Some people questioned my judgment when I agreed to assist in the development of an elite herd of RED Simmental cattle at Ankony Farms. But, I jumped at the opportunity because the science side of me has long been troubled by the seemingly undue emphasis placed on coat color in the commercial production of beef.
I have a farm of my own and have been raising purebred Black Angus cattle for 30 years. Virgil Lovell has owned thousands of Angus cattle. Ankony has been a predominant breeder of leading Angus herd sires for over 65 years. Therefore, I fully understand the ability of black hided cattle to sell at a premium throughout the beef supply chain, because black color is associated with Angus and Angus is associated with marbling. Many other breeds, recognizing this, have turned their populations into predominantly black hided cattle. Consequently, today a black hide is not a sure fire guarantee of superior marbling.
It is my belief that the beef industry will eventually understand that coat color by itself is not necessarily related to meat quality. This would tend to level the playing field and allow cattle of other colors to secure an equal footing in the marketplace with blacks. I believe this will be especially true for reds. It is important to note that red color is preferred in many major beef producing regions of the world, primarily those in the non-temperate hot regions. Research has shown that red-coated cattle have a greater ability to reflect the infrared rays of the sun than do darker colored cattle. As a result, their body temperatures are lower than darker cattle making them more adaptable to hot climates such as those on the African continent, Latin America, northern Australia and the southern U.S. The Canadian beef industry also appears to be more neutral on the color issue. As a result, red cattle are more acceptable in Canada than they are in the U.S. As global trade becomes more open, the export demand for red genetics will increase.
Another factor in the decision to "go red" was the excellence of the red Simmentals that have survived the black movement. It was our observation that the remaining reds had to be excellent cattle or they would have likely been culled before now. As we visited herds, we became more and more convinced of this.
The resulting red offspring from our initial selection are exceeding our performance expectations. Their phenotype and structural soundness rival any calves that I have seen.
My work with the Simmental Association employees and individual breeders in putting together the donor herd has been a pure pleasure for me.
After being retired from Michigan State University for a year, I was becoming bored and in need of a project. I considered it would be an honor to assist Ankony in the development of their Simmental herd. I have found it to be very satisfying to work with Virgil Lovell on this project.
