Simmental Cattle
Encyclopedia
Simmental
Simmental is an alpine valley in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. It expands from Lenk to Boltigen, in a more or less South-North direction , and from there to the valley exit at Wimmis near Spiez it takes a West-East orientation . It comprises the municipalities of Lenk, St...
, in the Bernese Oberland
Bernese Oberland
The Bernese Oberland is the higher part of the canton of Bern, Switzerland, in the southern end of the canton: The area around Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and the valleys of the Bernese Alps .The flag of the Bernese Oberland consists of a black eagle in a gold field The Bernese Oberland (Bernese...
of western Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
European origin
Among the older and most widely distributed of all breeds of cattle in the world, and recorded since the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the Simmental
Simmental
Simmental is an alpine valley in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. It expands from Lenk to Boltigen, in a more or less South-North direction , and from there to the valley exit at Wimmis near Spiez it takes a West-East orientation . It comprises the municipalities of Lenk, St...
breed has contributed to the creation of several other famous European breeds including the Montbeliarde
Montbeliarde Cattle
Montbéliarde cattle are a red and white pied cattle breed from the Montbéliard region of France, used mainly for dairying and particularly for cheese making.-History:...
(France), the Razzeta d'Oropa (Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), and the Fleckvieh (Germany).
North America
There are reports from a variety of sources indicating that SimmentalSimmental
Simmental is an alpine valley in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. It expands from Lenk to Boltigen, in a more or less South-North direction , and from there to the valley exit at Wimmis near Spiez it takes a West-East orientation . It comprises the municipalities of Lenk, St...
cattle arrived in the United States before the turn of the 20th century. Simmental were reported as early as 1887 in Illinois, according to one source; in 1895 in New Jersey; and in both New York and New Mexico around the 1916 to 1920 period. An advert in an 1896 issue of the Breeder's Gazette, published in Chicago, also made reference to "Simmenthal" cattle. However, those early imports did not capture the attention of American cattlemen and the Simmental influence died quietly away until the late 1960s.
The breed made its most recent appearance in North America when a Canadian, named Travers Smith, imported the famed bull "Parisien" from France in 1967. Semen was introduced into the United States that same year, with the first half-blood Simmental calf born in February 1968. The American Simmental Association was formed in October 1968.
The American Simmental Association registers about 80,000 cattle annually into the Simmental and Simbrah herdbooks. The association ranks among the top four of the U.S. beef breed associations in annual registrations.
Africa
Namibia (1893) and South Africa (1905) were the first countries outside Europe where the breed was successfully established. Here the breed is known as Simmentaler and is mainly used for used for beef cattle production under suckler cow systems. Today the breeders‘ society is, as far as animal numbers are concerned, the fourth largest of the 32 non dairy breeds in Southern Africa. The main reason for its popularity is (i) that it can be used with great success in cross breeding for breeding of both cows with much milk and heavy weaners/oxen; (ii) a large number of performance tested bulls; (iii) comprehensive advice and other breed improvement services to its breeders and iv) animals that do not pass stringent inspection by breed experts, are permanently eliminated from the herdbook.Traditional
The SimmentalSimmental
Simmental is an alpine valley in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. It expands from Lenk to Boltigen, in a more or less South-North direction , and from there to the valley exit at Wimmis near Spiez it takes a West-East orientation . It comprises the municipalities of Lenk, St...
has historically been used for dairy, beef and as draught animals. They are particularly renowned for the rapid growth of their young, if given sufficient feed. Simmental provide more combined weaning gain (growth) and milk yield than any other breed.
The traditional colouration of the Simmental has been described variously as "red and white spotted" or "gold and white", although there is no specific standard colouration, and the dominant shade varies from a pale yellow-gold all the way to very dark red (the latter being particularly popular in the United States). The face is normally white, and this characteristic is usually passed to cross-bred calves. The white face is genetically distinct from the white head of the Hereford
Hereford (cattle)
Hereford cattle are a beef cattle breed, widely used both in intemperate areas and temperate areas, mainly for meat production.Originally from Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom, more than five million pedigree Hereford Cattle now exist in over 50 countries...
.
United States
Today approximately 80% of the Simmental cattle in the United States are black, with the remaining 20% being red. Most Simmental cattle are solid in coloring. In the late 1980s and early 1990s there was a large push to rid Simmental cattle of the spots and diluter genes. Because of this push a large number of traditionally colored Simmental cows were bred to purebred AngusAngus cattle
Angus cattle are a breed of cattle much used in beef production. They were developed from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in Scotland, and are known as Aberdeen Angus in most parts of the world....
bulls. Over the next decade progressive breeders worked to breed their Simmental Angus cross cattle back up to a 7/8 blooded Simmental, also known as a purebred. Today it is common for Simmental cattle in North America to be both Homozygous Polled and Homozygous Black.
External links
- Official website of the Canadian Simmental Association
- American Simmental Association – Official website of the American Simmental Association
- Simmental New Zealand – Official website of the New Zealand Simmental Cattle Breeders Association
- Simmental Breed Information – Cattle.com
- A History of the Simmental Breed – Oklahoma State University
- http://www.simmentaler.org; Official website of the Simmentaler in Southern Africa.