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Pine Ridge Ranch produces Simbrah genetics for commercial segment

published: February 15th 2008
source: American Simbrah Breeders

Pine Ridge Ranch, owned by Bill and Jane Travis, is located in the rolling, hardwood and pine covered hills of East Texas, just southeast of Athens. The ranch maintains both Simmental and Simbrah cattle with the goal of developing the finest livestock for 65% of the world’s warm weather grazing areas.

To accelerate the development of Simbrah, Pine Ridge raises 400 Simbrah calves each year and acquires quality animals from fellow breeders. An extensive embryo transfer program maximizes the selection of superior individuals and their multi-generational Simbrah program is very successful  in increasing the consistency and predictability of their cattle. In addition they utilize Fleckvieh Simmental genetics to improve thickness, muscling, milking and to provide a moderate frame score.

Pine Ridge focuses on producing cattle geared for the commercial industry.  Their goal since 1981 has been to produce the most efficient warm weather animals that yield a heart healthy, juicy, and tender carcass.  Each calf crop brings them closer to reaching that original and continous goal.

According to Travis, “We emphasize rapid growth. A feedlot steer eats his own weigh in feed every 46 days. Producing 1,400 steers at 16 months of age versus the industry average of 19 months would save the cattle industry hundreds of million of dollars in feed costs in the United States annually. Early harvest provides additional saving in man power, water, feedlot waste, medicine, death loss and the time factor of money. Simmental and Simbrah represent a handful of the breeds that can genetically attain this goal.

Pine Ridge has fed approximate over 1,500 of it progeny and Texas Tech University has fed and harvested over 500 Pine Ridge steers to obtain carcass tenderness, cutability and grading data.

“Simbrah have very good carcasses and our donors are achieving 89% choice and 100% YG 1,2 and 3’s. One Pine Ridge fed steer was choice grade; 1.06 yield grade with .20 backfat. In addition, Texas Tech indicates that our Simbrah beef is marketably tender. Continued testing of carcass qualities will further improve these results,” he adds.

Travis, who is a visionary, sees this goal as a 40 year project and has 27 years into it.

“We have a number of cattle that are getting close to our specifications. We utilize genetic DNA markers ultrasound, net feed intake efficiency to help produce an excellent eating experience,” he concludes.

For additional information on Pine Ridge Ranch visit their website, appropriately named www.simbrah.com

SLS