As part of the farm-tours section of the Sommet de l’Élevage livestock show which took place in France last week, Agriland travelled to a suckler-beef farm with 120 Blonde d’Aquitaine cows located to the southeast of Clermont Ferrand.
The farm is owned by father and son, Dennis and Maxime Brionnet, and consists of approximately 200ha. There is no slatted housing on the farm and all housing facilities for cattle are straw-bedded.
On the farm, 20ha are used to grow grain, 26ha are used to grow maize and the remaining land is in grassland and used for grazing with cuts of hay and silage taken from this too.
Maxime has been involved in the farm since 2014 and since then, he has been working towards the farm being 100% self-sufficient in feed supplies.
This has now been achieved and the objective on the farm remains: “To consolidate food self-sufficiency and grow more straw-based cereals.”
The feeds grown and used on the farm include:
- Triticale meal;
- Lucerne;
- Maize silage;
- Grass silage
- Hay;
- Triticale.
Winters are very short in the region, however the summer weather can consist of prolonged dry spells. Land in the region typically trades for approximately €5,000/ha.
As well as direct payments on a per hectare basis, Maxime said he receives a suckler cow payment of €200/cow on his first 41 cows and €130/cow on his remaining cows, providing they have a calf each year.
Breeding herd
In the breeding herd, heifers are calved at 35 months of age with an average calving interval of 371 days. Cows generally all calve indoors.
The farm has no issue with wolf attacks, however livestock have been attacked by wolves on farms as near as 10km away, which is a concern.
Replacement heifers are selected based on docility and conformation and the remaining heifers are finished.
The breeding policy on the farm consists of 100% natural service with six stockbulls used. All breeding bulls are purchased from a breed-testing station. The calving season on the farm runs from January to April generally.
The beef system
Excluding the replacement heifers, all progeny on the farm are fattened and finished as beef.
Bulls are slaughtered at 20 months old with a target carcass weight of 450kg. Heifers are slaughtered at 36 months of age with a target carcass weight of 480kg.
The factory price received for 20-month bulls on the farm is approximately €5/kg. Cull cow beef is also sold at €5/kg. Maxime said that the cow price received depends on the region that the farm is located in.
Blonde d’Aquitaine cull cows from farms in the south of France (the home of the breed) receive a higher price, whereas the bull beef price is linked to the international beef market.
A small number of male calves from the farm are castrated and finished as steer beef every year. These are used to provide beef which the farm sells directly to the consumer in ‘beef boxes’.
These steers are also finished at 36 months of age with a target carcass weight of 550kg.
The beef that is sold direct to the consumer in the beef boxes trades for approximately €11/kg which is significantly higher than the factory price paid. Approximately 25 cattle are sold through the beef boxes.
Designated area on the farm where beef boxes are packaged:
The beef boxes consist of a range of cuts and come in 11-12kg sizes. Maxime emphasised that a good relationship with the consumer and sending top-quality meat ensures that he has return customers. He markets his beef online through platforms such as Facebook.
Blonde d’Aquitaine as a beef breed
Those in attendance at the farm walk heard that there are approximately 500,000 Blonde d’Aquitaine cows in France.
The breed has been growing in popularity in other countries and is being crossed with traditional Zebu cattle in some South American countries.
Interestingly, the breed’s original function was to till soil and pull ploughs which attributes to its characteristics. They are associated with being long, big cows with a large pelvis making them easier to calve. Calves tend to be small at birth and develop muscles from one month of age onwards.
The breed has a low feed-intake capacity and therefore tend to do better with higher levels of concentrate feed in their diet.