Introducing the Simmental to Commercial breeders – particularly those increasingly attracted to closed herds – and the distinct advantages of the Simmental breeding female: strong maternal traits, milkiness and docility.

There has not been another beef breed to challenge the Simmental sire for the past 12 years, according to Kevin Daniel, a third generation farmer running 300 acres at Trebursye near Launceston in Cornwall with his wife, Jackie, reports Roger Trewhella.

Speaking at an Open Day organised by the Cornwall Simmental Club and Duchy College, Mr Daniel explained that the original policy for the 70 cow spring calving suckler herd was to cross a Charolais bull with Hereford x Friesian cows. Some of these cows born as long ago as 1989 are still in the herd and looking in fine fettle. However, the move to a closed herd for health control reasons led to the introduction of one Simmental bull to run alongside two Charolais.

The quality of the Simmental progeny were so good that Mr Daniel had soon changed to all Simmental sires. Within this breeding programme, Mr Daniel does not have any concerns about using a Simmental bull on his heifers, which are calving down at two years old.

Regulating cow condition and using a mature bull with a proven ease of calving on farm are far more influential factors in preventing calving problems. Even though the herd has now got to 7⁄8th or 15⁄16th Simmental, Mr Daniel was unable to find another beefbreed that would introduce hybrid vigour, maintain thebeefing quality of the progeny and retain the milking ability of his females. And so, Simmental x traditional British Friesian calves were purchased in 2001, and have calved to a Simmental.

The first 25 bull calves born each March are kept entire, finishing at an average of 385 days. The past crop averaged 360kg carcases, achieved from 1.25 tonnes of concentrate feed per head. Growth rates from birth to weaning are 1.4kgs per day, increasing to 1.6kgs in the finishing phase. Later born male calves are steered and taken through to finish at 2 years old, maximum.

Carcase weights on this less intensive system are similar to the bulls, but are reached over an extra 10 to 11 months so that subsidy income is maximised. Heifers not needed for replacements are currently finished at 22 months of age when they have averaged 305kgs carcase weight at R4L. The quality of these heifers is such that Kevin Daniel is seeking to build a premium market for them at the bulling or in-calf stage. He anticipates that it will take four to five years for his reputation to spread as satisfied customers come back for more. For Kevin Daniel, future sire will balance high growth potential with good carcase quality.

In addition to the beef enterprise, there are also 330 Mule and Texel x Mule ewes that lamb in April for late autumn, winterfinishing. The size of the sheep flock has contracted as a direct consequence of the pressure this puts on forage area calculations. Ninety acres of combinable crops are grown, with oats forming a 50% portion of the cattle concentrate rations.

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