Change....the one thing you can count on

There are so many things that happen in your day that you don't count on happening....both positive and negative, but the one thing that we can all count on is change.  This is especially true in the Agriculture business, sometimes that is all that keeps you going when you energy levels are low.  That things will change, maybe not as soon as we would like but they will change.

Back in October we had the opportunity to visit with our good friends Anton and Allie Volker from Texas, Queensland. There property is Maidenhead Station where they raise Red Simmental and Shorthorn cattle, along with their two children Sebastian & Charlotte. 

They have a beautiful home and property.  Here are some photos of when we were there.

It was a bit wet when we were there.

You can see how the homes are built at ground level,
not much to stop the water from coming in.

These are some of the photos of their property last week.  Quite a difference. 

Although they are feeling blessed as their stock and family are all safe.  Their paddocks are under water and a mess along with broken fences and irrigation equipment that has been whisked away, but all of those things are replaceable. 
Here are some more photos that Australia Simmental Breeders have sent into their association

Our hearts go out to everyone that is effected by this natural disaster.  We will keep our Australian friends in our thoughts and prayers through this difficult time.

Four Seasons

The one thing that makes Alberta and probably Canada different from many other regions of the world is that we usually get 4 distinct seasons.  Although some seem to run longer than others.  Spring is filled with the leaves coming out and the grass turning green, our summers can have some hot days but not too many that you dread the heat and we usually don't get the humidity, fall is beautiful with the colors of the leaves changing and the harvest of the crops and winter although we usually complain about it, can have some of the most beautiful days of the year.

Over the Christmas holidays our daughter Crystal was home.  She loves to take pictures and has gotten very good and creative with this medium.  Here is how she spent her last morning at the farm before leaving to go back to Missouri.

Yearling Heifers



Frosty Morning





Cows grazing on swaths





RJY Joy's Firstdate 1W
 in her working clothes



2010 - Successful Year at High Country, Welcome 2011

I once read that a farmer looks for a perfect year......the right weather at the right time, good buys when making purchases and high markets when it's time to sell.  I don't know that we have ever had a perfect year, but we sure do strive to each year.

2010 was a very good year for High Country Cattle.  Some of those highlights were due to the time and dedication that each of our family members have put in over the last 27 years and the rest was due to friends, family and clients believing in what we are doing. 

  

RJY Lady May 16W - Purchased by Connor Beech, MB
$4200.00



RJY Signature Move 4X
Purchased by Annette Cross, Nova Scotia
for $6250



 

Thank You Annette

 

Peter and Charmaine Cook - Coohla, NSW
9 Bulls resulting from High Country Embryos
averaged $6300 at their 2010 sale


 



CDY Frontrunner 14X
Blk Joker son purchased by
Perlinger Simmentals, SK
for $5000.



Crystal with Carl & Nicole
Thank You for your purchase of Frontrunner.

 

SLY Sexy Money 119W

Thank You to Colton Draves
of Colt's Cattle Company, AB
who purchased 119W at Checkers
for $4200.

RJY Natalie 9W
purchased by Brian White, BC
at Checkers for $4100.

Thank you to each and everyone of you who has expressed an interest in our Simmental cattle.  Your support whether it be a comment, phone call, stopping by to visit at the farm or at an event we are attending, an email, viewing our website or blog, making  a purchase or passing our name on to someone in the business, it is all greatly appreciated.

We are really excited for the calves that are due to arrive any day.  For the opportunities that are available to us in the Simmental business and to be part of the Agriculture family.  There are no better people than those that are making their living off of the land and livestock.  2011 is full of opportunities and we look forward to them.

"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland



Year in Review

2010 is almost come and gone.  Another decade finished.  If someone would have told us a year ago that we would be writing a blog in 2010 we probably would not have believed them.  Sometimes the year goes so fast or we are looking forward to events in the next year that we sometimes forget the things that were memorable in the current year.  So let have a look back at 2010.

January

• First calves of IPU Revolution 172U arrive......we are very pleased.
• Old man winter makes sure we remember what winter can be like

• Rob gets a new calving shed

February

• Simmental bull sales are going strong
• Tickets to Australia are booked

• We say good bye to good friend "Auger"  His family honors us by giving us his show stick.

March

• We get to listen to Crystal speak at Lethbridge College on Agriculture Advocacy and Social Media in Agriculture
• Rob's dad has a massive stroke....family is in shock

April

• April Showers and more rain.  Thank you Mother Nature.
• Bulls are all out working

May

• April showers bring Grass and lots of it. 

• Lots of 4H shows to judge
• We say good bye to Rob's dad - "Howard Young"

June

• Champion Bull and Res. Champion Female at Drayton Valley Show, great night for a BBQ and tunes by Ty Wilson

• Cows and calves are out to pasture, no grasshoppers this year.


• Excellent Alberta Simmental Tour through Central Alberta

July

• Fun times showing steers at Calgary Stampede.  Res. Champion Charolais

• Honored by the AYCS (Jr. Simmental Association) as the Friends of YCS
• Great visit with Buddy and Francis Leachman while watching Lance judge at Synergy

August

• Great long weekend at the Saunders reunion on Vancouver Island
• a few games of golf
• Starting fall work so we can be away for a few weeks

September

• World Simmental Congress in Melbourne Australia

• Sale cattle selected for National sale, Agribiton and Checkers
• Spending some time with Crystal down under

October

• Res. Senior Bull at Olds Fall Fair.....thanks Stacy for taking care of things

• Wine tasting in Australia along with snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and Kangaroo hunting
• Great visits with friends at National Trust Sale

November

• National Champion Bull at Brandon - IPU Revolution 172U
• Grand Champion Bull at Farmfair - IPU Revolution 172U

• Won a Featherlite Stock Trailer for being a contender in Super Saturday at Farmfair - Thanks Warren from Allan Dale Trailers, Red Deer. Ab
• Res Sr Bull - Agribition along with a class winner - RJY Joy's Firstdate 1W.
• Meeting "the Boy"  Crystals friend Jon.

December

• Being a part of the $8400+ average Checkers Sale
• Adding "Elegant Force" to the herd and having her arrive all the way from Kentucky.

• Spending time with friends and family at Christmas





The Difference Between Commercial Cattle and Purebreds

A long time cattleman Rodney James once defined the difference between Purebred and Commercial cattle as "the amount of $$ you could get for an animal over market price."  Now I certainly agree with Rodney but I do think there is more to this that just the bottom line.

We have been extremely busy the last 3 months.  From attending the World Simmental Congress, to traveling to 3 major livestock shows in three provinces and now preparing for our final Simmental event of the year the Checkers sale on December 18, 2010. 

Our co-workers often ask why do we go to all the trouble?  Why not just have a few cows, calve them on grass, sell some calves and be done with all of this nonsense of shows, sales, registrations, following pedigrees etc.  Our answers to them is that we enjoy all of those events, the anticipation each year of the new calf crop from the sire you selected the year before, the ability to showcase your program and breed at shows and sales, belonging to a fraternity of like minded cattle people.  But probably the one aspect that keeps us going are the PEOPLE.  We have so many amazing people in the purebred cattle industry, and specifically our Simmental Breed.

There are 4 families that we would like to mention here today.  They are all from different countries and we have known them for different lengths of time.
The first is John & Danita Brogan. 

We have known John for over 25 years.  He is from Orange, NSW...well kinda, he has fallen in love with Canada and relocated for an undetermined time to Cochrane, AB  John assited us with selling some embryos downunder.  Through John and Danita we have met Peter and Charmaine Cook. 

We had the opportunity to spend a few days with Peter and Charmaine on our recent trip to Australia.  They are so much fun.  Peter is one of Australia's great cattleman.  If you are ever in the Coohla area it is defiantly worth your time to call in for a visit.  Charmaine might even share a glass of "Farmers Daughter" with you.  Highly recommend it.

The next group of people we have only know for about a month.  The Schneider's from Kentucky. 

We purchased a heifer from them at the Simmental Select Sale in Louisville, KY.  Although we have never met in person, we already feel like we have a connection with them  and it is the purebred cattle that has done that.  Here are a couple of  videos about their son Cramer, a truly amazing young man that has a passion for cattle. Great people to have in the Simmental Breed.  I hope that we can visit each others farms one day.

The third group of people are Dean, Monica, Kara and Kelsey Schwartz from 3D Simmentals.

I am not sure how long we have known them, but I sure am glad that we do.  They raise some great cattle, and are a lot of fun.  They also go above and beyond to extend hospitality to us each year when we come out to Agribition.  They offer their home to us to stay for the 8 days that we are in the Regina area.  It means so much to us for them to alter their schedules and mess up their house.  The best part are the late night chats and getting to spend time with their girls.

So when the weather turns really cold this winter and things are breaking or not going right and none of this seems worth while, we just take a few minutes to think of these people and so many more that have come into our lives thanks to the purebred cattle.  They make a big difference.

"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships." - Abraham Lincoln,

Back to the land of Oz - South Tahara

Our next destination was Colraine, Victoria.  We were meeting up with Wayne from Alva Downs.  Wayne is the manager for Cam Emerson.  A what a character.  Certainly tells thing like they are, although he did tame down the colorful language with us girls present.  We had a great afternoon with him and wish it could have been longer.

They have run two herds for many years. One is a purebred Simmental herd and the other is a purebred Hereford herd.  They have not kept up the papers on them but they do keep them purebred.  They also have a crossbred herd.

 The F1 Simmental x Hereford is one that is hard  to beat.  The countryside is beautiful at their property - South Tahara.  With all of the rain that they have had in 2010, the hills are green and the pastures lush.  A nice change after the 10 year drought.

The Emerson family is the family that I stayed with on my first visit to Australia.  David and Liz and their daughters, lived near Hamilton at Branxholme.  David managed the herds along with a purebred herd of Simmentals.  David is a recipient of the Golden Book Award through the World Simmental Fleckvieh Federation

David purchased a Ute (Utility vehicle), the year after I was there.  It has seen better days, but is still running after 26 years.

Alva Downs has topped the market at Casterdown for many years with their feeder calves.  Wayne gave us a great tour.  He had some really good looking lambs that were also ready for market.  We left with a package of lamb chops.  Now just had to find a bar-bie to cook them on!