HYBRID vigour is often key to maximising growth rates and potential returns on beef and indeed sheep units, but why introduce another breed when you can rely solely on the dual purpose characteristics of the Simmental?
That was exactly the question the Nicolson family – Gordon and Mags and their two daughters, Louisa and Rebecca – asked themselves some 15 years ago, when they were beginning to get into a few difficulties calving their commercial sucklers.
It’s a changed story now though, with the Simmental taking centre-stage at Househill Mains, a 300-acre mixed beef and arable unit situated on the outskirts of Nairn.
There, the family now run an efficient commercial beef enterprise producing not only milky, fertile and docile herd replacements but also good, easy fleshing progeny.
By retaining the best of their Simmental heifers, they have also been able to increase their spring herd to 85 head, plus 25 followers, and, more importantly, a closed herd. The last of their red and white females were purchased a decade ago from the Green family, at Corksie, Fochabers.
“Previously, we ran a mixed commercial herd using the Charolais as a terminal sire, which although produced calves with some huge live weight gains, caused a few problems at calving.
“With all the cows bulled to a Charolais, we had to go and source replacement females too which was always an added cost and a potential disease risk,” said Gordon, who looked to the Simmental both as a terminal and breeding female sire in 2002.
“When we introduced the Simmental, we just couldn’t see past their good temperament and easy calving mentality. The Simmental also produces fairly good live weight gains for us,” said Gordon.

The Scottish Farmer:
Fertility has also improved since they started relying on the big red and white breed for a suckler female, with the herd producing seven sets of twins last year and eight the previous year.
Breeding better home-bred replacements has been a priority since the start, with the Nicolsons aiming to buy stock bulls at the top end of the market.
However, while they always look to purchase at the bull sales at Stirling, the bull chosen is usually one bred not that far from home – having previously bought from the Blackford and Islavale herds.
In fact the first Simmental introduced was a Blackford bull, with the latest purchase also acquired from the MacPherson family in the shape of Blackford Gulliver, bought at Stirling, last October, for 10,500gns.
“We like going to Stirling every year to purchase, as not only is it good to get away, it’s always an advantage to be able to speak to the breeders themselves.
“Seeing the bulls the day before is good too as you’re able to see how they look naturally before they’re all dressed up,” he added.
When purchasing a stock bull, it seems the dark red type is most preferred at Househill, with the aim being to have more females on the ground that are of a darker colour.
Selecting the best females as replacements not only comes down to their mothers’ genetics but also their size, frame and ear size – large being the preferred option! A good temperament is also important.
Length is a key feature for breeding replacements, too, with young heifers receiving additional concentrates and minerals for maximum growth rates. They aim to bull them at 14-15 months, and have a tight spring calving.

The Scottish Farmer:
While the majority of the herd is almost pure-bred Simmental, last year the Nicolsons purchased a Beef Shorthorn bull at Dingwall from Alvie Estates to put over the heifers. This was to ensure a more commercial base, with some hybrid vigour and make calving slightly easier for the heifers.
In a bid to increase herd numbers, most of the heifers have been retained as replacements in recent years, with those that don’t make the grade, selling well as stores at Dingwall. Last year, in the stots, 25 cashed in to average 248p per kg.
Househill Mains’ Simmental beef is also proving popular to eat, with a growing proportion of the calf crop finished and sold through the family’s diversification project – Househill Courtyard – which in 2008, saw the conversion of the older part of the farm steading into three units.

The Scottish Farmer:
This has a farm shop selling local produce, a restaurant and a Countrywood shop selling furniture. An additional unit has also been added, selling carpets and flooring.
“Our old steading was so outdated and could not be used for livestock or big modern machinery, so rather than knock it down, we looked into making a feature of it.
“We were approached by builders looking to develop it, but when we are situated just a mile from the town and could provide employment and support local suppliers in the area, we decided to make the most of it ourselves,” said Mags, adding that they financed the project on their own without any grant-aided assistance.
The Nicolsons now finish a growing number of their cattle to sell through the farm shop, which has been one of the star attractions since day one. It now has a regular supply, and increasing numbers, of customers keen to get the best of beef.
At present, some 20 animals are finished per year at 320kg deadweight, having been summered at grass and finished the following year on a barley and concentrate ration.
Another attraction of the family’s Simmental beef is the fact that it has been produced locally and with a reduced carbon footprint, as cattle only have to travel 23 miles to the slaughterhouse – Millers of Speyside, Grantown-on-Spey – which, coupled with the breed’s calm temperament, ensures better meat eating qualities.

The Scottish Farmer:
While huge investment has been ploughed into developing the steading, the Nicolsons have been able to reduce their feed costs for the cattle by growing more home-grown feeds, in particular whole crop silage.
With the business comprising 300 acres, 80 acres of spring barley is grown for malting, with 50 acres rented out for carrots and 25 acres for whole crop which is mixed in the pit with silage.
Gordon feels whole crop is a better feed for the cattle as it produces just as good growth rates, but their manure is drier compared to feeding good quality silage. Whole crop also fills the cattle up quicker, he said, and the cattle appear more comfortable – lying down after 20 minutes of being fed.
While all the cattle are brought inside from late November onwards to straw-bedded courts, weather depending, the hope is they will back out to grass the first week in May.
They can be put out to grass earlier than this if the weather is suitable, but even if they do end up calving inside, cameras have been installed for calving which have proved a huge hit.
“The house is situated 400 metres from the steading, meaning its fairly easy to miss something. Being able to watch the cows calving from the house is great because we can see from there if everything is ok and we aren’t repeatedly having to go down to the shed which disturbs them,” said Gordon.
There have been some massive alterations to the farm at Househill Mains in recent years, but the good news is, the Simmental remains at the centre of the business and is likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
With daughters Louisa (25), a full-time staff nurse, and Rebecca (22) in her final year of studying international business at Aberdeen, they are both keen to increase the herd to 100 females and perhaps extend the Househill Courtyard enterprise.