Simmental

The Simmental is one of the oldest and most widespread cattle breeds in the world, named for the Simme Valley in Switzerland, where records of the type go back centuries. In Europe it was kept for three things at once: milk, meat and draft.

That history is why the breed still carries more milk than most beef breeds. Simmental cows raise heavy calves, and Simmental influence is the usual way a commercial herd adds milk and growth without giving up carcass merit.

They came to North America in 1967 and are now often seen as SimAngus, a deliberate cross that pairs Simmental growth and milk with Angus marbling and moderation.

The trade is size and appetite. A big-framed, high-milking cow needs the feed to match, and on short grass she will be the first one in the herd to lose condition.