If Your Objective Is To Sell Top Price Weaners – A Simmental Bull Is Your Answer
Right throughout the country Simmental cross weaners have a long standing history of featuring as the top priced animals or within the top few pens at least – so if selling weaners is the name of your game then when it comes to buying bulls this season you should look no further than this mighty breed.
Hawke’s Bay farmers Graeme and Sue Maxwell are a living example of this, and have been using Simmental Bulls in their commercial herd for as long as they’ve been on their Hawke’s Bay property – Rangiora Trust.
With an impressive record of achieving top prices for weaner bulls at the annual Stortford Lodge fair next month –this year’s line-up is certainly on track to uphold the reputation they pride themselves on.
“At last years sale we averaged 262kg and $905 across our weaner bulls so that has been our benchmark throughout this season – we are always striving to improve and build on the years prior.”
He said they first looked to the Simmental for quiet temperament and good growth rates, and many years later they can honestly say the breed has delivered on both of these fronts and more.
“We have been consistently rewarded for our decision to use Simmental bulls as Terminal Sires in our cross breeding operation.
“Our weaners stand out in their own right when they come into the pens heavier than other breeds, but in addition to this – our buyers recognise the growth potential they hold right through to slaughter so they are willing to pay a premium price, knowing that will return dividends down the line.”
He says the logic for him is simple, and therefore should be for everyone running a similar operation to his.
“We operate in a commercial setting where growth rates are the biggest driver of profitability, so why would we go past the breed that ensures that year on year.”
Simmental New Zealand Association Council Member, Tom Sanson, says success stories like that of the Maxwell’s just further drive home what has long been known about the breed.
Simmental has well and truly proven its worth in the commercial world of farming, with countless studies and real life testaments to the superior growth performance they display over other breeds, from birth right through to slaughter.
“It is their ability to grow fast and well that also sees finishing farmers send to slaughter before Christmas after one winter, not two, which of course gives rise to a whole raft of savings in feed alone.”
With the 2022 round of bull sales looming, this is the time to analyse and take stock of your commercial operation and objectives.
“The most important decision you can make comes down to securing the right genetics to best enable you to achieve your objectives.”
He says if producing to weaners is the objective of your operations, then Simmentals should without a doubt feature in your bull buying decisions this season.
“There simply is every reason to use a Simmental bull in your commercial herd, and virtually no reason why you should not – a bold statement but one I am happy to stand by.”