Barana Simmentals

Over 29 years of breeding & showing Simmentals I have worked hard to be true to Barana’s motto of “Breeding Cattle for the Commercially Minded”. Accordingly, I endeavour to purchase what I consider to be the best bulls available both in Australia & overseas to suit my breeding programme & to continue the type I have produced in the past. The inclusion of outcross bloodlines retains the hybrid vigour in our breeding herd. Since introducing the polled gene I have found these cattle perform equally with our horned cattle of the past. I aim to breed a line of straight coloured cattle either red or blonde as we have found they are more sought after than the broken coloured. I prefer loose skinned, fine haired characteristics as these produce a softer, fleshier result.

I place great importance on breeding for ease of calving, milk production & fertility and our females must be able to rear a calf under natural conditions. My aim is to breed bulls that produce quick growing steers with good carcase characteristics and the ability to finish.

In 2000 we purchased Karewa Jester, a polled son of German sire Eizenherz from the Karewa dispersal sale in New Zealand. This bull bred well in Barana’s polling programme. German genetics have been utilised with Zimbo who gave us some very good progeny of which one bull, Barana Zulu produced some outstanding calves. Another of our sires who is breeding very well is Gowrie Yankee with the majority of this year’s sale offering sired by him.

Polled sires which have produced a consistent line of cattle within our herd have been Karewa Jester, Vintage Maverick, Barana Yeardleigh, Barana Yardley, Barana Zulu & Gowrie Yankee. In 2007 we purchased Bullock Hills Buster [P] and Corinda Downs Buckshot [AI] [ET] [P]. Bullock Hills Buster is by a South African bred bull Shawacres Nacobi [ET] and Corinda Downs Buckshot is by another South African bred bull Shawacres Jahari 50L. Both these sires have produced promising calves for Barana. In February 2009 we purchased our new stud sire, the top priced bull Bandeeka Poll Cossack [P] at Tony & Loreen Kitchen’s Bandeeka Stud sale in WA.

2008 saw Barana venture into the black Simmental market. We purchased a dozen black Simmental females & imported black embryos from Canada. These embryos were implanted into recipients resulting in 17 purebred black Simmental calves on the ground. Barana’s black Simmentals will complement our existing herd and the breeding programme will aim to produce black cattle with similar characteristics to our traditional Simmentals.

Some of the females we have bred & shown with success over the years are Barana Galaxy [Supreme Exhibit at Sydney Royal Show at 12 years of age!], Barana Roberta & Barana Venus.