About Carsten Simmentals

We are adding one more to the herd! A huge congratulations to Taylor and Marcus on their bundle of joy that will join us in December!

Carsten Simmentals is owned and operated by Bill Carsten. Bill is a native to the North Fork Valley and was born and raised in Paonia. He spent many, if not all his hours working and helping his mother, Ruth Carsten, make her dream of running registered cattle come true. From an early age, he would work chute side next to the vet during preg checking season and could rattle off pedigrees, birth weights, weaning weights, and the history of any cow that walked through the chute. His kids laugh about the fact that he can give the history of every cow he’s ever raised but can’t seem to call any of us the right name or remember a birthday or an anniversary. 

Bill has passed on his love for good cattle to both of his girls. Both girls worked alongside him every moment of their childhood. Whether it was moving cows, building fence, calving season duties, spring work- he always expected his girls to give 110% in everything they did. He expected his girls to work like men, although at times they felt like it was unfair or too grueling of tasks, they are forever grateful for the way they were raised and how high the bar was set by the example of their father.

 His love for cattle and the cattle industry is what drove the family’s decision to keep Ruth’s legacy continuing.

Our Cattle

 Our cattle are summered at 8,500-10,000 feet, assuring us that PAP is managed and bred into them. The cattle that we can identify as superior performers in this environment are the same type that can make a positive contribution to your herd. As a seed stock supplier for the commercial industry, we feel strongly that our cowherd must run in similar conditions and be challenged in the same environment as our customers. 

35+ years of carefully selected A.I. sires from around the nation back this outstanding herd. Unique to our herd is that not only do our cattle have to check off the eye appeal box, they must also prove that they can run at high elevations and still be functional for the rugged terrain. Cows must have the numbers in their pedigree to prove that they can calve unassisted and still put pounds on the calf until weaning day. 

Our bulls are not PUSHED on high protein feed. Environment, maternal ability, and years of genetics are the flesh on these bulls. We feel as if our bulls' environment and feed program must be complementary to the environment when they are out breeding cattle. They are fed with structural soundness in mind, never receiving more than 1% of their body weight in grain.

We feel as if the “good mother cow” is the most important thing on the ranch. EPD’s can only tell you so much about the cow, but the fact of the matter is if they have many daughters, granddaughters, great granddaughters they have proven to be superior producers. 

Be sure to check out our bulls we have for sale this year!

Best of The Rockies Testimonies

  • Now, after over 20 years of using Best of the Rockies bulls, our cow herd is mostly all Best of The Rockies genetics- 300 head. Our cows have shown to have longevity of up to 15 years and continue to produce high quality calves. Our steer calves continuously average 780-820 lbs in the fall when we pull them off the cows to ship. When we calve out, the cows are on open range and typically they have no issues calving and we’ve had a pretty high success rate. Our replacement heifers have proven to be good mothers with nice udders and dispositions. The bulls have always been easy to work, when it comes to trick testing and gathering to put with the cows in the spring. We are grateful for the hard work they put into their cattle at Best of The Rockies because it passes down to our cow herd which continues to help us improve our own herd on the Long Ranch.

    Scott Long & Family

  • We have been purchasing bulls from the Carsten family for several years now. We have been very impressed with the cross that these bulls have produced in our program. From calving ease in the spring, to finishing out in the feedlot, the offspring does not disappoint. To top it off the longevity and soundness of the bulls provides the ability to use them for several breeding seasons, which we love. As a young family who work hands-on with our cattle we also appreciate how gentle and well behaved the Carsten bulls are.

    The Webster Family at Watson Ranch

  • We are proud to offer our testimony for Carsten Simmentals and their excellent program. In the fifteen years that we have been purchasing Carsten bulls, we have seen the quality of our calves continually improve. Not only have we drastically reduced the high mountain sickness due to the bulls’ healthy PAP scores, but their calves also wean 50-75 lbs higher. We’ve noticed better feet and bags on our cows; more bone and good conformation in their offspring. If you are in the market for quality bulls to add to your home program, you have found them here.

    Brian Oloman and Leonard Oloman

  • I have purchased Carsten Simmental bulls for the past several years. I have been very satisfied with their performance, durability, and disposition. Carsten bulls have given my operation a tremendous amount of improvement in birth weights and quality of replacement heifers. When purchasing bulls one of the most important criteria is the integrity of the bull breeders. Bill Carsten and his family always are honest and accurate when it comes to their cattle. If the bull is being offered, you can bet it is a bull that Bill would put on his own cows. Their bulls are better than advertised. They are not over conditioned and are ready to work for you and will sire excellent thick “ribbed” calves.

    Mike Cervany Elk Creek Cattle Company

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