Mark Gubbins was first introduced to black Simmental cattle in Montana, USA while on an Angus tour in 1999.  At that stage he registered little interest.  However, after returning from a similar tour in 2003, he recognised the value of cross breeding, predicting that the US crossbred black Simmentals would represent major competition to purebred Angus in Australia.

In July 2010, while visiting Jim Butcher at his ranch (Gateway and Lucky Cross Simmentals), in the beautiful mountains of Montana, Mark relented – his heart giving way to his head!  While fiercely loyal to the benefits of purebred Angus, he accepted that both Angus and crossbred black Simmentals could be very complimentary in a commercial herd.

On returning to Australia, Mark selected three of Coolana’s superior Angus females to be flushed to Black Simmental bulls.  Thirty-seven embryos were implanted into commercial cows at Coolana, calving in the spring of 2011.  The result was twenty-nine 50/50 Angus/Simmental calves.  The original aim of this project was to produce cross breed bulls for the Coolana commercial beef program.  The females were to be bred to Simmental bulls to establish a Simmental herd at Coolana.

From that small beginning Mark formed a joint venture with another beef breeding operation – to import and implant a total of 400 pure black Simmental embryos over the next three years.  The structure of that venture has now changed to a bull supply only agreement to the other operator, with the Gubbins family taking over the breeding program and establishing the XSimm Black Simmental Stud at Coolana.

While still heavily committed to the pure Angus breed, with just under 700 registered Angus cows, XSimm Black Simmentals offers its clients, and the beef industry in general, an exciting alternative.

The selection of Black Simmentals allows new and existing clients to slip seamlessly to and from Angus without any outside visible (colour) effects.  XSimm Black Simmentals are selected for temperament, enhanced structural integrity and Hybrid Vigour, offering increased longevity, more calves per cow’s lifetime and added weaning weight.  The real benefit – more weight, more money.