Sixteen years ago Gordon Salter turned his hobby as a Simmental breeder into a full-time job. Since then, his Mohona and Lakewood Simmentals enterprise has become a household name in pedigree cattle breeding circles.

Gordon is based in Dunmanway, West Cork where his wife Susan runs the Lakehouse Bed & Breakfast. Prior to becoming a full-time breeder, he had been in dairying seven miles up the road in Rossmore, Clonakilty.

“We had a small milk quota, so I decided to get out of it. We moved to this farm and started breeding Simmentals, first commercially before going down the full pedigree route. I always liked the Simmental breed, so breeding them is a real passion of mine,” he says.

Gordon, who played football for Castlehaven alongside Cork greats Larry Tompkins, Niall Cahalane and John Cleary, is one of 700 registered Simmental breeders in Ireland. His herd of 50 suckler cows has produced many high-calibre Simmental bulls and heifers down through the years, including Mohona Fletcher which was the highest price bull in Roscommon last November when it was sold to Overhill House Simmentals in Scotland.

“We sold Mohona Fletcher, who was 13 months old at the time, for €7,000. That’s the highest price we have fetched for any of our stock to date. We also bred Mohona Diana, who was the Reserve Champion Simmental in Tullamore in 2013. She was later sold to Tisaran Simmentals. We always have top quality stock for sale,” adds the affable breeder, who showcased cattle at 18 shows nationwide last year.

“We start calving in early September and continue up until the end of February. AI is used to put the cows in calf. Any bulls that don’t make the pedigree standard are sent to slaughter, usually at about 15 months old. As Simmentals are recognised as a maternal breed, we can’t breed enough heifers.  Mind you, our pedigree bulls are also highly sought after.”

Gordon is heavily involved in the Irish Simmental Cattle Society, being a Council member and chairman of the Southern Club. Native to Switzerland and Austria, Simmental were first imported into Ireland in 1971 by very discerning cattle breeders seeing a key role for the breed due to its high beefing qualities. The first importation of live animals came from Austria and was later followed by importations from Switzerland, Germany, France and the UK. Embryos and semen has also been imported from Canada, the US and Denmark. This has resulted in a very diverse Irish Simmental population. Irish Simmental breeders have focused on the beefing traits of the breed while ensuring that adequate milk supply isn’t lost.

The breed has grown steadily in this country, driven by demand from commercial farmers and a desire by pedigree breeders to move the breed forward. Now there are on average 2,500 pedigree registrations per year. The strong trade for commercial replacements has resulted in only the very top end of pedigree females being registered and retained for pedigree breeding.

This has resulted in the Irish Simmental having very good shape while still retaining the maternal qualities to leave the breed as one of the most sought after commercial dams. The role of the Simmental dam in the present national suckler herd is clearly visible with demand for quality Simmental heifers far outweighing supply. The popularity of the Simmental can be attributed to her calf any breed and having enough milk to maximise the performance of that calf. When high fertility and docility are added, it leaves Simmental in a very strong position within the national herd.

Irish Simmental has been exported to the UK, Canada and the US in the past. There has been a strong interest in more recent times from Austria and Switzerland as well as Denmark for semen for Irish bred bulls. It is the beefing qualities that are attracting this interest with many countries now seeing Ireland as an ideal source for Beef Simmental.

The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation are now publishing all indexes in the form of Star Index both within and across breed. This has resulted in the Simmental Breed coming to the fore as the most profitable beef breed. Simmental is the most consistent breed across all traits. In summary, the key attributes of Irish Simmental: are maternal abilities; growth rate; ease of calving; docility and muscularity.

Gordon is assisted in the running of his 100-acre farm by Susan and their children Nigel and Elaine (Rachel and Gary complete the family). Bob Chambers looks after all the agricultural contracting needs.

The farm and newly-built Lakehouse B&B are situated less than a mile from Dunmanway and are surrounded by woodland and panoramic views. Offering home from home hospitality, the Lakehouse looks directly onto a private lake. Guests are invited to enjoy the gardens and a sunroom where afternoon tea is served with homemade cakes.

Visitors are always welcome to call in to view the prize-winning Mohona Simmental herd. Gordon also has a Facebook page, so be sure to log onto that.

Mohona and Lakewood Simmentals
Mohona,
Dunmanway,
Co. Cork.

Telephone: 023 8856932 / 086 8248311
Email: [email protected]

Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 8, October 2016

Mohona and Lakewood Simmentals