In the 2018 Best of the Barns Awards we had the industry vote on the Hottest Breed of the 2018, and Percentage Simmental came out on top. We wanted to take an inside look of the breed by some long standing breeders and current trustee for the American Simmental Association. We got in touch with Greg and Pearl Walthall, of Missouri, to hear their thoughts on the growing popularity of Percentage Simmental’s. Greg is currently serving as a trustee for the American Simmental Association.
How far has the breed came in the last 20 years?
We’ve obviously made huge strides in overall acceptance throughout the industry. With the turn towards solid red and black genetics we became a viable option for the commercial producer and a possible option for many involved in the show industry.
What do you think is the contributing factor for the Percentage Simmental breed growing in popularity?
With the dramatic rise in the use of Angus throughout the industry, obviously the ability of which breed can most effectively be the ideal cross to Angus. Simmental has benefited greatly from the recognition as being an ideal cross for the typical Angus cow. Ask about anybody, from the commercial man, feedlot operator, packer or purebred breeder and almost all of them will tell you that a SimAngus is ideal!
What do you think the key is to continue to grow the popularity of the breed?
The one thing that should benefit us the most towards the future is remembering where we’ve come from. We didn’t get to where we are currently without a dedicated group of breeders struggling to build a better product! Trends and fads always have circulated through the industry, but it’s been a pretty good bet that if you were making an investment in a group of females or a really good show heifer, Simmental or SimAngus have proven their consistency!
How do you feel events like Regionals and the National Classic help to build the breed?
One of my reasons for serving on the ASA Board of Directors is for the continuation and expansion of the Regionals and National Classic! It’s always been a passion and by my involvement on the board, we are devoting more money towards these programs than we ever have! We’ve dramatically increased the funding for Regionals and the Classic and have also extended funding for all 4 Major shows (The National Western, Fort Worth Stock Show, American Royal, & the North American International Livestock Show). That’s never happened in the history of the breed!
For the Junior Programs, obviously it’s an investment in the breeds future. Even if a majority of the young folks involved don’t find themselves in the cattle business after college. It’s still a great investment in building better people!
Through the many years of Simmental National Classic there have been 100’s if not 1000’s of young people who have greatly benefited from the competition , public speaking, sales talk, etc. They have taken these experiences to become Doctors, Lawyers, and business leaders! The return on investment of these kids involvement in the Simmental business may not be a high percentage, but as we’ve encountered many former participants, they will all relate back as to how the Junior National helped them mature or gave them the ability to achieve in their chosen career!
It’s always been obvious that the National Classic and Regionals have been a way of reaching youth in multiple areas of the show world. And by making a larger investment, we can definitely see by all the new faces, that we’re growing our footprint in the show cattle/ youth world!
Also the addition of Darla Aegator as our new Junior Activites Director, was a huge hire! Darla has a reputation that crosses the breed boundaries in the purebred world and should be greatly beneficial towards the growth of our Junior program!
 
Where do you hope to see the Percentage Simmental Breed going into the next 5-10 years?
Without making any bold predictions, I do see our future as being very bright. The Association is financially sound, the cattle are being accepted in all segments of the industry, the Junior program is growing, and our popularity is warranted in the ability of consistent genetics!
So I do see a great future for the breed, yes! And the ASA Board is firmly committed to growing a developing programs and investments that should help us achieve the breeds goals!