FARM VISIT : Vincent Besse s herd

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1 FARM VISIT : Vincent Besse s herd Mixed beefy type, docility and calving ease June 2015 Ø Let s go back to the history of the herd We have been breeders for several generations, so it is quite a long story but we can just go back to the time when my father started. It was in the 70 s and he owned a small property of 40ha and 35 cows. Then the farm size increased when he took over the farm of my maternal grand-parents. The surface and number of animals doubled. In 2003 I officially became a partner. We increased the size of the herd and surface over time to reach the current situation: 150 cows and 210ha of land. Ø Could you quickly describe your farm? We are two partners on the farm: my mother and I. My father has retired. We also have a part-time employee. Our farm extends on 210ha, including 30ha of cereals (the remaining part is dedicated to grass production). We have 150 cows with 140 to 145 calvings a year. 210 ha of land, 30 ha of cereals and the remaining part is dedicated to grass 150 cows calvings/year, mi-february and mid september to mid december

2 Ø How do you manage the herd? Ø How do you manage the herd? We have two calving seasons : 40 calvings in the spring (from mid February onwards) and the rest in autumn (from mid September to mid December). The renewal rate is about 20-25%. More than 30% of our replacement heifers are now polled. During the winter we use two sheds, one big enough for 98 animals and a smaller one for 30 animals. We try to house as many animals as possible in the winter, but some are outdoors all year round. Cows with calf at foot are obviously housed in priority. With regards to feeding there are two diets : for the cows I use a mixer to provide a balanced ration of maize silage, grass silage and hay (plus supplements). For maiden heifers and spring calvers, I only use round bale silage and hay. We produce it all on the farm (except the supplements). Our employee takes care of the replacement heifers, in-calf heifers and fattening animals. I manage the adult cows and the calves. I employ local companies to deal with the most time-consuming tasks such as harvesting, silage making, barn cleaning and manure spreading. It is much easier and faster that way. Ø And from a commercial point of view? Almost all of the heifers that are not used for replacement are sold as breeders. An average of 25 bulls are sold as breeders every year and the rest is sold for fattening at around 8 months. I only fatten the cull cows on the farm. Our customers come from France and also from abroad. It changes every year depending on the different markets needs. Last year we sold as many breeders on the French market as for export. 2

3 INDUS When my father joined the Limousin Herd-Book and started breeding registered cattle, he favoured mixedbeefy type animals. We have stuck to that type of cattle ever since. We have also focused on docility and calving ease and we have noticed a tremendous improvement in the last 10 years. The polled trait is also essential for us. It is a plus for animal welfare and work organisation. Polled animals also sell for more. I now have many different polled bloodlines. ICHOU: homozygous polled (Hinz x Tigris) Faignant Meilleur RRE (1995) Bonux 1er prix Taureau Adulte et prix d Honneur (Brive 2012) 1er prix Taureau Adulte (Cournon 2012) Eleonor Pp (Silverbird) Prix d Honneur Jeune Femelle et Meilleure Polled (SIMA 2011) Meilleure vache qualité Boucherie (Brive 2012) Meilleur Animal sans corne (SIMAGENA 2013) Meilleur Animal sans corne (SIMAGENA 2015) Import 1er prix de section et prix d Honneur Jeune Mâle; Meilleur Animal 3 INTERBREED (SIMAGENA 2015)

4 On the genetic side Mixed beefy type and polled! The first registered bull we had was PACHA (a HERISSON son), born in Mr Toulisse s herd. He was a most remarkable bull that we used a lot in the 80 s. He produced cows with heavy carcasses (around kg, which was very good at the time). PACHA bred mixed-beefy type cows, with a lot of depth and length and good pelvises. We took him to a national show and he was 1st in the class of bulls under 1 year old. Then we had FAIGNANT that really stamped the herd. He was a CORDON son, born in Mr Deconchat s herd. He was qualified «RR» (10% top EBVs bull) and used for AI. He produced animals with a quiet temperament and good lengths and daughters with plenty of milk. He bred many good females After that we bought SEREIN, born in the Camus herd, a MALIBU RR son. He produced very big cows with good udders and good calving ease that could be mated with any bull without any calving issue. The last major bull that we have used was BONUX, bought from Thierry Lagautrière, a son of SUCCESS on a SNOOPY daughter. BONUX was qualified RR and then collected for AI by KBS. He has produced outstanding females with a lot of length and good udders, pelvises and legs. He is still used in Spain today. We took him to many shows : he was 1st in Brive three times and once at the national show in Cournon in the adult bulls class. BONUX Today Vincent uses IMPORT, a GAILLARD RRE son (from the Tournier herd) that he purchased in Limoges together with Mrs Lesage, Lagrafeuil and Demont. IMPORT was 4 BONUX

5 best bull at the SIMAGENA interbreed show in He has been used for the first time last year so we will have to wait a little to see the calves on the ground. Vincent thinks that the progeny will be very good. INDUS is also a very promising bull, an EDELWEISS son (from Mr Mazaud) on a FESTIVAL grand-daughter (from the Laleu herd). He has very fine bones and a wide pelvis. He has only served a group of heifers last year and Vincent will now try him on cows. ON THE POLLED SIDE With regards to polled genetics, things have moved fast. Two years after entering the Polled Excellence group, Vincent had the opportunity to use VIKING and he tried him on 20 cows. Almost at the same time he bought the famous TIGRIS from Germany together with Guy Bourbouloux and Domaine de Caramigeas. It was the first time he bought an animal that he had only seen pictures of. He never regretted it, and it is easy to understand why when you see the outstanding production of TIGRIS. At the moment, he uses 2 polled bulls JOST and HOCCO (a TIGRIS son on a SEREIN daughter). TIGRIS and HINZ are still used too through AI. Ø What are your prospects in the coming years? My mother is planning to retire in the near future and this means that we will have to change the way we work. We are considering several options: hiring another employee or dealing more often with the farming services so that I can spend more time taking care of the animals We are not planning to increase the number of animals or to buy more land. We are focusing on how to manage it all without my parents help. JOST, mixed type bull with very good legs, breeds small calves at birth Ø What about your partnership with KBS Genetic? We have been working with KBS Genetic since the beginning, and even before that, because we already dealt with Jean-Luc Kress before he started KBS. It is a good partnership that helps me sell my bulls and some of my heifers. We also take part in almost every auction sale organised by KBS. This collaboration also proved very helpful when I started working with polled genetics. I was asked to be part of the Polled Excellence group shortly after it started and it allowed me to make fast progress. Today polled genetics are widely used and polled cattle are as good as horned cattle. However we have to make sure that that we keep moving forward in order to stay ahead. 5