alafarmnews

Southern Piney Woods
cattle alive and well

by Roland Roberts

Charles “Chuck” Simon’s diverse interests are well suited to being county agent of Covington County because a county agent has to work with the full range of the area’s agriculture practices. One of his interests is his small herd of Southern Piney Woods cattle.

The Southern Piney Woods cattle are a direct descendent of the cattle brought to the New World over 300 years ago from the Andalusia Province of Spain. Spanish settlers brought these cattle to Florida, Mexico and California. Over the years the California herd disappeared; the Mexican herd is what is known

Chuck Simon’s Southern Piney Woods cattle, direct descendants of cattle brought to the New World over 300 years ago from the Andalusia Province of Spain, are related to Texas Longhorns and Florida Cracker cattle.

now as the longhorn and the Florida herd that survives today is now called Cracker Cattle. Within the Cracker Cattle strain a smaller group was found in Southern Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi which were mingled with British breeds that are known as the Southern Piney Woods cattle.

Chuck’s herd is a mixture of Barnes Cattle from Covington County and Robinson Cattle from around Hattisburg, Mississippi. Both of these strains have British White Park and Devon blood mingled with the basic Spanish stock.

Simon’s diverse interests include the bagpipes. He often gets calls to play for local events and graveside ceremonies.

This early strain of cattle in its original Spanish form was first raised by Spanish settlers. Many of the Southeast American Indian tribes also began to keep these cattle as did the early French settlers in Mobile, Ft. Tombecbee and Ft. Toulouse. Later, when the American settlers arrived, they infused their British breed’s bloodlines into these early Spanish cattle and developed the Southern Piney Woods breed.

In the area of the lower coastal plain called the Wiregrass, these cattle predominated until better production breeds and grasses were introduced. Wiregrass is a native tufted grass that is part of the longleaf pine ecosystem. It survives and thrives in frequently burned and open longleaf pine stands. At first growth in spring, the plant is palatable and digestible to grazing animals. As it matures, it becomes very hard and wiry in appearance and is rejected by these same grazing animals.

Fire is needed in the Wiregrass Region and the frequent fires made the longleaf forest able to support

bison and other grazing animals during the age before European settlement. After the Europeans came, they learned how valuable fire was as a tool in the forest and would use it to improve grazing for their cattle.

Controlling the ranging of these cattle was by use of salt. Artificial salt licks were established to keep the cattle close. Intermingling of your cattle with your neighbor’s was common: therefore, a system of brands and ear notching was used to tell one person’s cattle from another. Cattle were gathered once a year to brand and ear notch new calves or to gather a group for sale. The sale cattle were driven to the Pensacola area or to Montgomery.

Cattle were gathered in groups near the artificial salt licks in focal catch pens. The catch dogs would grab reluctant cows, bulls or yearlings by the muzzle. Men would grab those cattle that needed branding or ear notching by the head and rear legs and pull the animal down. This was probably the beginning of “bulldogging cattle.”

Horned western saddles, lariats and other equipment used today were not used in these early days of cattle keeping. Australian type saddles, whips and catch dogs were the norm. A good illustration of this is seen in the movie “The Man from Snowy River.” The western type equipment came into use towards the end of the 1800s to the beginning of the 1900s.

Chuck Simon, left, tells Todd Carr, manager of Opp’s Co-op, that these cattle, although not a commercial breed, are virtually trouble-free and good at cleaning up land.

Simon cautions, “The breed is not a commercial breed and cannot compete in production with our modern breeds. However, for a person looking for a small herd of hardy, virtually trouble-free animals that are good at ‘cleaning up’ land, this would be a breed to consider. So far, I have never had to pull a calf. They are easy to keep on hay, corn and supplement in the winter and seem to have good heat, parasite and insect tolerance.”

They are a range type cattle and their meat reflects this. You can get a few good cuts of meat from them but they are mostly a low fat hamburger producer.

Alabama’s lower coastal plain, called the Wiregrass, is named for a native tufted grass that is part of the longleaf pine ecosystem.

I have always been interested in early agriculture of the South and these cattle are a part of that history,” says Simon. “I even have a type of ‘catch dog’ called a black mouth cur. I originally got him to help with the cattle, but he is best at catching biscuits and playing with my kids.”

Another interest Chuck has is playing bagpipes, both Scottish and Irish. Both instruments are a challenge but are rewarding. He gets many calls to play and helps the local SCV Chapter in their Confederate graveside ceremonies.