early life
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I was raised on a shorthorn based commercial beef operation in South Western Ontario, outside of Shelburne. While in 4H in the early 1960’s I was exposed to some of the earliest Charolais in Canada - the females shown by the Patton sisters of Patton Charolais, Chester Patton (PCFL). The growth and performance in these animals was tremendous, however they were rugged, of a different stature compared to other beef breeds and horned.
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Veterinary Career
I attended Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario from 1971 -1977. To pay my expenses while at school, I managed a purebred Angus farm outside of Guelph and bought and sold cows for research purposes for the University of Guelph. After graduation I worked for a large animal practice for one year and then moved to Arthur where I opened a large animal practice. In 1985, I opened a second office in Mount Forest and in 1999 changed both facilities to full service small animal hospitals complete with ultrasound, laser surgery and a full in-house laboratory. In 2015 the practice was divided into 2 separate entities with the large animal division moving to a separate site, and two clinics running as small animal hospitals in Arthur and Mount Forest. All large animal procedures were and are done on-farm. I employ 2 full time veterinarians. I do bovine large animal services, mainly nutrition based bovine fertility in dairies on a twice monthly rotation emphasizing rectal palpation pregnancy checks at 28 days.
In 2002, when we were involved with exporting a large number of Holstein heifers to the US and Mexico I did, according to my client veterinary records, 51,000 plus rectal palpations. The current economy has very little exports happening but the current numbers indicate that I still palpated 15,000 cows this year.
In 2002, when we were involved with exporting a large number of Holstein heifers to the US and Mexico I did, according to my client veterinary records, 51,000 plus rectal palpations. The current economy has very little exports happening but the current numbers indicate that I still palpated 15,000 cows this year.
farming career
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I bought my first farm in 1979 and fed fat cattle for three years until switching to commercial cow calf in 1982. I bought my first purebred Charolais in 1984 and by 1986 had only purebred cows.
I served on the Ontario Charolais Board of Directors and was Ontario President from 1991 to 1993. I also was a director on the Canadian Charolais Association and served as President from 2004 to 2007 including hosting the World Congress in 2006. I served for many years on the Breed Improvement Committee acting as Chairman for 5 years. |
creating our herd
When I first started breeding Charolais, I tried to establish a focus and believed that carcass quality (marbling) was going to be a selling feature. I identified a bull within my program, Hicks Yaziman 29Y (homozygous polled) that yielded tremendously high marbling scores. I tested him and his son, Hicks Billyjojimbob 3B, on the Charolais progeny C to C program to confirm my information, then tried to market them as high marbling sires. There was limited interest in these bulls because marbling was not important to the purebred Charolais sector. I was not surprised by the surge in Angus genetics due to their marbling ability.
After several years of good local bull sales but poor semen sales, I became aware that calving ease would soon factor into a lot of commercial breeders buying decisions. More and more of my bull buyers were people who had off farm jobs and could not watch the cows constantly. I sourced a bull from HTA with good performance and low birth weights. HTA Spirit 826H gave me everything I wished to incorporate into my cow herd. We campaigned him successfully on the show road. He was Toronto Royal Grand Champion and Senior Champion bull at Agribition in 2000. At the same time I used a homebred MNE Exclusive son called Hicks Hardcore 5H. He was polled with great muscle expression. I sold him to a good friend in Quebec for use on his cows. When Hardcore’s first calf crop was born, I travelled 12 hours from home to bring Hardcore back for future use. Hardcore 5H is Revolver's maternal grand sire.
In 2001, I identified a bull within my herd called Hicks Kasino 11K that had all the features I wished to promote plus more muscling than any bull I had seen. I sold an interest in Kasino to my good friends Brian and Doris Aitken (Bridor Charolais). Kasino's sire was a bull called Bridor Haldrey 5H that Brian and Doris had exhibited at the RAWK at side of his dam. Hicks Kasino 11K was Toronto Royal and Nation Champion in 2001 and repeated as Toronto Royal Champion in 2002. Kasino was deemed by the judges in western Canada to be too big. That was fine with me because the bulls that placed well at Agribition were too small for my breeding program. I believe that if you fill them full of muscle and make them correct and there is nothing wrong with size. My commercial buyers want yearling bulls big enough to breed big cows, throw calves big enough to wean on to a corn silage diet and have carcasses that yield well. Locally, I compete with the limo breed for commercial bull sales, and bulls without muscle have no buyers. As well, it is more economical to have 40 smaller cows and one big bull than to have bigger cows and a moderate frame bull. If a bull gets too big for the cows after 3 or 4 years, he either moves to a herd with bigger cows or brings a good dollar on the market and the buyer has made enough on his calves to willingly come back for another of the same.
Bridor Charolais raised a bull in 2002 sired by Hicks Kasino 11K called Bridor Monty 29M that caught my eye. He had the frame, the muscling and conformation to advance my program. I campaigned him as well to the appraisal by others that he had too much muscle expression. That again was fine with me.
Monty went on to sire Hicks Revolver 14R out of a Hicks Hardcore 5H daughter. I have promoted him successfully; Revolver now has the distinction of being the first purebred Canadian Charolais bull to be used in France. Hicks Remington, a Revolver son, is owned by the Semex alliance and they market semen on him worldwide.
In 2005, in an attempt to introduce outside genetics into our somewhat narrow genetic base in our cows, I bought Sparrow’s Vintage 75R, the best Alliance son that I had been able to find. Vintage was single polled but scurred and a mating to a Kasino daughter produced Hicks Sir Winston 33W, a homozygous polled long bodied heavy muscled UK qualified bull. I am marketing Winston semen for use on Revolver daughters. I also am continuing to source heavy muscled homozygous bulls to expand the bull selection that I offer. I presently have sons off of 2 homozygous polled bulls that I am testing to expand our genetic base and to be able to offer a variety of genetics to perspective buyers.
After several years of good local bull sales but poor semen sales, I became aware that calving ease would soon factor into a lot of commercial breeders buying decisions. More and more of my bull buyers were people who had off farm jobs and could not watch the cows constantly. I sourced a bull from HTA with good performance and low birth weights. HTA Spirit 826H gave me everything I wished to incorporate into my cow herd. We campaigned him successfully on the show road. He was Toronto Royal Grand Champion and Senior Champion bull at Agribition in 2000. At the same time I used a homebred MNE Exclusive son called Hicks Hardcore 5H. He was polled with great muscle expression. I sold him to a good friend in Quebec for use on his cows. When Hardcore’s first calf crop was born, I travelled 12 hours from home to bring Hardcore back for future use. Hardcore 5H is Revolver's maternal grand sire.
In 2001, I identified a bull within my herd called Hicks Kasino 11K that had all the features I wished to promote plus more muscling than any bull I had seen. I sold an interest in Kasino to my good friends Brian and Doris Aitken (Bridor Charolais). Kasino's sire was a bull called Bridor Haldrey 5H that Brian and Doris had exhibited at the RAWK at side of his dam. Hicks Kasino 11K was Toronto Royal and Nation Champion in 2001 and repeated as Toronto Royal Champion in 2002. Kasino was deemed by the judges in western Canada to be too big. That was fine with me because the bulls that placed well at Agribition were too small for my breeding program. I believe that if you fill them full of muscle and make them correct and there is nothing wrong with size. My commercial buyers want yearling bulls big enough to breed big cows, throw calves big enough to wean on to a corn silage diet and have carcasses that yield well. Locally, I compete with the limo breed for commercial bull sales, and bulls without muscle have no buyers. As well, it is more economical to have 40 smaller cows and one big bull than to have bigger cows and a moderate frame bull. If a bull gets too big for the cows after 3 or 4 years, he either moves to a herd with bigger cows or brings a good dollar on the market and the buyer has made enough on his calves to willingly come back for another of the same.
Bridor Charolais raised a bull in 2002 sired by Hicks Kasino 11K called Bridor Monty 29M that caught my eye. He had the frame, the muscling and conformation to advance my program. I campaigned him as well to the appraisal by others that he had too much muscle expression. That again was fine with me.
Monty went on to sire Hicks Revolver 14R out of a Hicks Hardcore 5H daughter. I have promoted him successfully; Revolver now has the distinction of being the first purebred Canadian Charolais bull to be used in France. Hicks Remington, a Revolver son, is owned by the Semex alliance and they market semen on him worldwide.
In 2005, in an attempt to introduce outside genetics into our somewhat narrow genetic base in our cows, I bought Sparrow’s Vintage 75R, the best Alliance son that I had been able to find. Vintage was single polled but scurred and a mating to a Kasino daughter produced Hicks Sir Winston 33W, a homozygous polled long bodied heavy muscled UK qualified bull. I am marketing Winston semen for use on Revolver daughters. I also am continuing to source heavy muscled homozygous bulls to expand the bull selection that I offer. I presently have sons off of 2 homozygous polled bulls that I am testing to expand our genetic base and to be able to offer a variety of genetics to perspective buyers.
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