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ORIGIN AND EXPANSION |
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This breed is originally from the Aubrac mountains, to the south of the Massif Central, in the Departments of Aveyron, Cantal, Lozère and Haute-Loire (Mézenc).
Its area of expansion extends into to the so-called difficult zones in the highlands (Aude, Puy-de-Dôme, Eastern Pyrenees, etc.), wastelands, or chalky high plains (Gard, Hérault, Landes, etc.).
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 Recognized maternal qualities: |
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This breed is famous for its notable qualities in raising its offspring and for being a hardy breed. The Aubrac is an ideal breed of mothers for the production of beef, not only in purebreds but also in crossbreeds with bulls from other breeds specialized in beef production. |
Its greatest success resides in reproduction results:
* Excellent fertility (one calf each year)
* Ease of calving (reduced veterinarian care and cost)
* Nursing aptitude (little expenditure on fodder)
* Notable longevity
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| The advantages of hardiness |
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Raised and selected in difficult environments
(grazing in summer pastures; hibernation on concrete and metal screens),
the Aubrac breed has excellent adaptation qualities:
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Aptitude for walking and very strong legs
* Able to take advantage of simple feed |
For all these reasons, the Aubrac is efficient and profitable in ALL environments. It is particularly distinguished in production systems for cattle for beef raised on grass (grazing in summer; hay in winter). |
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Charolais and Aubrac crossbreeds |
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The Charolais-Aubrac crossbreeds represent close to 40% of the cattle produced in Aubrac stables. In the registered stations this cross breeding is also practiced regularly.
This constitutes an incomparable advantage for the Aubrac breed, because this type of cross breeding allows for a better exploitation of the less excellent cows whose products are not apt for reproduction. In the registered stations, this percentage varies slightly according to the year.
Since the 1998 campaign, approximately 25% of the registered cattle are crossbred with Charolais. Before 1996 this percentage was greater than 30% and had decreased to close to 20% in 1996 and 1997.
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| A complete selection plan |
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The selection program is based on a combination
between beef production criteria (growth, build) and maternal aptitude
(reproduction, nursing). The goal is to produce both cows who will
be "calf moulds", well appreciated for the final crossbreeding with
Charolais, and pure offspring sought by Feed yards (weaned 18-month-old
yearlings) and packing plants (calves and adult cows).
In addition, UPRA Aubrac has a breeding station "La Borie de l'Aubrac".
Each year, more than 120 choice young bulls are controlled with
respect to their specific qualities during the entire winter and
are offered for sale at the beginning of the spring.
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| Sales profile |
The Aubrac herd, purebred or crossbred with Charolais, constitutes the axis of a productive change that offers diverse products to the market:
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MALE |
FEMALE |
SALES PERIOD |
| Weaned calf |
30% |
37% |
September
to November |
| Yearlings 12-14 months |
40% |
35% |
December to March |
| Yearlings 18 months |
30% |
15% |
July to September |
| Fed cattle |
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13% |
March to September |
Weaned calves weigh an average of 300 to 350 Kg. and are sold shortly after weaning, at 8 months.
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| International |
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For more than 10 years the breed has been
exporting its genes in the form of semen (1,110 doses in 2000),
of reproducers (160 registered in 2000) and of embryos, to more
than 15 countries:
Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Russia, Lithuania, Hungary, Austria, Great Britain, Spain, Luxembourg, Portugal, Canada, the United States, Morocco, Italy, Belgium, New Zealand, etc.
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