Charolais bulls are in vogue – fact or fiction?

 

We asked a random selection of suckler men at the October Perth bulls sales why they chose Charolais as their herd’s terminal sire. The resounding response was basic fact: WEIGHT FOR AGE.

 

British Charolais bulls consistently deliver unbeatable growth rates to their progeny, a factor which offers bottom line benefits throughout the chain; Charolais crosses command leading prices in the store ring, while finishers are achieve the highest returns.

 

These suckler producers also chose Charolais for practical reasons; the calves have good temperament – they’re quiet to manage, and their dominant colour markings prove to be an asset in the sale ring. Furthermore, they’re now finding Breedplan data is enabling them to readily identify those easy calving bulls.

 

 

Ronald Sinclair, Stromness Orkney: 210 cows

“It’s that extra weight that counts, the more kilos add up to more money. We sell our Charolais crosses in the store ring at 16 to 18 months and averaging 600kg, and their prices are way ahead of other crossbreds. We end up in the day’s top average price bracket; this year we sold to £940 a head and the crop averaged £890. We sold to repeat buyers.”

 

 

Michael Durno, Glenlivet, Aberdeenshire: 160 cows 

“First and foremost, growth. We get the growth from our Charolais crosses, as well as a quality carcase. I’m the third generation of the family to use Charolais bulls over our suckler herd and we’ve moved with the times; we’re breeding suckled calves that are clean through the middle, they’ve good ends, they’re lighter boned and easier to calve. 

 

“The entire crop is sold through Thainstone at 12 months, steers averaging 480kg and heifers, 440kg. They’ve usually among the day’s top averages and this year sold to average a respective £780 and £750. Our trade once again confirmed Charolais is the breed for the future, helping to meet the demand from finishers seeking cattle to finish to heavy weights.”

 

 

Hamish MacKellar, Dallas, Morayshire: 90 cows

“Weight gain. They’re easy to sell in the ring to finishers who know they’ll continue to grow, kill out well and leave some money for them too. This year’s crop of yearling’s, ranging between 420kg and 500kg, sold through Huntly to average £820 - we had one of our best ever days. The future? After using Charolais for more than 30 years, the breed is definitely here to stay.”

 

 

George Wordie, Huntly, Aberdeenshire: 230 cows

“Weight for age, you can’t go past Charolais crosses; we’ve used Charolais since the 1970’s and from experience we know there no other similar breed that delivers. Any other same age Continental sired yearling is going to be 50kg lighter. This year we sold yearling steers at an average 455kg and £818, and yearling heifers at an average 420kg and £740. We were among the day’s top average prices.”

 

 

Kenneth Morrison, Huntly, Aberdeenshire: 200 cows

“Growth. I’m most interested in producing cattle with the highest gross weight to achieve the subsequent highest gross price. Our Charolais crosses are always the heaviest to go through the ring and that’s what the finishers are looking for, particularly since the weight restrictions have come off and they’ve new export opportunities. With that new and welcome bottom in the market, it’s even more attractive for us to be selling Charolais crosses. We’ve just traded through Huntly 115 yearling steer and heifer averaging 425kg and 175p per kg.

 

 

Jim Warnock, Biggar, Lanarkshire: 190 cows

Weight for age and quality conformation; it’s as simple as that. We put our eggs in more than one basket; steers were sold this year through Lanark at 12.5 months from 475kg to 525kg to average £920, the day’s leading average price. The other big thing about Charolais crosses is their uniformity in size and colour, we can batch them up for the store sales better than another crossbreds.

 

“We take the heifers through to finishing at an average 18 months and 400kg deadweight. However Charolais cross heifers have that natural fleshing ability and we like to exploit their potential; we can kill them at any age without them getting over fat.

 

“We’ve used Charolais over the herd for more than 40 years; is the breed here to stay? You bet.”

 

 

James Herdman, Alnwick, Northumberland: 12 cows

“Weight for age. Since the headage support payment went, store cattle buyers are looking for beasts that can achieve a quick return for their money, and quite clearly, it’s the Charolais crosses they go for compared with other lighter Continental crosses. This season we sold 15 month steers averaging 500kg and £xxx and same age weight heifers at 470kg and £xxx.

 

“Temperament is also a big bonus, particularly when there just me and my stockman on the unit, and it’s a factor which I believe leads in turn to higher performance.”

 

 

Jimmy Walton, Rothbury, Northumberland: 420 cows

“Charolais crosses grow, they respond to feed and we have that confidence they’re always going to sell well. That comes from experience of using Charolais for more than 30 years. This season we’ve sold yearling steers to a top of £935 to average £791, while we finish the heifers at an average 18 months and 580kg liveweight.”

 

 

Colin Wight, Biggar, Lanarkshire: 330 cows

“Charolais crosses weigh more, they covert feed far better and are easier fleshed than any other Continental cross. At the end of the day they’re worth a least £100 ahead more than other cross bred animal in the market place.”

 

 

David Corfield, Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire: 120 cows

“Fast growth and good conformation; that’s what finishers want to buy, and other crossbreds just don’t have both those criteria. Added to that is temperament which you can’t put a value on. We’re currently finishing the majority of our cattle at 18 months, bulls to 800kg liveweight, steers to 700kg and heifers to 600kg.

 

“We’re Charolais through and through and have such a belief in the breed’s future that we’ve recently set up our own pedigree herd. Now we know from first hand experience both sides of the fence why Charolais is number one.”