Florida Simmental and Simbrah Association

ASA/FSSA Articles & Stories

Fall calving season reminds us to discuss abnormal calves: It's important that we monitor and identify genetic abnormalities. Every breed and species have them. We almost always think of bad traits, even lethal traits, but polledness was once a genetic abnormality.

ASA has a very friendly policy in dealing with abnormal calves. Just call ASA and speak with Wade, David, Marilyn or Jerry. All conversations will be confidential. If veterinarian examinations or samples are needed, ASA will pay expenses. We always validate parentage by DNA. Please encourage all ASA members to report anything they believe is abnormal. Only through accurate reporting and scientific examinations, can we minimize the threat of genetic defects filtering into SimGenetics.

Tibial Hemimelia (TH) is a lethal genetic defect: TH is most concentrated in Shorthorn, Maine Anjou and Percentage Chianina cattle. Both sires and dams from these breeds have progeny in the ASA database; consequently, those pedigrees may carry TH. The ASA Policy is that all animals with one-eighth or more Shorthorn, Maine or Chi must have their suspect parent DNA tested for TH before ASA assigns a registration paper. Alternatively, the animal (calf) requested for registration can be tested (instead of the parent potentially carrying TH). ASA Trustees have decided to provide a registration paper regardless of the TH status. Remember, only 50% of carriers progeny have the "bad gene". So, genetic defect carriers can have progeny that either have one copy of the bad gene (these progeny become carriers), or progeny that are free of the bad gene.

The new EPDs are on the web: Fall 2007 EPDs have been loaded on the web site (as of 5 PM -mountain time, August 16). New EPDS are printing on registration certificates and herd reports as well as being displayed on the web site.

There were several changes to the data and genetic evaluation procedures for the fall 2007 run that in addition to a large amount of new data may cause changes in the epds of animals. Here is a list of the major changes:

1. The evaluation database was rebuilt from the source data submitted by each association and group (ASA, CSA, Maine Anjou, Chianina, MARC). Cornell built our evaluation database on their system several years ago. Since that time we have sent updates and new records to Cornell for maintaining the database. No doubt a small number of records got out of sync between the Cornell database and the source databases.

2. There were two significant changes to the stayability evaluation. Contemporary grouping was changed to include the percent Simmental of a sire’s daughter. Previous evaluations didn’t account for percentage differences between females within a member-herd-calving season in forming contemporary groups. In addition, the evaluation is now made up of four separate evaluations – one for cows with 4 or more calves; one for cows with 3 calves; one for cows with 2 calves; and one for cows with 1 calf. A female will be in only one of the evaluations. The results of these evaluations were then combined into 1 stayability epd for 6 year old stayability.

3. There were also two significant changes to the carcass evaluation. Carcass and ultrasound data on ET calves were included in the evaluation. The evaluation also included additional ultrasound data that was previously edited out.

The Fall 2007 genetic evaluation is our first to include ultrasound data on ET calves. In the past, ultrasound records have been censored from the evaluation. This approach was due to a concern over an inability to account for the impact of the animal's recipient dam on its ultrasound record. In research performed on our population and others, it is evident that by the time an animal reaches the appropriate age for ultrasound (300 to 440 d) the impact of its recipient is minimal. Because of this finding, we determined that including ulstrasound data on ET animals was in our best interest--adding valuable information to our genetic evaluation. Because recipient dams have a significant impact on early measurements such as birth and weaning weights, we will continue to censor ET records on weight traits until we develop the capability of accounting for the effect of the recipient dam on these records.

Simmental Cattle

by Emily Rowe, FJSA member

Simmental cattle originated from the Simme Valley of the Bernesse Oberland in Western Switzerland. In Germany, the "Thal" or "Tal" means valley. These Simmentals were the traditional red and white colors. Simmentals are prized for meat production, dairy production, and as hard working mothers. In 1806, the frist herd book for simmental cattle was begun in the Canton of Berne. By the 19th century the Simmental breed were exported to South Africa, Brazil, Guatemala, and Argentina. The Simmental cattle were brought to the U.S. between 1887 - 1920. In the U.S. the polled gene has been introduced by the upgrading process, using horned Simmental bulls mated to polled cows of the other breeds. Simmentals continue to be known as consistently eye-pleasing and uniform in type.

The Simmentals are a impressively large, long, and muscular beef animal known for its growth rate, capacity, and easy temperament with bulls weighing from 2200 to 2800 pounds at maturity, cows weighing between 1200 and 1600 pounds, and steers are 1000 to 1350 pounds at slaughter. The American type has more heavily pigmented skin than its European counterparts, seen around the eyes, udder, and scrotum.

The most familiar Simmmental colors are those of the orginal European purebreds from a light yellow-brown or straw-color to a light or dark red. In the U.S. any color pattern is allowable in the Simmental breed. Colors range from nearly white to almost black.

You can find more information about this breed in the book called Breeds Of Cattle. This book was written by Herman R Purdy and completed by R. John Dawes.

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by Emily Rowe, FJSA member