Charolais popularity continues to soar
A huge surge in popularity for Charolais is due largely to the efficiency they add both to the beef and dairy-beef sectors. Words Charolais Breeders New Zealand, Photos Ben Doubleday.
Any form of crossbreeding adds tremendous value through hybrid vigour. The Charolais ability to add growth, muscle yield and flexibility is making them a highly sought-after option.
The yield advantage is significant. On a 300kg carcase, for every 1% lift in dressing percentage, it is the equivalent to 6kg of carcase weight. With Charolais-cross cattle often yielding an extra 4% compared with straight British breeds, this equates to an extra 24kg of carcase weight from the same liveweight animal. At the current schedule, that would be an extra $175. If you add to that the extra performance you get, it is not hard to see why Charolais genetics are becoming increasingly more common throughout the country.
One of the most significant advantages seen when Charolais are crossed over our traditional breeds, is from the resulting heifers.
Charolais-cross heifers have the ability to hit carcase weights equivalent to that of straight British-bred steers. In an efficiently run beef operation, farmers should be breeding their best cows back to the maternal breed of their choice to breed replacement heifers. The rest of the herd (the bottom half) should then be mated to a Charolais.
This not only increases the quality of the breeding herd but lifts the total value of the resulting calf crop by having more high-value progeny to sell.
The extra performance and the ability to take Charolais-cross cattle to higher weights makes them truly valuable in a beef operation.
“One of the most significant advantages seen when Charolais are crossed over our traditional breeds, is from the resulting heifers.” – Charolais Breeders New Zealand
Currently worldwide we are seeing a huge shortage of beef, so the ability to add more weight is a very real advantage Charolais-cross cattle have.
They are incredibly flexible in terms of finishing, and you have a large window to kill them which means you have more control over when you market the progeny.
Charolais colour-mark their progeny extremely well, and they are very identifiable which adds to their appeal. Charolais-cross cattle are very distinctive, and this has influenced the incredible growth the breed has seen in the dairy industry. Charolais are now the number one beef breed in many of the semen companies’ dairy-beef sales and are easily the fastest-growing breed in terms of usage within the dairy sector.
Charolais are recognised as the number one breed in Europe and Canada.
To increase productivity and efficiency on farm (and environmentally), it is only practical and logical for the Charolais breed to continue to grow in New Zealand.
