roger’s brother/ nephews… and they inherited half of the livestock breeding knowledge that Roger has—that program should be a success; both in terms of quality and breeding prepotency. Roger is truly one of the nation’s elite livestock minds- IMO… He’s a true breeder of quality livestock… I remember once a story that Roger told me about someone bringing him a set of registration papers and asking if that particular ram would work on that group of ¾ sister ewe lambs… To make the long story short- Roger told them it would, because the ram lamb had one different grandparent. Roger was one to know how his sheep would breed- regardless of how they looked… He’d pick out the ugliest, barest headed ram lamb to be the new flock sire for a guy wanting to get all kinds of wool— and he’d be right. The people who believed Roger, would have continued success with his genetics—I guess that’s what you’d get for not using any outcross in over 60 years.
And anyone who’d ever spoken with Roger will remember “them suns a bitches…”.
