Volume 12 Issue 1 January 2013 What’s Inside The Toews Family Three Generations Strong
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The Toews Family Three Generations Strong
From The Gate Post
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Simmental Innovations
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Breed Improvement What Is Simmental?
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Calving Preparations
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Sire Selection
80
Vet’s Advice
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What’s Happening
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Publication Mail Agreement # 40012794
Commercial Country
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estled just southwest of Beaverlodge, Alberta is Melbern Holdings, the home ranch of Travis Toews, Past President of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and his family. What began as a 60 cow Hereford-based farm has now grown into the prominent 1200 head Simmental/Red Angus commercial operation it is today. The Melbern Holdings operation was founded in 1961 by Travis’ parents, Mel and Bernice Toews along with Mel’s brother, Ken. Melbern Holdings as we know it today has grown to include not only the commercial cattle herd but a 1200 head feedlot and over 10,000 acres consisting of pasture, hay and grain land. Even with the substantial growth, it is still a family affair as three generations of Toews currently work together to operate the ranch – Mel and Bernice, Travis and his wife Kim along with their three children, Hilary and husband Mike, Emma and Cale. Cale is also an up-and-coming Simmental breeder who is building his own purebred herd and has a keen interest in learning from some of the best operations that he has worked for in the industry. For 12 years, Travis was a professional accountant and during that time worked on investing in the ranch and building the herd. At the same time, he watched cattle breeders adjust their breeding strategies; specifically the Simmental breed focused on reducing frame and size in order to meet the needs of the commercial industry – improving structural soundness, moderating in size and improving calving ease. As these traits became more consistent within the breed, Melbern Holdings began introducing more Simmental genetics into their program. Toews commends Simmental breeders for selecting traits that the commercial industry demands – traits they need for their operation. “Our main goal is uniformity,” Toews says. “We watched the Simmental breed moderate in the 90’s to the point where they were a good fit for us, without sacrificing the performance and weight gain the breed was known for.” continued on page 8
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