Awards
2024 SSA Purebred Breeder of the Year
Kuntz Simmental Farm
Kuntz Simmental Farm is a mixed family farm located south west of Battleford and consists of 120 Full Fleckvieh, Fullblood and Purebred Simmental cows alongside approximately 7500 acres of cropland. It is owned and operated by the three Kuntz brothers;
Trevor and his wife Brydie and three kids Ty, Brayden and Sara.
Brad and his wife Joelle and son Bentley.
And Geoff Kuntz. Their father Larry, now retired, is still around the farm and helps out where he can and makes sure that everybody gets feed at lunch time.
Simmental bulls were introduced into their commercial cowherd through the late 80’s and early 90’s and the first purebred females were purchased in 1996. The commercial herd was slowly fazed out and the purebred herd grew to what it is today.
Their goal is to produce high performing cattle with strong maternal traits. They take pride in their cowherd and the cow families they have developed over the years. These cows have raised several bulls that have gone on to be notable bulls within the Simmental breed and they are the backbone to their bull sale. The Kuntz’s have been selling a select group of these females annually at the Border City Simmental Sale in December.
In the late 90’s and early 2000’s Kuntz Simmental Farm exhibited cattle at Lloydminster Stockade, Saskatoon Fall Fair, Prince Albert Ex and Agribition where they took home many banners. But the most meaningful banners to them were the ones they accumulated at the “People’s Choice” Bull Show at Agribition.
In the early years, they consigned bulls to the Pride of the Prairies Bull Sale in Lloydminster and the Spiritwood Bull Sale. After several years of that, Campbell Simmentals and Stoughton Farms invited them to join their annual bull sale, an opportunity they are truly grateful for. As Campbell’s and Stoughton’s dispersed their herds, Diamond J Simmentals, McIntosh Livestock, and SAJ Simmentals were added to the bull sale to maintain numbers and quality. The Kuntz’s are very proud of what is now the Kuntz/McIntosh/SAJ Bull Sale and they are grateful for the partnership they have formed with Blair and Stephanie McIntosh and Stuart Jamieson.
The Kuntz family extends a heartfelt thank you to their valued customers for their continued support over the past 25 plus years and to the Saskatchewan Simmental Association for recognizing them with this honour.
2024 SSA Commercial Breeder of the Year
East Point Cattle Corp
East Point Cattle Corp was established in 2009 when Shane and Erin Sawley made the move to Melville, SK from Vulcan, AB.
Now, 14 years later, East Point Cattle Corp consists of Shane and Erin and their 3 kids Tori, Tegan and Blake as well as their valued longtime employees. The ranch is located 12 miles NW of Melville, SK and is a 1000 head cow-calf operation. They run a May/June calving season. Heavy steers are usually marketed in the fall online with the remainder being backgrounded until the New Year. They also keep 200 replacement heifers every year - 100 of which are sold as bred heifers the following winter.
Shane started using Simmental genetics in his herd early on, putting some size and length into his primarily Angus herd. He appreciated the Simmental influence in the replacement heifers, both sold and retained, for their fantastic udders, good feet and eye appeal.
Thank you to Saskatchewan Simmental Association for this award.
2023 Commercial Breeder of the Year
Wadella Ranch
Wadella Ranch is located 11 miles south west of Kipling, Saskatchewan. It was established by Wade and the late Ella Joorisity in 1985. The early years of the operation consisted of cattle, registered Percheron horses, Quarter horses and an involvement in the PMU industry. In the early 90’s cattle were phased out of the operation to focus on the horse breeding program. Then the rebuild of a cow herd began in the early 2000’s with Wade’s youngest son Justin, and his intensions to stay at home on the farm after high school. By 2009, the focus shifted back solely to commercial cattle.
Wade and Justin, as well as Justin’s wife Martina, now have a herd of over 400 red Simmental females. Their steer calves, as well as some heifers, are marketed on TEAM each fall, where they have been very well received, quite often topping the market for their weight range. Some packages of replacement females are marketed privately, as well as the Canadian Western Agribition commercial heifer show and sale, where they have been quite successful. Highlights from their successes of this event include top honors of Champion open heifers, multiple time reserve champion open heifers, as well as reserve champion bred heifers.
In the early years of Wade and Justin’s cattle operation the herd was largely mixed but Simmental influenced. Before long, the cows were being bred exclusively to red Simmental bulls with the exception of their heifers being bred to Red Angus bulls. Although, once the decision was made to market on TEAM, the Red Angus heifer bulls were phased out to make way for calving ease Simmental Bulls. This resulted in a 100% Simmental sired calf crop as well as a nearly pure Simmental cow herd, producing steers bred to perform and strong replacement heifers.
The breeds strong maternal traits combined with performance is what led Wadella Ranch to their firm belief in the Simmental breed. They source top end bulls from reputable Simmental breeders from across Saskatchewan, as well as a few from neighboring provinces. Simmental genetics will continue to be the mainstay to the ongoing improvement in the Wadella Ranch breeding program
Wade, Justin, and Martina would like to express thanks for being chosen for this award. They are humbled and honoured to be recognized in this way by the Saskatchewan Simmental Association.
2022 Commercial Breeder of the Year
TL Farms Inc
TL Farms Inc is owned and operated by Trevor and Leanne Warken along with their kids Andy and Levi. They are located 6.5 miles north of Kalium Highway - halfway between Regina and Moose Jaw, SK.
TL Farms Inc. herd currently consists of 650 Simmental influenced females. While managing their own large herd, Trevor and Leanne also help Leanne’s parents at Hagerty Livestock with the day-to-day operations of their feedlot.
In their spare time, Leanne is the leader of the Moose Jaw 4-H Beef Club. Andy and Levi follow closely in their parents’ footsteps by showing Simmental influenced 4-H projects every year.
TL Farms Inc are proud Simmental producers as they purchase Simmental genetics from numerous breeders in Saskatchewan.
2021 Commercial Breeder of the Year –
Diamond K Cattle Co Ltd
The Diamond K Cattle Co ranch was established in 1997 when the individual operations of Ken Weiss, Lance Weiss and Bryce Weiss were amalgamated into one operation. The ranch lies on the picturesque north slope of the Cypress Hills, 18 miles southwest of Maple Creek, SK. With the goal to develop the operation into more than a cow-calf operation, the bred heifer program was started. Raising and selling bred heifers has been a mainstay of the ranch since 1999. Initially, the cow herd that was built by Bryce’s father, Ken, consisted of Hereford and Charolais crossbred cows. The bred heifer sales started with the Hereford Charolais cross heifers bred to horned Hereford bulls. The tan heifer bred Hereford was very popular but always looking to improve the sale offering, the ranch introduced Red Angus bulls in the early 2000’s. The Red Angus crossed well with the tan female and they started selling red females bred Red Angus.
The red cattle drew attention, but Bryce felt they not reached their full potential with the Red Angus genetics. He took a drive down the road to his friend Andy Hofer’s herd at Spring Creek Colony. He was impressed with the Simmental genetics and knew that he needed to introduce Simmental into the Diamond K breeding program. In the spring of 2006, the ranch purchased it’s first ½ blood heifers for $1,300 per head (which was a crazy price at that time). The 5 head turned into a full herd of Simmental influenced cattle within a span of a few years with the purchase of Purebred Simmental bulls. The Simmental bulls on the Red Angus females produced outstanding offspring. Diamond K is part of the Rock Solid Bred Heifer sale in December of each year. This sale has offered over 500 head of premium ranch raised top cut heifers for 16 years. 100-165 Diamond K Simmental influenced heifers are sold each year from Alberta to Ontario. Along with the bred heifer program the Simmental breeding has consistently increased weaning weights each year.
In 25 years of crossbreeding cattle, Bryce believes that the Simmental X Red Angus female is the best cow around. The Simmental bring great hair, sound feed, good disposition and lots of milk. The two breeds compliment each other better than any breeds that have been run on the Diamond K Ranch.
2019 Commercial Breeder of the Year –
Hoffus Stock Farms
Hoffus Stock Farms have been breeding Simmental for over 30 years. HSF is run by Randy & Irene Hoffus, and Aaron & Amber Hoffus, along with their kids Grace and Vance, and is located near Bjorkdale, SK. They grain farm 8,500 acres, with another 2,500 acres dedicated to hay and pasture land. They annually calve 325 females that are predominantly straight Simmental. The added pounds at weaning and the exceptional females are what drew them to the breed, and has had them hooked ever since. They sell their calves at the auction mart and annually top the market with their consistent quality group. They sell replacement females to a string of repeat customers, direct from the farm. The family takes true pride in the day to day operations of their farm. They have dedicated their life to always enhancing their herd in the best possible way.
2018 Purebred Breeder of the Year –
McIntosh Livestock
Blair, Stephanie, Seth and Carter McIntosh own and operate McIntosh Livestock located at Maymont, Sask. The farm is a mixed grain and cattle operation. Blair purchased his first Simmental at the age of 13 while growing up in Ontario, and when he made the move to Saskatchewan in the year 2000 he brought a small herd with him. Our first Saskatchewan female purchase was in 2003 when we bought IPU Pocahontas 139M. She was a great cow who produced extremely well for us. A majority of our herd now trace back to her.
We began exhibiting our own purebred Simmental in 2003 and our first year at Agribition in the Simmental barn was 2005, and we’ve been here every year since! We feel privileged to have many friends and mentors from across many breeds. The Simmental barn is home for us though, and what makes this breed so great is all the enthusiastic breeders making real effort every single day of the year to breed great cattle.
Our goal at McIntosh Livestock is to produce sound and functional bulls for the commercial cattleman. But we also really love a beautiful show female!
We at McIntosh Livestock were surprised as well as humbled to learn we were receiving this award. It is truly an honour to be recognized by your peers in such a way. Thank You so very much.
2018 Commercial Breeder of the Year –
Percyview Farms
Percyview Farms is a fourth-generation operation located north of Kisbey, Sk on the sunny side of the Moose Mountains. The operation is owned and operated by the Gordon family; Grant, Larry, Ron, Troy & Kris. They run 550 red and black Simmental influence cows and grain farm 10,000 acres of cash crops.
Cattle have always been part of the family operation; they operated a dairy and Grant, Larry & Ron’s father started in the purebred Angus business in 1965. 27 years ago, they were introduced to crossbred Simmental bulls and gave them a try. The cow herd base at the time was primarily Charolais and Angus and they wanted to achieve the F1 cross to produce a cowherd based on optimal heterosis. This is when they established a real appreciation for the breed and moved from the ½ bloods to purebred Simmental bulls and have been using them ever since. The biggest benefit for their operation has been being able to back off their calving period from February/ March to April/May and still wean off calves that weigh the same at weaning time. They appreciate the maternal qualities and the added performance that the Simmental genetics offer them as commercial breeders. They have also found that the Simmental influence cattle are more marketable and more widely accepted by feeders than other breeds they have utilized in the past.
They market their steers every fall usually through T.E.A.M and background their heifers. They keep about 85 replacements each year and purchase 35-40 Simmental females annually as well. They are apart of the BIXS program and utilize the data supplied for all the cattle that they market through to slaughter. They have collected years of carcass data and are very pleased with the grading and finishing results. The heifers are all bred to Black Angus bulls and after that they are bred to Simmental bulls. They are careful to ensure that they are keeping hybrid vigour within their herd. They are strict on udders, feet and disposition and cull accordingly. Every year they cull cows to maintain their numbers and bring in the replacements. Due to this their cowherd is always young and one that they are very proud of! Prior to BSE, the Gordon’s were a part of a replacement heifer sale, “Top Cut” and they topped the sale every year with their Simmental Influence heifers. They now sell about 20 bred heifers privately annually. They have always believed that herd bulls are an investment and have never bought cheap bulls. They also run breeding fields with 2-3 bulls that are sired by the same bull to bring consistency to their calf crops.
The Percyview Farms operation is one that is nationally recognized and has bought cattle out of purebred operations from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. They are strong supporters of the Simmental breed and very deserving recipients of this award.
2017 Purebred Breeder of the Year -
Black Gold Simmental
Black Gold Simmental is family farm operated by the Noble families in the Hillmond area northeast of Lloydminster. Our Mom and Dad were interested in raising top quality cattle and in 1973 they purchased two 1/2 blood heifers from the Agribition sale which was the start of our Purebred herd. We had many influencers and mentors over the years such as the Harlands of Little Willow Creek Ranch, Stanley Palmer who was our partner in many sales and the Mapletoft Family of Little Pipestone Ranch. In my early years I showed cattle with Frank and learned a lot about having fun.
We are passionate about Simmental cattle and enjoy raising fullbloods and purebreds red & black. We are encouraged by the number of young people that are interested in cattle and our Simmental breed. It is the younger generation of our Noble family that is motivating us to be active in the Purebred business.
2017 Commercial Breeder of the Year -
Spring Creek Colony
2016 Purebred Breeder of the Year -
Erixon Simmentals Inc.
Dave and Krista Erixon own and operate Erixon Simmentals Inc. at Clavet, Saskatchewan. They have been at the top of the breed in Saskatchewan for a number of years. They often have multiple championship banners from different shows throughout the year, high selling females at fall sales and are selling bulls into many top purebred and commercial herds across Canada.
Dave and Krista have recently completed the succession of their family farm from his parents Bob and Kim. Throughout this transition their passion for the breed is obvious as they have grown the herd to nearly 200 breeding females and are incorporating some of the best genetics available through extensive A.I and embryo use.
Both Dave and Krista volunteer time to our breed and the cattle industry. You will often see them judging various 4-H shows and exhibitions. Dave has been a director with the SSA for 9 years and served as president from 2013-2015. He has also served on the CSA breed improvement committee.
In our opinion Erixon Simmentals Inc epitomize what it means to be a Purebred Breeder and are worthy of your recognition.
2016 Commercial Breeder of the Year –
RBD Ranch
RBD Ranch is a second generation family farm run by Barry and Juanita McKim and Dean and Karen McKIm. Their father parents Robert Kenneth and Gladys McKim started out their grain and cattle farm in 1957 with Barry and Dean joining the operation in 1978 and growing RBD Ranch into the cattle and grain operation that it is today.
Barry and Juanita have three children and two grandsons. Their daughters Nadya and Nicole continue to be active in the cattle industry as well as 4H club leaders.
Dean married Karen McKim and they have two children Karlie and Dustin McKim both are active in 4H. Along with hockey and skating.
RBD Ranch calves out 480 head of cattle, keeping 170 replacement heifers each year. They will keep 50 or 60 for themselves and sell the rest as breed heifers. They background the other calves till late January early February. In the winter they use swath grazing so the cattle can stay out till close to calving. In the summer they rotational graze their cattle on mostly prairie grass.
RBD credits the maternal attributes to the bulls they chose. Simmentals stand out among the breeds for their feet and leg structure and their milking abilities. They breed in soundness to animals that many other breeds lack. The longevity of the bulls and their offspring are another attribute that keeps Simmental top of RBD's list when it comes breeding time.
They run a 60 day breeding program with calving beginning February with their bred heifers with most being finishing by the time the cows start in March.
Over the years RBD Ranch has shown at Agribition winning Grand and Reserve championships with the bred heifer pens. They also have shown prospect steers in the early years.
They will be selling their bred heifers this year on December 29, at Johnstone's in Moose Jaw anyone interested in having a look at their offering are welcome to come visit the farm just south of Milestone off of highway 6.
RBD has an extensive farming program that compliments the cattle side. This keeps them busy year around.
2015 Commercial Breeder of the Year –
Raymond Land & Cattle Ltd.
Dave and Crystal Raymond own and operate Raymond Land & Cattle Ltd located 10 miles south of Aneroid, Sk along with their 3 young children Tristen, Brooke & Owen and Dave’s parents Alan and Elva Raymond. The operation is a 6th generation family farm that began in 1907. With a long history of raising livestock, Dave’s grandfather made his mark in the industry in the 60’s with Horned Herefords. Today the operation has grown to 20, 500 acres; 7000 acres is farmed for cash crops and feed while the remaining land base is grown for hay and houses nearly 900 breeding cows and 350 open replacements.
Alan and Dave began raising and selling commercial bred heifers in 1995. They were not afraid to cross breed using continental cattle in an area of predominately British origin. They quickly discovered cross breeding improved productivity in the calves they were weaning off of a largely Hereford based cowherd. Hybrid Bulls consisting of 3/8 Simmental and 5/8 Red Angus were purchased in an attempt to acquire all of the desired characteristics that each breed could contribute to the calf crop. Dave knew his cow herd well from a young age and it didn’t take him long to realize the inconsistency the hybrid bulls were creating.
In 2006 Dave married Crystal Blake of Wood River Charolais at McCord, Sk. Together, they strategized over the perfect cowherd, and while they both believe they are still not quite there, they have progressed considerably. In 2005 they started seeking easy keeping registered purebred Simmental bulls to use on their commercial cows with now a largely Red Angus base. Currently they are backgrounding 875 calves that need to prove themselves as both breeding females for their annual Bred Heifer Sale that takes place the first week of December and as finished steers. Calving of the Cowherd takes place in late March and early April on open pasture. These cows have little to no problem calving out on their own. Cow calf pairs are then grazed on summer pastures and are weaned in late October then backgrounded to the following March. This March a handful of these steers were taken to finish due to their impressive size and rate of gain.
Production is not the single most important trait they are looking for though. With females raised to be sold as bred heifers, it’s equally important to have easy keeping females with fantastic udders, good feet, and the eye appeal to boot. Dave and Crystal have been taking bred heifers to Agribition since 2009. In 2014 they took home the banner for the Champion Pen of 5 Commercial Bred Heifers and sold that group for $3550 a piece. They couldn’t have been happier with the success that they have had the last few years.
2014 SSA Purebred Breeder of the Year -
Muirhead Cattle Co.
Ward & Laurie Muirhead and Justin & Amanda Muirhead with their son Stran operate Muirhead Cattle Co. at Shellbrook, SK. Stran is the 4th generation Muirhead raising purebred cattle. The operation runs 250 purebred red and black Simmental cows and 174 Simmi/Angus cross black commercial cows. They run a April/May calving season and commercial calves are marketed off the cow. They hold an Annual Bull Sale the last Monday in February where they market 75 ranch raised 2 year old bulls. They strive to raise functional, low maintenance cattle that perform well in the pasture and feedlot.
2014 SSA Commercial Breeder of the Year -
Hummock Springs Ranch Inc.
Hummock Springs Ranch Inc. is a 4th generation family cattle operation located near Watrous, SK. It is owned and operated by Howard and Lucille Toews, their son Brad, his wife Angel and their 3 little helpers – Bronc, Sunshine and Honey Toews. The ranch also has valued long time employees.
They calve out an Angus based herd of 2000 cows consisting of owned and year round custom cows. They retain their calves to background and for replacement females for the herd. Hummock Springs Ranch started buying Simmental bulls in 2007 to add hybrid vigor to their cow herd. The ranch was looking for new genetics to improve on milking ability in the cows and growth & consistency in the calves while maintaining calving ease. The ranch believe that the Angus-Simmental cross is achieving these valued traits.
2013 Purebred Breeder of the Year -
Sunny Valley Simmentals
Sunny Valley Simmentals, the Libke family, is a 3rd generation family farm that has been active in the Simmental breed for over 40 years. They currently run approximately 150 Fullblood, Red & Black Simmental cows at Hanley, SK. On March 5, 2014 they will hold their 24th Annual Bull & Female Sale in Saskatoon, SK. They sell females each fall at Agribition, Simmsational and Friday Night Lights.
They feel very honoured to be the first family to be awarded the Purebred Breeder of the Year for the second time.
2013 Commercial Breeder of the Year -
SENTES FARMS
Sentes Farms is a family run ranch located 10 miles south of Raymore in the Touchwood Hills. The ranch is owned and operated by William and Lucille and their two sons Mark (wife Shelly) and Paul (wife Tracey) along with their families. The operation has been in the family for 5 generations.
William bought his first Simmental bull from ABC Simmentals in the mid 1970’s. From that point forward the cow herd was Simmental based. In the 90’s Mark and Paul joined the farm and decided to take the direction of ranching. With this they used the strong Simmental genetics and crossed them with Red Angus to get the best of both breeds and build a strong foundation of females which has built their herd to where it is today with approximately 800 breeding females.
Sentes Farms has had great success showing and selling Simmental influence commercial females at Canadian Western Agribition and off the farm. They have been really happy with the overall performance of the Simmental breed in both their heifers and steers.
Sentes Farms is a true family farm. If at any time you are in the Raymore area stop by or give them a call.
In closing they would like to thank the Saskatchewan Simmental Association for the honor of being Saskatchewan Simmental Commercial Breeder of year 2013.
2012 Purebred Breeder of the Year -
Ashworth Farm & Ranch LTD
Ashworth Farm & Ranch is located at Oungre, SK; in the Southeast corner of the province near the US border. It is operaed by Kelly & Janice Ashworth and family members - Brittany, Kyle, Owen & Alexis and consists of a 250 head purebred cowherd and 11 000 acres of grainland. They registered their first simmentals in 1988 and find it hard to believe that 2013 will mark their 25th year in business. In the early years their bulls were marketed by private treaty and later through the Regina Bull Sale and for the last 9 years have hosted their own Annual Bull Sale that is now held in March on the farm. A few select females have been marketed over the years through Simmsational & Agribition and more recently through the Shades of the Prairies Sale at Brandon.
Kelly has served as an SSA director & president and is currently in his second year as a CSA director. Kelly can't state enough the importance the role family plays in keeping things running smoothly when away. The entire Ashworth family is appreciative and extremely honored to receive the Purebred Breeder of the year award from the Sask. Simmental Association. The Simmental Breed is and will always be their breed of choice and is in their opinion the greatest breed on earth to be involved in and a breed that is anchored by even greater people. Thank you.
2012 Commercial Breeder of the Year -
Smith Northern Ranching
Smith Northern Ranching consists of Tyler & Pamela Smith and their two children Walker and Jacy. They were married in 2003 and chose to farm, with cattle as their main focus. Thus, Smith Northern Ranching started to develop.
They operate a cow/calf operation which consists of 700 Simmental Angus crossbred cows, and grain farm 1000 acres, 2500 acres of hay and silage 200 acres. The Simmental and Black Angus cows are bred to red factor bulls and the Red Angus cows are bred to Fullblood simmental bulls. Red Angus bulls are used on all the heifers. Performance bulls with good genetics are used. Calving ease is also considered. They prefer to use bulls that will leave their calves with high weaning weights and good replacement heifers. Calving starts April 1st, on the prairie. All calves are backgrounded; they are developed on a barley silage, roughage ration.
In 2005 they had the Grand Champion Open Replacement Heifer Pen at Saskatoon Fall Fair. They have been marketing replacement heifers ever since.
In 2010, they started up a new yard site 14 miles from Duck Lake, Sk. Tyler and Pamela have worked hard to achieve the herd of cattle they have today.
They are very progressive and dedicated to the beef industry. Their LOVE for farm life is very evident!
2011 Purebred Breeder of the Year -
3D Simmentals
3D Simmentals, Dean, Monica, Kara and Kelsey Schwartz, is a family run operation located 20 miles Northwest of Regina along the beautiful Qu’Appelle valley. They began using simmental genetics in their commercial herd in the early 1980’s and as the simmental influence grew in their herd so did the appreciation for what the breed had to offer. In 1995, they made the decision to focus their efforts on breeding purebred simmental cattle and 3D Simmentals was formed 3D Simmentals has enjoyed many successes over the years inside the showring and one very memorable highlight they are proud of, is to have shown the 2005 Canadian Western Agribition Reserve Grand Champion Simmental Female. They have also had many successes in the sales ring and are proud to have marketed their genetics all across Canada, the USA and internationally as well.
3D Simmentals are extremely excited about the future of the Simmental breed and are very honoured to be a part of it.
2011 Commercial Breeder of the Year -
Blairswest Land & Cattle
Scott and Calla Blair, along with their 3 sons, Cameron, Nolan and Maguire and Scott’s parents, Dale and Janet, operate Blairswest Land & Cattle, northwest of Drake, SK. They run 250 Simmental cows & some Simmental cross cows and grain farm 4500 acres. They use top quality Simmental & Red Angus bulls to produce F1 females. They have marketed many of these females through Saskatoon Fall Fair and Agribition as well as private treaty. Their females have been in great demand by leading commercial men and many sell to repeat customers.
Blairswest have had numerous Champions at Agribition and Saskatoon Fall Fair in the heifer and steer divisions. Their most recent winnings can be seen in the show results listed below!
Scott & Calla and family have been stong supporters of the Simmental breed for many years!
2010 Purebred Breeder of the Year -
Diamond J Simmentals
In 1975, Charles and Vivian purchased the farm’s first Simmental Bull, affectionately known as ‘Eddy’. Eddy was purchased from Ed McNally, from Okotoks. The following year saw the first half-blood Simmental calves on the farm, and a passion for the Simmental breed was born.
All four children - Gail, Gord, Brenda, and Allan were actively involved with the Highgate 4-H club, with all four kids having won several Championships with their Steers, Heifers, and Cow/Calf pairs.
While showcasing the Diamond J herd, winning Premier Breeder in Saskatoon, and Grand Champion Bull at the Lloyd Bull Sale, are some moments we are especially proud of.
The herd consists of 110 purebred cows, as well as marketing 100 commercial heifers each year. We have marketed bulls through Lloyd, Spiritwood, and Battleford Bull Sales, and in recent years, Diamond J Simmentals joined with Stoughton Farms and Kuntz Simmentals for our own sale in Lloydminster, held in mid-March.
We are so proud to have met so many great people over the years (and the odd character as well...), who share the same interest in the Simmental breed.
2010 Commercial Breeder of the Year -
Openshaw Farms, Dieter & Marlene Rucks
Dieter and Marlene have chosen the livestock industry to be their sole focus. They have been breeding Simmental cattle for the last 30 years. Their farm is located southeast of Frobisher, Sk. This is where one can find either of them checking cows, fencing, or running a piece of equipment. Dieter and Marlene run a 250 plus herd of Red and Black Simmental females, where they have focused on the basics of the beef industry - raising good, solid functional cattle. Herd health that is right up to date and great record keeping are a priority for them. Their farm is self supporting as they grow all of their own hay, pasture, and feed grains. Over the years they have found it better to work along with Mother Nature and now calve mid to end of March and no longer in January.
Dieter has AI’d over the years, but he and Marlene enjoy sourcing out their next herd bull, finding the ones that meet their requirements. They love the Simmental genetics, from the calving ease to the extra performance at weaning time. They appreciate the udder type/quality and the maternal ability that the Simmental females possess. When the Rucks’ sell their calves, they can be found in the pens that are topping the markets that week. They continually obtain this by setting standards for their cows and have a no nonsense approach with a strict culling process. Their heifer calves are put back into the herd and developed into cows. Dieter and Marlene are passionate about Simmental cattle, and if you are ever in the Frobisher area stop in for a tour!
Box 591