In the late 1960’s shortly after the introduction of the Simmental in North America, a few cattlemen began to act upon an ides of a breed that could thrive in the sub-tropical climate of the Gulf Coast Region of the United States. They not only wanted this breed to thrive in the south but also to meet the demands of the industry. The results, a viable beef breed created by combining the two most populous breeds in the world, Brahman and Simmental to create Simbrah.
The Fleckvieh/Simmental are known for their ease of calving and fleshing ability and, as such, are generally slightly smaller framed, thicker-made cattle than the native Swiss Simmental cattle. One of the most widely recognized maternal traits of the Simmental cattle is their milking ability. Temperament is another strong characteristic of Simmental
cattle.
Brahman main characteristic is their ability to adapt to harsh climates. They have a dark pigmented skin that helps filter out the sunlight and are very insect and disease resistant.
They travel easily over large areas for forage and water. Brahman can maintain their ability to breed in 100 degree plus temperatures.
The combination of these two very different breeds led to the development of the Simbrah. Two categories of Simbrah are admitted to the herdbook, purebred and percentage. Purebreds contain 5/8 Simmental and 3/8 Brahman while percentage animals must carry a minimum of 3/8 Simmental and ¼ Brahman. Another variable that has been added to the purebred is the “floating 1/16 other breed” which allows producers to add 1/16 of any breed to tailor the Simbrah to fit their program. Simbrah cattle can be
registered with The American Simmental Association.
