ABOUT USD&D Cattle
Company and SVJ Farm is located in the rolling hills of Amity, PA. The
tri-state area of West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania is in the heart of
the cow-calf country of the East Coast. Natural occurring orchard grass
provides great grazing and fabulous winter hay.
D&D Cattle Company and SVJ Farm
bought the first purebred Simmental bull sold through the Pennsylvania
Simmental Association's Annual Sale in 1983. We used it on Angus cows and
was absolutely amazed. Now, 21 years later, it is still the most amazing
cross in the cattle industry. We call it the "Golden Cross."
We
currently calve 60-80 calves per year, with a mix of purebred, percentage
and crossbred club calf Simmental genetics. This is done with
approximately 40 ET calves and heavy A.I. use. Our ET program with 8-10
donors has enabled us to advance our genetics at a very rapid pace.
Our current position in the
cattle industry is the result of being in "Focus 2000." Until then we had
gone with the flow that big was better until 1998 and saw the industry's
need to change. Certain criteria had to be addressed. "Focus 2000" was
dear to our hearts and a welcomed blessing. We started making changes in
1998 such as reducing size, increasing vigor, increasing muscle and solid
color. When "Focus 2000" arrived we were already there!
Our "Focus 2000" calf crop
was incredible. When Dave Stough came and selected cattle for our
Pennsylvania State Sale, he said, "Duane, are you sure you want to sell
this heifer?"
I replied, "Dave, my
consultant says you must sell the 'good ones' in order to succeed."
Then Dave asked me who my
consultant was. "Your are, Dave," I replied.
We
sold that heifer and never looked back. When her heifer calf was born,
Valerie and Justin bought her back and the rest is history. The Sahara
story reads like a book. She won at the West Virginia State Fair, Eastern
National, Keystone International and North American International Junior
Show.
Sahara is one of our leading
donor cows. Her ET calves include SVJ Power Surge, co-owned with Dave
Nichols Farm of Bridgewater, Iowa; and her two daughters (shown on this
page) who stood First in Class at the North American International Open
Show.
Our philosophy is to produce
black, easy fleshing, highly muscled Simmental genetics with vigor and
quick growth. That's exactly what our cattle do. We are appreciative that
the cattle industry has received our cattle with good favor.
We show at the state and
national levels and market our cattle in our "Diamonds In The Rough"
Production Sale and at state and national sales like the North American
Select Sale and the National Western sale.
