by Dr. Ben Crites, ASA and IGS
My first few months with the American Simmental Association have flown by, and I have been fortunate to travel, meet, and interact with members and breeders across the country.
During a visit in December, a breeder shared a story with me about a scholarship interview they had with a junior member. When asked, “Why Simmental?” the junior member simply responded with, “because of the people.” On the way home I reflected on that junior’s answer and realized just how accurate that statement is. It is people like you, the members and breeders, that make the American Simmental Association such a powerful and impactful organization. The visionary founders of the past, today’s leaders, and junior members who represent the future of the organization, will continue to grow the demand for SimGenetics for the betterment of the commercial beef industry. Which poses the question, how do the decisions we make today impact our herds moving forward?
The beginning of the year can be a great time to develop a management plan for your operation. An important early step in the process is to determine how these cattle will be marketed and how their value will be captured. Will calves be sold at weaning,
backgrounded before entering a feedlot, selected for the replacement pen, or developed for next year’s bull sale? These are just a few examples that could be considered. These answers will vary for each producer and perhaps multiple strategies might be utilized. Your marketing endpoints help guide the decisions you make throughout the year. The decisions to be made on breeding, feeding, health, and grazing programs can all be impacted by how and when cattle will be marketed.
Determining the marketing outlet and formulating a management plan is just the tip of the iceberg. For the plan to be effective, it must be implemented! Like many things in life, clear communication is key and ensures that all team members understand the necessary steps needed to reach the goals of the operation in an efficient and profitable manner.
Regardless of the marketing strategy, SimGenetics can be matched to best fit your environment. The adaptability of the breed has allowed Simmental genetics to be the performance sire you can build a cow herd around in any environment. The ASA is proud to offer programs and genetic tools to help producers facilitate their success. The diverse set of genetic predictions available provides the opportunity to select the relevant traits to guide mating decisions, boost performance, and increase genetic progress. The expected progeny differences and economic indices provided by the Association for breeders to utilize are powered by the International Genetic Solutions Multi-breed Genetic Evaluation. These data are backed by 23+ million animals, 750k+ genotypes, from 25+ breed associations across the globe, making it the largest multi-breed genetic evaluation in the world. The talented team of geneticists continue to enhance the evaluation to ensure the most accurate genetic predictions are available for producers to incorporate into their mating decisions.
As we move forward into 2026, I would encourage you to determine if the decisions you are making today align with your marketing goals. It’s never too late to adjust our strategy and incorporate changes made today to set ourselves up for success in the future. Perhaps we just need to use a different tool in our toolbox.
While we are all in the cattle business, it’s really a people business. Regardless of our goals, marketing outlets, or where we call home, the reason that the demand for SimGenetics continues to grow is simple — it’s “because of the people.” .
