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Dual purpose Fleckvieh Simmentals
Farmers Greg and Vikki Templeton haven’t looked back since switching to Fleckvieh for their dairy operation and are now in the process of building their Simmental beef herd. PHOTO: Vikki Templeton
These Evergreen calves sired by a bull from Genetic Austria are the Templetons’ last hand reared calves as they transition to a Simmental beef herd. PHOTO: Vikki Templeton
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Fleckvieh bull calves have really lifted the Templetons’ profit margin as they sell for more than triple what their Holstein bulls calves sold for. PHOTO: Vikki Templeton
Dual purpose Fleckvieh Simmentals reinvigorate dairy farmers’ passion for cows and breeding
By Jacinta Cummins
SIMMENTALS SOLVE DAIRY HERD HEALTH ISSUES
GREG Templeton is a fifth generation farmer who’s been milking cows on his Nar Nar Goon farm for 49 years, but in 2006, he and wife Vikki had had enough.
The fertility of their registered purebred Holstein dairy herd had plummeted and the animals were battling mastitis and hoof problems among other health issues.
The cows which did get in calf were facing significant issues when it came to calving.
“The lowest point was when our conception rate dropped to 20%,” Greg said.
Desperate for a solution, Greg cast his mind back to the 1970s when he and his father, Rod, were in the second wave of breeders to use Simmentals when they came to Australia.
“Dad grew up on a dairy farm but was from a big family and there wasn’t a lot of opportunity so he became a drover,” he explained.
Rod and Greg achieved great success putting Simmental bulls over Hereford females which they sold into the vealer market at the now closed Dandenong Saleyards.
They bought their first bulls from Gil Rayner and Shirley Trennery’s nearby Ripplebrook Simmentals and some of their first Simmental females came from Harry M. Miller’s Dunmore Stud.
They also bought heifers at Witchwood Simmental Stud’s dispersal sale.
When Greg married Vikki, who had grown up on a nearby dairy farm, the couple focussed solely on dairy and used Friesians before going to Holsteins.
Since marrying and being heavily involved on the farm, Vikki has completed a Diploma of Frontline Management and Diploma of Agriculture through the University of Melbourne as well as a Certificate in Animal Nutrition (Feedlot Management) through the University of New England.
The couple were both also involved with local dairy groups over the years.
So when the Holsteins were failing, Friesians weren’t an option to fix the problems.
But while many of his peers thought Simmentals were an unlikely solution, they were Greg’s first choice.
“I had great memories of their enormous weight gains so if they didn’t work for dairy, I knew we would still have good beef cattle which took the risk out of the equation,” he said.
Greg and Vikki put two Simmental beef bulls from Sharon and Chris Jordan’s Ten-Rose Simmental over their females and quickly noticed a strong improvement in conception rate and general health issues.
The Templetons’ vet bills dropped from $1000-1200 a month to about $1000 annually.
“A lot of the illnesses pretty much disappeared and the calving issues stopped,” Greg said.
“The only calving issue we have now is if there’s a calf facing the wrong way or something out of the ordinary and this can happen with any breed.
Vikki credits the change with giving Greg back his love for cows and breeding.
“I’m extremely proud of him having the courage to go from a purebred stud Holstein herd to one which was relatively unknown in Australia,” she said.
“But as usual, he went in full bore and never used another straw of Holstein semen again.
“And it reignited Greg’s passion for what we do.”
When Greg and Vikki first purchased the Ten-Rose bulls, the Jordans suggested they consider Fleckvieh moving forward because it is a true dual purpose milk and meat animal.
After seeing the improvements they’d gained from the Ten-Rose
bulls, the Templetons followed this advice and started importing Fleckvieh genetics direct from Austria in 2007.
NEW GENETICS INCREASE CASH FLOW AND OPEN NEW MARKETS
While Greg had anticipated a decrease in milk volume compared to what the Holsteins produced daily, the difference between their yield and the Fleckviehs’ yield was not a lot.
He and Vikki were delighted to find the fat and protein percentages were in fact an improvement on the Holsteins’ milk.
“We currently average 4.2% fat and 3.7% protein, but before that we were only getting 3.4% and 2.9% ,” Greg said.
When it came to bull calves, which have long been the thorn in most dairy farmers’ side, they went from being sold for slaughter via Warragul Saleyards to being sold for rearing as beef steers.
What had been a waste product was now making up to $600 a head at five days old.
And their cull cow prices strengthened realising a 25c/ kilogram higher price than the Holstein cull cows had made.
A new market also emerged when Txuleta 1882 went into business in and Greg and Vikki starting selling old cows to be grass fed for another 12-18 months for dry aged beef.
“The extra value has been astounding,” Greg said.
Running a self replacing herd means the Templetons don’t have a lot of surplus heifers, but other dairy farmers have been keen to snap up any they’ve offered for sale.
The feedback has been favourable and Greg notes that more than a few farmers who wondered “What on earth that crazy bastard Templeton is up to now” when he and Vikki went into Fleckvieh, are now asking for their advice on doing the same thing themselves.
Greg is keen to tap into the export market with any surplus heifers moving forward given heifers in the 200+ kilogram bracket (live weight) are making $2400 [as of November, 2022].
SIMMENTALS SET TEMPLETONS UP FOR BEEF SUCCESS AS THEY START A NEW CHAPTER
Greg and Vikki’s son Rory worked with them on the farm for a few years and he established Merton Rush stud using genetics from Woonallee, Tugulawa and Lakeside Studs, to breed beef Simmentals during this time.
Following the extended Covid-19 lockdowns in Victoria, Rory decided to travel and work elsewhere so Greg and Vikki purchased the stud from him and now run it as Templeton Simmental.
But after close to five decades of milking twice daily year round, the couple is scaling things back in the new year by moving from dairy to beef production.
Vikki is looking forward to being able to travel with Greg instead of being tied to the farm for 365 days a year.
They are hand rearing their last dairy calves and are working with Simmental Australia to incorporate their Dairy Fleckvieh into the Australian Simmental Register.
The goal is to gradually expand their current herd of 220 breeders which includes 180 milkers and 40 beef breeders with 200 heifers to 275 beef breeders and heifers.
The first drop of beef calves sired by Willandra Simmental bulls are due on the ground in January.
“We want to use the breed’s top rated bulls and Peter’s [Cowcher] have an excellent track record so we are really looking forward to seeing the progeny and we will go from an AI focus to paddock joining using the three Willandra bulls we bought in February,” Greg said.
The plan is to turn the males over to Radfords Warragul at around 450 kilograms and retain females.
As they are in their final weeks of milking, Greg and Vikki say their journey would not have been possible without Fleckvieh and Simmental.
“The breed didn’t just solve our cows’ fertility and health issues, it really gave us a better way to do things and increased our income because of the higher prices and extra sales we received which we didn’t have in our herd before,” Greg said.
As Vikki reflected on their last 16 years, she believes their gamble has paid off.
“We are coming out of dairying with a herd which we don’t have to sell as they can just rear their beef Simmental calves.
Fleckvieh has given Greg and Vikki Templeton more flexibility to alter the direction of their business to suit their changing lifestyle. PHOTO: Vikki Templeton
Rau Trisha will drop one of the first calves in the Templetons’ beef operation in 2023. PHOTO: Vikki Templeton
Rau Trix is being retained as a breeder in the Templetons’ beef operation PHOTO: Vikki Templeton
Greg and Vikki are anticipating a smooth transition from dairy to beef. PHOTO: Vikki Templeton
