Sweet Satin

We will be on the road to the National Simmental show held during the 40th Anniversary of Farmfair International in less than 48 hours.

 We are excited for the display that we have prepared - 4 bull calves representing the bulls that will sell at the Simmental Bull Summit on February 24, 2014 and 5 heifer calves, including 2 that will sell at Checkers on December 14, 2013 in Red Deer, and a very pretty little lady - RJY Sweet Satin 30A that sells in the Headliner sale on November 8, 2013 at Farmfair. - Lot 16.

Sweet Satin is out of our oldest cow in the herd. Combined with her sire McIntosh Sweet Talker she has a great future a head of her. 

We invite you to stop by the stall for a visit and a look at the cattle. Safe travels to everyone out on the show road this fall.

Traveling Man

The last few months have been busy but some how Rob has managed to fit a few trips into his schedule.  At the end of September he flew out to Kamloops to judge the 75th Provincial  Winter Fair.  This was a great few days seeing kids enjoying their cattle and other 4H projects.

He made quick trip to Illinois and Iowa over the Thanksgiving weekend to see a Hereford (yes Hereford) Sale and visit Crystal and Jon.

     

Today he is flying to Toronto to judge the Simmental show at the Toronto Royal on Saturday.  He has never been to the Royal before, so is looking forward to being a part of this iconic event.

  The trip will be short though as he has to come right from the airport to Northlands Park to meet us for the 40th Anniversary of Farmfair International and the National Simmental Show and The Pen Bull Show.

It is going to be a busy 10 days, but filled with cattle, friends and agriculture enthusiasts from across the country.  Can't wait.

October here and nearly gone.

The days are getting shorter and these last few weeks and months seem to be flying by way too quickly as well.  Hope fully that is the same for January & February when we are getting a blast of the real cold stuff.

October has been a busy month for us. We were trying to get caught up on a few things after spending time in September celebrating the marriage of our youngest daughter Stacy to Dan Romanyk.
  

They couldn't take their real cows to the wedding site so Stacy incorporated these ones into the wedding. (The guests had to find their cow to know their table number.)



 

We usually sell our cull calves in September but this was pushed back to early October.  We were really happy with our steer calves netting $1085.00 for us.  Now I know that you will hear of other calves bringing more than that this year.  But remember this is the bottom half of our male calf crop.  Included in this were the March calves, twins, ect.

 

The bulls that will sell at Simmental Summit on February 24, 2014 are being fed down at Beechinor Bros., Bentley, AB.  We did keep 5 back at home that we will display at the National Simmental Show during Farmfair International - November 3 -9, 2013.

 

We made a quick trip to Iowa over the Thanksgiving weekend to visit Crystal and Jon.  During our time there we were able to take in a Hereford sale at Perks Ranch, Rockford, Illinois, Doug, Mary, Wade & Brie are great people if you are ever in the area.

 

 seen the corn get harvested                                                                                                

and enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in Crystal and Jon's new home.

 

After returning home it has been full days of getting the feed yard full, working on fall show and sale cattle, picturing cattle for the fall sale catalogs, and trying to get everything in place before winter arrives.

 

We have some exciting breeding pieces (as Rob calls them) and a display of cattle for the National show that we are real proud of. We will be out and about for a lot of November so we hope to see you at one of the cattle events.  

 

 



Our Hearts Go Out

This post is not about us directly, but about fellow cattlemen & ranchers in South Dakota.  The devastation that they have faced in the last few days is almost too much to imagine.  For those that don't raise livestock it would be like loosing your family or a business that has been in your family for generations.  Ranching families are made of tough stock but they have big hearts that are aching.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to them, for if we were in their situation they would be doing the same.

Blizzard kills 60,000 cattle in South Dakota as shutdown slows aid 

Michael Hirtzer

Published Tuesday, Oct. 08 2013, 5:09 PM EDT

Disaster aid will be slow to come for South Dakota ranchers who lost as many as 60,000 head of cattle during an historic blizzard over the weekend, industry officials said on Tuesday.
Cattle died of hypothermia or suffocated under snowdrifts after a “perfect storm” brought rain, then record snowfall and strong winds to the portion of the state west of the Missouri River, said Silvia Christen, executive director of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association.

 “It’s anyone’s guess how drastic this loss will be. The cattle were soaked to the bone. Then the wind and really heavy snow started – it just clung to them and weighed them down,” Christen said.

“Many of them just dropped where they were walking,” she said, adding that at least 5 per cent of the roughly 1.2 million cattle in the western third of South Dakota likely perished.
South Dakota is the sixth largest U.S. cattle producer with about 3.8 million head. The United States has about 89 million head of cattle – its smallest herd in 61 years.

The state’s ranchers could apply for disaster relief under the Livestock Indemnity Program that would pay them a portion of the animal’s market value. But the program is part of the 2008 farm bill extension that expired Oct 1 – the first day of the U.S. government shutdown over a budget impasse.
And with the U.S. Agriculture Department shuttered, livestock producers also are unable to file paperwork detailing their losses with USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

“Those (FSA) offices are furloughed and there are no employees there. They are unable to help us even though they desperately want to,” Christen said.
Snow was melting, exposing herds of dead cattle that had sought shelter in creek bottoms and valleys or along fence lines. The carcasses will eventually be hauled away to rendering facilities, often at the farmer’s expense.

In Rapid City, in the west-central part of the state, 48 centimetres of snow fell smashing a nearly 100-year record for accumulation in October, according to the National Weather Service.
Parts of Colorado and Wyoming also saw heavy snowfall during the storms that also brought more than a dozen of tornadoes to Iowa and Nebraska, injuring at least 15 people, damaging homes, closing schools and knocking down power lines.

For the cattle, the storms came too early in the season for the animals to grow their heavier winter coats. Many of the dead included young calves ready to be marketed as well as cows pregnant with calves that would have been born in the spring.

“A lot of folks are still trying to assess the damage and losses and regroup after the storm,” said Jodie Anderson, executive director of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association.
Anderson said livestock farmers should document their losses with pictures and identification tags in the event the government reopens and a farm bill is passed.

Farmer’s Creed

I believe a man’s greatest possession is his dignity and that no calling bestows this more abundantly than farming.
I believe hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person’s character.
I believe that farming, despite its hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honorable way a man can spend his days on this earth.

I believe farming nurtures the close family ties that make life rich in ways money can’t buy.
I believe my children are learning values that will last a lifetime and can be learned in no other way.
I believe farming provides education for life and that no other occupation teaches so much about birth, growth, and maturity in such a variety of ways.

I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free: the splendor of a sunrise, the rapture of wide open spaces, and the exhilarating sight of your land greening each spring.
I believe that true happiness comes from watching your crops ripen in the field, your children grow tall in the sun, your whole family feels the pride that springs from their shared experience.
I believe that by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking from it; an honor that does not come to all men.

I believe my life will be measured ultimately by what I have done for my fellow man, and by this standard I fear no judgement.
I believe when a man grows old and sums up his days, he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life he’s lived.
I believe in farming because it makes all this possible.

A new partnership with an old friend

Several years ago the decision was made for a number of reasons for the Canadian Simmental Association to go back to having their EPD's with information from only our herd book.  We had been incorporated with the American Simmental Association  having North American EPD's previous to that.

Due to some conversations by both board of directors and staff and we are please that as of this fall the EPD's that all breeders are able to use as one of their selections tools will again be North American EPD's incorporating data from both the Canadian and American Simmental Associations herd books.

This will make comparisons of EPD numbers much easier for everyone.  Whether you are looking to purchase an animal in one country or the other their numbers will still be the same when you import them.  When selecting A.I. sires you will also have an idea what the resulting progeny's EPD's will be.  We see this as a positive move for our breed.  The cattle listed on our  website www.highcountrycattle have been updated with the CSA Fall 2013 EPD numbers.  If you would like more information on this check out the CSA's web page.

Fall 2013 CSA Genetic Evaluation

 

Breed Average

 

CE   BW    WW    YW    MCE    Milk     MWW    SC    CWT    REA    Fat      Marb

5.5    4.1      66.4     93.7    9.0       26.3       59.4         0.17  31.3      0.55     -0.073   -0.06

 

Current Population – all calves born in the last 2 ½ years (2011‐2013)

Active Sire – any sire with a calf reported in the last 2 ½ years (2011‐2013)
Active Dam – any dam with a calf reported in the last 2 ½ years (2011‐2013)

Welcome Back

First of all sorry that it has been months since we have wrote a blog.  It seems like life has gotten in the way. That doesn't mean that things haven't been good just busy.  Here are a few things that have happened in the last 7 months.

• The first Bull Summit held with Beechinor Bros. and Eagle Ridge Simmentals was a huge success.  Thank you to everyone that attended (standing room only).  Our bulls were very well received averaging over $5500. 
  
• Calving went really well, we had a 104% calf crop due to a few sets of twins.  No death losses. We were excited to get the new calves out of The Fleck 59Y. 
• We were saddened by the loss of our good friend Lyle Peterson of Bar L7 Simmentals. Just a reminder to all of our farming and ranching friends to be careful each and every moment on the farm.  Take the time that you need.  We miss your phone calls and visits Lyle and your enthusiasm for cattle and in particular the Simmental breed.

• The spring was late, cold and the feed yard was completely empty when the cows finally went to pasture.  We are thankful for great weather this summer, rain when we needed it lots of sunshine and tons of grass.
• We golfed lots in the early summer.  Rob tried a few new courses.  He really enjoyed the Sundre Golf Course, and the Black Bull.  Wished we had been able to do more in July and August.
• We enjoyed many visitors over the summer.  Many from Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Iowa with Jon and Crystal home twice.
• I had the opportunity to visit Colombia and the Congress of the Americas.  It was a wonderful trip to see Simmentals working in Colombia and meet some wonderful Simmental breeders.

• We enjoyed celebrating our youngest daughter Stacy`s wedding just last week. Thank you to all of our friends and family that took the time out of their busy schedule to celebrate with us.  We are so pleased to welcome Dan in to our family and look forward to them developing their herd under Double R Farms.
   

 

The next few months will be equally as busy with  us getting fall work done, taking a trip to Illinois and Iowa,  the fall meetings of the Canadian Simmental Association, Rob judging at the Winter Fair in BC and the Toronto Royal, preparing for the National Simmental Show at Farmfair, and getting 6 head ready for the Checkers sale.  Stay tuned we will try to blog about these events.  Until then we wish you a great fall, huge yields on your crops and calves and look forward to visiting soon.

The "A" List

It kinda snuck up on us but the other day Rob and I realized that we have been breeding Simmental cattle  together for 30 years.  I grew up on a Simmental farm, my parents and Aunt and Uncle operated Highwood Land & Cattle.  They began crossing their Hereford commercial cows to Simmental in the late 60's.  As things would go it was taking way to long to advance the herd to purebred status.  They were presented with the opportunity to buy 100 purebred cows from one of the founding herds in North America, SBL at Cardston, AB. The home of Parisian the first Simmental bull imported to Canada.

 Many of those cows carried the tattoo year letter "A" and were born in 1969.

Fast forward 22 years and Rob and I are now developing our own herd of Simmentals.  The first Simmental that was given to our daughter Stacy, was a red & white heifer named RJY Miss Stacy 16A.  She produced our first black Simmental and the first heifer that Stacy showed at her first junior Simmental show - RJY Black Lace 1C.



 

RJY Black Lace 1C - first daughter of 16A

RJY Cajun - was at the side of 16A
when named Champion Female at Drayton Valley Show

 The 16A cow family planted a seed, one that would take a young girl that loved her Stacy Cow and is now developing her own herd of Simmentals. 

RJY Black Lace 1C - the first black Simmental
to show at a Junior Show in Alberta

Fast forward to 2013 and we are now on our 3rd cycle of  "A" calves.  When we began looking at the calving list, we realized that if things went according to plan, Stacy could have 16A again..... and she did.  This time SLY 16A is a red blaze faced heifer calf.

SLY 16A - Born January 14, 2013

I`m not sure if Rob and I will be calving cows 22 years from now, but maybe we can go and visit Stacy and Dan and see the 4th go round on the A list.

The Opportunities Begin

I am beginning to feel like I am having the time of my life if the old age saying "Time flys when your having fun".  It seems like just days ago that we were preparing for the 2011 show and sale season and now we are just a couple of weeks away from heading out on the road of 2012.

 Farm and ranch people seem to define their lives by events, the drought of 2006, the cold spring of 2010, the record breaking bull sale year of 2012.  That or the year that they attended an event.  Farmfair 2009 or  the 20th Agribition that we attended.

With each new season that approaches we are all filled with optimism and high expectations.  There have been so many decisions that have gone into getting you to where your farming operation is, hoping to take you to the next level.  Your hopes may be a greater acceptance in the market place, a championship banner, making the highlights of a sale report, going home with a list of potential buyers for your bull sale, connecting with past customers and hearing their successes with the breeding stock that they purchased from you.  The list is ling.

One of the first events for us on the circuit this fall is Farmfair International., in Edmonton, AB. This show has a long history but through thick and thin it has treated us well and been a great place to market our cattle.  With the addition of the Ranch Rodeo, another sector of potential customers are stopping by to view our program. 

Our string is a bit smaller this year, but has some unique individuals in it. 

• The first daughter of McIntosh Sweet Talker will sell at the Headliner sale on November 9th in Edmonton.

McIntosh Sweet Talker 32X

• We will be exhibiting a Fullblood Simmental for the first time in 21 years.

Stop by the stall to see what Fullbloods in 2012 look like.

• We will be caring for cattle of Lyle Peterson's of Bar L7 from Calgary.

Stop by the stall for a visit and if you are looking for a really nice black baldy Simmental heifer for a youth project. RJY Sweet Dreams 44Z may be worth a look.  Hope to see you in Edmonton in a couple of weeks.

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth

Today marks the 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede.  To many this may not be important as many cities have an annual fair that they celebrate.  But although this great event is hosted by the city of Calgary it belongs to all of Alberta and Canada. 

Steer Show 1985

The Alberta Beef Booth is
alway a popular spot.

My family has had a long standing association with the Calgary Stampede.  My dad along with my aunt, and cousins have been members on several agriculture committees. Dad for over 40 years.

My family have been exhibitors there in the livestock show, steer show, junior show and stock dog trials.

Showmanship Champion 2006

Our daughters were recipients several times of scholarships.

Scholorship winners

 I was a part of the grandstand show one year, along with other 4H members leading calves across the stage, showing the audiences all the different breeds of cattle.

My cousin is a driver in the world famous chuck wagon races.

Driver - Troy Flad

 Crystal worked in the Agriculture department for two summers on an internship.  She was also the youngest person to be a member of the judging panel for the supreme championships.

The first Friday in July marks the best 10 days of the summer.  Now that we don't live right by Calgary we only get there for a few days each year, but it is always something that is a part of our summer plans.
When we are traveling if we mention that we are from Alberta we are often asked if we have ever been to the Stampede.  We are envied when they find out that we go each year.  It's kinda like living next to Disneyland.

Here are a few fun facts about the Stampede:

We offer the largest purse in outdoor rodeo of over $2 million.

The Agriculture component has been a backbone of the of the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede since its formation in 1886 as the Calgary Agricultural Society.

The purse for GMC Rangeland Derby chuckwagon race is over $1 million

Over a million people attend the 10-day Stampede each July

70 per cent of Stampede patrons are local and 30 per cent are tourists

The Stampede Parade route is 4.5 kilometres

Over two million mini doughnuts are sold each year

Over 200,000 pancakes are served at community breakfasts each year

Stampede Park is comprised of 193 acres

Approximately 3.6 million people visit Stampede Park year-round annually.

Over 30,000 flowers are planted on Park each year

The Calgary Stampede is a not-for-profit organization and the Calgary Stampede Foundation is a   non-profit registered charitable organization.

The Stampede has over 2,000 year-round volunteers and over 1,200 year-round employees

The Calgary Stampede has a huge economic impact on Calgary's economy, contributing $127.2 million and also to Alberta's economy, contributing $166.3 million

I salute the Volunteers and those that have fought to keep the Stampede alive and growing over the last 100 years.  This is the one celebration that we have that keeps urban and rural people connected.  I can't wait to get there on Thursday.

Grated Coconut -
One of the greatest Stampede horses

What's In A Name

There are lots of weird "holiday" around the world and apparently today is "Change Your Name Day".  This is the day that if you really don't like the name that you were given, you have the opportunity to change it a no cost.  Although I think the opportunity to change your name is there everyday, someone thought we needed to have a specific day for it.

When we didn't have a son
We named our dog Kurt

When our daughters were born we like most parents to be had a list of potential names.  There were 3 girls names each time and only one boy's name.  If we had had a son - his name would have been Kurtis Robert.  I insisted on it being spelt with a "K" as I did not want our son to have the initials CRY. 

Crystal just seemed to fit her more than Ashley or Amber.  Stacy was chosen from Jodi and Carli. 

We often joke that we have spent more time over the years thinking of names for our purebred Simmental cattle than we did naming our children.  When that special bull calf or potential donor female is born, the hunt is on to pick the right name.

I think our girls are just glad that we didn't get to creative with their names like some of these parents did.

• Popcorn
• Salt & Pepper - twins
• Colt 44
• Ryan Coke