On the red shores of Prince Edward Island, Jennie Mutch and her husband Stephen run a data-driven purebred beef program built on practical goals and a clear focus on commercial cattle producers’ needs. Since starting in 2010, they’ve grown to 30 cows—mostly Simmental with a few Angus—and sell bulls and replacement heifers to purebred and commercial herds across Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
Their aim is straightforward: raise purebred cattle that thrive in commercial environments.
“We show a few, but showing doesn’t drive our breeding decisions,” Jennie says. “We want balanced, consistent cattle that work for commercial producers first.”
Record-Keeping That Drives Real Decisions
Behind every calf on the farm is a detailed record. The couple tracks everything: vaccination dates, calving records, birth weights, weaning weights, castration dates, yearling weights and more. They submit all data through the Canadian Simmental Association’s Total Herd Enrollment (THE) program which is something Jennie believes is essential for accuracy and breed improvement.
“It gives a true picture of your herd,” she says. “If we want accurate genetic predictions, we need complete data, not just the best calves under the best circumstances.”
Including steers and commercial-bound cattle raised under the same environmental and management conditions improves accuracy of expected progeny differences (EPDs) and ultimately benefits both seedstock suppliers and commercial buyers.
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