A Family Affair

By Martha Hollida Garrett

Shari Grahmann

Fred and Sharon Grahmann

Jordan, Camille, Michael, Sonia, Emma and Alicia Grahmann

Josh, Faith, Ashley and

Marin Grahmann.
Snapshots by Ailee Petrovic

Robert, Tina, Leroy and Amelia

Stavinoha

LMC Wentz Dream Girl-The Grahmanns have the influence of this breed great in
their herd. She was the 2010 International Grand Champion Female, as well as the
San Antonio Junior Show champion for Jordan Grahmann.

PAGE 18

Spring, 2016 SIMBRAH World

6G Ranch is truly a family operation with three generations of the Grahmann family members contributing to its work
force, promotional efforts, breeding and marketing decisions,
and overall success.
Fred and Sharon Grahmann have been fixtures in the
Simbrah business for almost four decades, but their story
starts long before they purchased their first Simbrah.
The couple both grew up in the Hallettsville area, the
same place they would make home for their family and business. Fred and Sharon met while in high school in 1958. Fred,
being two-years older than Sharon, graduated high school
before her and took off for college. The two kept up the
romance and were married on Thanksgiving Day of the same
year Fred graduated from college in 1964.
With B.S. and M.S. degrees in education, 1964 would
also be when Fred started his lifelong career calling in education. He took a principals job in the community of Sheridan
about 15 miles east of Hallettsville.
Continuing his principal career, Fred became the principal
of Eagle Lake Middle School in 1969. At the start of the 1970
school year, the Sheridan, Eagle Lake and Garwood schools
consolidated into the Rice Independent School District leading
Fred to be the high school principal.
While Freds career was building, Sharon was busing taking care of their growing family of six with Michael, Tina, Josh
and Shari, who had arrived. It was now time for the
Grahmanns to find a place they truly wanted to call home.
Sharon and I moved out on about 30 acres, just three
miles from the high school, Fred recalls. Every time the
school was open, I was there.
The Grahmanns purchased a few cows to run on their 30
acre place, but little did they know they would soon be leasing
850 acres to continue to run a few cows on. The 850 acres
would become home to their bred heifer business, 6G Ranch.
The business plan was simple. They purchased commercial open heifers, bred them and then marketed them. Their
females gradually developed a largely local following growing
the 6G Ranch business. The same business they would use to
instill a love of agriculture in their children.
That lease place was a tool that dad used to raise us, the
oldest son, Michael shared. My parents thought it was important for us to be busy, know the value of hard work and understand the responsibility of caring for animals. It was also key to
providing funds for all four of us to attend and graduate from
college.
Eventually they would lose the lease place, but in the
meantime Fred and Sharon had discovered Simbrah.
It was 1984, when I saw a for sale ad for about 60 head of
Simbrah cattle, Fred recalls. Two guys named Tom Risinger
and Jim Tobe Atkinson, who I would soon find out were some
of the pioneers in Simbrah, were selling them.
The cattle were around Goliad, so Fred went to check

them out and instantly liked them. He made a deal with Risinger
and Atkinson that he would buy all that were bred.
Well, they had them palpated and we now owned 52 head
of bred Simbrah females, Fred said. I really wasnt expecting
that many of them to be bred.
The 6G Ranch would make its move to Rock Island, where
the Grahmanns live and ranch today, by buying a place for the
recently purchased Simbrah females. At the time they didnt
maintain the papers on the calves from those Simbrahs, but they
found a market about $100-$150 over commercial prices for
them locally.
The 52 females, along with some show heifers a few years
later, were the Grahmanns first exposure to the new American
breed, Simbrah. They liked how the females performed and the
acceptance of the calves convinced them of the breeds potential.
Fast-forward 36 years, Fred and Sharon continue to raise
Simbrahs, but have been joined in their endeavor by their children and their spouses, as well as their grandchildren.
Michael was the first one to show, but was followed by Shari
and Josh. The Grahmanns loaded up and headed to the
Houston Stock Show for a sale to purchase Michaels first show
heifer. He purchased a one-quarter x three-quarter Simbrah
from La Muneca Cattle Co. owned by the Guerras. This wouldnt
be the first time the Grahmanns and Guerras would do business
together, though.
Later in the spring, we attended a Simbrah sale at what was
then Parthenon Corporation in New Braunfels. Here comes this
couple with four children who sat down behind us and this is
when we met the Guerra family. During the course of the sale, we
were both bidding on the same animal and Carlos leaned up and
suggested we buy her together, Fred describes.
It was the first of many partnerships between La Muneca
Cattle Co. and 6G. It started a relationship that has not only been
gratifying from a personal standpoint for them, but has as accelerated their cattle genetics as well.
Continuing the family partnership, Michael spent from 19941998 working for the Guerras after graduating with a bachelors
degree in animal science, from Texas A&M.
We learned very quickly there was a difference in genetics
and just buying cows, Fred explains. We took some of Carlos
early advice to heart and have never veered from it. He told us
always try to buy the best one, even if we could only buy half
interest. Quality was always more important than quantity.
Since then, 6G Ranch has sought out strong bull power and

bred a number of bulls that they have used in their program.

They have used select Simmental bulls on their Simbrah cows to
develop percentage Simbrahs with new lines of genetics and
then utilized the percentage females to produce purebreds.
In partnership with La Muneca Cattle Co., they bred 6GLMC Knock Out and TKO, both SCC Black Kat sons. Their two
prefixs are also on 6G-LMC Ragin Cajun and 6G-LMC
Pappadeaux.
Ragin Cajun is the sire to the Dr. Red Duke bull, who was
recently added to the 6G program. Red Duke was the bull calf at
the side of Mia Barbas pair that won the 2015 San Antonio and
Houston junior grand titles, along with the 2015 Houston Junior
Show Reserve Supreme American Heifer honor. 6G also
teamed up with La Muneca to produce the Red Rock bull that is
now working in the Harris and Lecompte programs in Louisiana.
They purchased the Simmental bulls, Net Profit, a Dream
On son and also a JF Rancher son from Janssen Simmentals in
Iowa in recent years to develop new lines.
Another calculated purchase to bring in new genetics was
the purchase of Cinderella, a 3/4 Simmental x 1/4 Brahman
Fleckvieh based female selected from Buzzard Hollow Ranch.
They bred her to LMCs Full House bull and produced
Evangeline, the dam of Ragin Cajun.
In recent years, one female in particular showed the
Grahmanns commitment to quality. That was the addition of
LMC Wentz Dream Girl to their program. La Muneca had flushed
LMC Miss Diva to Smith Nu Wave II and sold the pick of the flush,
which included three heifers and two bulls who were 60 days old
at sale.
We were looking to add some of Smith Genetics breeding
through Nu Wave, so we purchased the pick in partnership with
LMC and Wentz, Michael remarked. Our goal was to add the
best genetics that day, not get a show heifer.
We went back when the calves were about six-months-old
and made our pick, Michael said, adding To be honest, Dream
Girl did not strike us as a show heifer that day. But that all

Alicia Grahmann saw her heifer win the reserve grand champion honor at the
Houston Junior Show on the same day her sister won the grand in 2011.

Robert and Amelia Stavinoha represent the third generation in 6G Ranch. They
are very active in Simbrah junior programs on both a state and national level and
each have won high individual honors for several educational contests, as well
as high point individuals. They also participate in speaking contests and commercial steer feeding contests. They have been very competitive in the show
ring too, taking high honors at many shows.

Camille Grahmann showed the grand champion at the Houston Junior Simbrah
Show in 2011.

SIMBRAH World Spring, 2016 PAGE 19

changed and she became a very winning show heifer and has
been tremendous in our herds.
Dream Girl would be named International Simbrah Grand
Champion, as well as win the $10,000 scholarship in San
Antonio for Michaels son, Jordan. Dream Girl died in 2015, but
they have her last calves arriving this year.
She became, in my opinion, the best American-based
female Ive ever seen. I have told my kids she was a once in a
lifetime female, remarked Michael.
The years went by as the Grahmanns grew the 6G Ranchs
business. Fred still kept up his principal career and moved from
principal to assistant superintendent of finance for Rice and
finally assistant superintendent in El Campo.
He thought he might be ready to retire after being at El
Campo for two years, but the superintendent at Edna called him
to be his assistant. He put off retiring from the education field
another 10 years.
At Edna he faced some of his biggest challenges as the
facilities were lagging and bond issues kept failing. But during
his 10 years at Edna, they were able to get a bond passed for a
new elementary, high school and gym and were able to build a
new junior high from savings funds. In 2014, Fred officially
retired from the education field and so far, he has managed to
stay retired from school, but not from Simbrah. Meanwhile,
Sharon was equally has busy, first caring for their family and then
as the four children became older and left the nest, she would
join the Colorado County 4-H as their program coordinator. She
is now in her 22nd year of influencing and impacting young peoples lives.
Today, the 6G herd includes 40 plus cows and 15 bred
heifers, a size that Fred and Sharon, with help from the family,
can manage. Quality continues to be the specialty of 6G.
Therefore, culling is one area Fred takes very seriously. He
doesnt allow a single open cow to remain on the ranch.
In the last few years, they have increased the use of AI in
their program, with the help of son-in-law, Leroy and a cousin,
who is a veterinarian nearby. They market their genetics through
MAS and LMC Online Sales, and largely through private treaty.
While the program has evolved over the years, it continues
to be a family operation as Michael, his wife, Sonia, and their four
children Jordan, Camille, Alicia, and Emma own some cattle in
partnership with 6G. Michael works nearby for United Ag
Cooperative, while handling all the nutrition decisions for 6G and
is heavily involved in the 6G sire selection.
Jordan is now a graduate of Texas A&M and is about to enter
physical therapy training and Alicia is a sophomore at Texas
A&M, pursuing a degree in ag business. Camille is a senior at
Hallettsville High School and is headed to North Texas State
University on a softball scholarship. Their youngest, Emma is in
seventh grade. Showing was one of the tools used by Michael
and Sonia to raise their kids. They showed Simbrahs at majors
for a number of years and then locally as the kids concentrated
on sports, plus involvement in school, church and community
organizations.
A special memory for them was at the 2011 Houston
Livestock Junior Simbrah Show, where Camille and Alicia
showed the grand and reserve grand champions. The grand
champion was a daughter of LMC Go-Getter from the De Los
Santos program that Michael spotted while judging a show. The
reserve champion was a LMC bred Rocco daughter that later
went into Ronnie and Susan Smiths program.
The oldest daughter, Tina, and her husband, Leroy
Stavinoha, also live nearby. She is employed in the pharmaceutical industry and Leroy is an elementary principal in Garwood.
PAGE 20 Spring, 2016 SIMBRAH World

Together, they have started their own herd by purchasing some

of the 6G cattle and utilizing 6G bulls. They are involved in the
promotion of the 6G program, too.
Leroy and Tina serve as advisors to both the Texas Junior
Simmental/Simbrah Association (TJSSA) and American Junior
Simbrah Roundup (AJSR). They enjoy the family atmosphere of
these organizations and feel they both have played key roles in
developing the leadership skills of their children.
Tina and Leroys children, Amelia and Robert, have excelled
in the Simbrah youth programs, winning high point individuals
numerous times. Amelia is currently on the TJSSA Board of
Directors and is serving as the associations sweetheart.
Amelia has also been doing the commercial steer contests
at the major livestock shows and also through the Texas Cattle
Feeders Association. The contest requires taking care of and
feeding the pen of steers, written contests, speaking and one
event includes meat judging in the overall scores. Robert has his
first pen of commercial steers to compete this year.
We enjoy learning about the commercial side of the beef
industry, as through Simbrah we have learned about the purebred, Amelia said. The speaking contests that we have done at
the TJSSA Futurity and Simbrah Roundup has really helped us in
the steer contests, also.
Amelia, who is involved in a number of activities at school
and church, is also a 4-H Ambassador for livestock and will
spend 40 hours throughout the year advocating, which includes
direct contact with producers and consumers at venues like grocery stores. Robert is also very active on many fronts and was
the 2015 San Antonio Livestock Show Junior Speech Winner.
Son, Josh, who is an oil and gas consultant, and his family,
live about 90 minutes away in Houston. He and his wife, Ashley
own some cows that are in the 6G herd. They have two small
daughters, Faith and Marin. The youngest Grahmann daughter,
Shari has a Ph.D. in ag leadership and development and works
for USAA in San Antonio.
The Grahmanns have enjoyed Simbrah cattle for almost 40
years, as well as the people, events and activities that have
come along with it. They have been very generous supporters of
the junior program, scholarship fund raisers and the breed as a
whole. Little did they realize that reading a for sale ad would
change their family generationally.
Its been very gratifying for us to raise good cattle, but also
to see our kids and now our grandkids have an interest in the cattle. All generations have benefited from our involvement. The
junior programs are tremendous and we have made life-long,
special friends. We have enjoyed it, concludes Fred.

6G LMC Desperado, a 6G LMC Red Rock son, is an up and coming sire for 6G
Ranch. He follows a long line of bulls produced in partnership with La Muneca
Ranch.