REGINA – They like to give their cattle provocative names like Sheeza Hussy and Flirtin with You, but Garth and Ang Rancier have a serious program in mind for their purebred Simmentals.
It has been a good run for the young couple who started their own black Simmental herd in 2001 at Killam, Alta.
The herd has built up to 60 polled black females and they have been winning every year they have been in the business.
This year they hit the jackpot when they became the first family to win both the bull and female supreme championship from Northlands Farmfair earlier in the fall. Their female winner from that show was named Canadian Western Agribition grand champion Simmental cow. Their Farmfair bull was named reserve champion, standing next to a bull from Abraham Land and Cattle Co. and Yellow Rose Cattle Co. of Didsbury, Alta.
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A half share in the championship cow’s calf was sold last summer to an Ontario buyer who had only seen a picture of the mother. Their new partner recently saw his purchase for the first time, said Garth.
The Ranciers also led off the Agribition Simmental sale, where a 2008 heifer sold for $10,500 to Nostadt and Beaumont Livestock of Ontario.
The Ranciers always liked black Simmentals with their good muscling and calving ease.
“They’ve changed so much in the last 10 years,” Garth said.
The basis of the herd is three cow families and they use only bulls that trace back to strong cow families.
They sell bulls at the annual Red and Black Simmental Sale at Red Deer as well as off the farm to commercial producers who maintain a black base in their herds.
Both Garth and Ang grew up showing cattle and Garth started his adult cattle career by helping other people with their grooming at the shows. He has continued the grooming business at various purebred shows because it is a good venue where they can network, promote their own stock and meet people from other breeds.
The Simmental sale was good to other breeders as well, where a strong demand for open and bred heifers was demonstrated. The average was $5,179 on 36 lots for a sale total of $186,450.
The top seller was for a heifer calf at $16,000. Consigned by Robb Farms of Maidstone, Sask., the successful bidder was John Grant of Edam, Sask.
Other high sellers included a heifer from Justin and Ward Muirhead Cattle Co. of Shellbrook, Sask., for $13,700. Ray Frehlick of Estevan, Sask., was the buyer.
