Why Red Angus & Simmentals? Just like humans, the specific traits of an animal may be a reflection of its mother, its father, or both. For example, both calves pictured on the right come from the same parents. The calf on the left side of the picture has an appearance that is more like its Red Angus parent, with its smaller frame, and that distinctive head to toe auburn colouring. The calf on the right has a bit of a larger frame, and is more reflective of its Simmental parent because of its size and colouring.
Simmental cattle typically have white faces, white markings on their bodies, and more often than not, they have dark circles around their eyes referred to as "goggles," as well. But overall, the appearance of the two breeds is very similar. More importantly however, the difference in the composition and marbling of the two breeds is just as subtle. We all know and love the widely acclaimed taste of Red Angus beef, with its incredible melt in your mouth texture and taste. The marbling (ratio of fat to muscle) of Simmental cattle is very close to that of their Red Angus, and thus the beef is every bit as tasty as its counterparts. So if the two breeds are so similar, why do we bother to cross them? The reality is that there are certain traits that are invaluable to us in both breeds. Simmental's are known for their gentleness and their incredible mothering skills, but not for ease of calving. But, Red Angus cattle are known for their ease of calving, which is of paramount importance when you have a calf-cow operation like ours. Ultimately, we choose to cross these two breeds because of their similarity in composition and taste, and the differences in temperament and calving ease. |
The Life-Cycle of Our Cattle Typically, our baby calves are born between January and May, before going out to pasture with their Mothers for the summer. It is uncanny just how restless the cows start to get a week or two before going out to pasture in late May, as though they know there is some very yummy grass awaiting their return.
Out at pasture, the cows eat all the grass their sweet little hearts desire, while the calves continue to suckle from their Mothers. |