Roy Phillips says anyone can raise an average beef animal but he is not interested in the mundane.
“They have to be something special or I won’t bother with them,” said the Simmental breeder from Adarsville, Georgia.
Phillips is particular when buying for his seed stock and embryo business, and at the World Simmental Congress sale in Calgary
July 15, he liked a yearling female from Bar 5 Simmental Stock Farms of Ontario enough to pay $37,000.
Phillips was the top buyer at the event. With an arena full of world members looking on, the sale of 41 lots totalled $347,950 to average $8,486.
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That included live animals as well as semen and embryo packages sold to on-site bidders and international customers over the Internet.
Phillips wants fullblood South African Simmentals. Most of his business is dedicated to selling embryos from an elite cow herd. The family also has a fertile chicken egg business.
The breeder started with fullbloods from Germany about 30 years ago but made the switch seven years ago to South African bloodlines because he likes their meat quality, size and colour.
“They are more predictable and you come a whole lot closer to what you are breeding for,” Phillips said after the sale.
He personally oversees his breeding programs and is proud of improvements made over time.
“To compare cattle 30 years ago to the cattle of today is to compare a child’s airplane to a 747.”
When he checks an animal for good physical conformation, he also wants to know its statistics and he relies heavily on such genetic records as the Genestar program. He wants meat quality data, marbling scores and predictability of colour.
“Looks are important. They’ve got to be a clean looking animal but the performance test is what I have to go by,” he said.
Healthy prices
The Calgary sale offered a variety of cattle and genetic packages, many with five-figure price tags.
The high selling bull from Gibbons Farms of Ontario sold for $17,000 to the partnership of Dollar S Diamond D Ranch of Arkansas, Indian Valley Ranch of Arkansas, Little Creek Farm of Mississippi and Murray Farms of Manitoba, giving the consortium full possession and half the semen rights.
Dan Skeels of Rimbey, Alta., sold a 2005 heifer for $16,000 to Gist Simmentals of Westerose, Alta.
A half interest and full possession in a female from Buzzard Hollow Ranches in Texas sold for $13,000 to Prospect Hill Simmentals of Ontario. When the bidding was done the Ontario farm doubled its investment and took full interest in the heifer.
Czech-Mate Livestock of Carstairs, Alta., sold a bred female for $14,000 to Randy Ward of Calgary. This female was reserve junior champion in the show the day before.
Embryos from cattle in Brazil, the United States, Australia and Canada were in demand, selling for as much as $3,000 per egg.
An offering of 250 units of semen and the exclusive rights on a bull from Lewis Farms of Spruce Grove, Alta., went for $14,000 to Kenner Simmental Ranch in North Dakota. The buyer has the exclusive rights to the semen in the country of choice with a guarantee no other semen will be released until 2008.
Also offered were buyers’ picks including a chance from High Country Cattle Services of Breton, Alta., to pick any animal in the herd. Beechinor Bros. of Bentley, Alta., were the successful bidders at $9,500.
Two other farms offered the pick of any 2006 heifer. LaBatte Simmentals of Gladmar, Sask., sold a heifer for $9500 to KBR Simmentals. McMillen Ranching Ltd. offered the same choice of any heifer, which went for $15,000 to Allan and Jackie Downey.
