News/Cattle for Sale
Sales
Wednesday, April 27th 2011 at Dingwall Mart:
Heifers with breeding potential from Caplich are to be sold in Dingwall mart on Wednesday 27th April 2011.
Breeding cattle available privately.
Roddy Watt (Tel: 01854 666316) has a young Gascon bull and heifers for sale (Sutherland).
Allan Wyatt (Tel: 01549 441356) has some heifers for sale (Sutherland).
There have been several expressions of interest in importing breeding cattle - both females and males. This can be an excellent way of either beginning or improving a herd and also of bringing in new genetics. While importing can seem daunting, it is relatively straightforward. The French Gascon Society, Groupe Gascon, will deal with the French requirements and once in the UK, the local Animal Health Office will deal with the UK requirements. The rules change regularly, but usually there is a period of isolation and some testing. For transport, a group of 15 cattle minimum is best to keep costs down.
For more details, please contact either the breeders directly or the breed secretary.
Semen from top French Gascon bulls is also available. The French AI Catalogue can be viewed online; please contact the breed secretary for help with translation and with obtaining straws.
We are looking into the possibility of having a stock of Gascon AI doses from French bulls held at Genus. Hopefully next year we will be able to offer a selection of top class genetics.
If you would like to be informed of available breeding stock or mart sales, please contact us.
NBA Scotland's Beef Event 2011 and the Royal Highland Show
We will be attending both these events this year and would be delighted to see you. We will have a manned stand at the Beef Event and will have a display on the NBA stand at the Highland Show. If you would like to speak to a member of the Society at the Highland show, please let us know and we will arrange to meet you there.
The Beef Event, organised by NBA Scotland, is being held on 1st June in Moray on the farm of Iain Green, Corskie, Garmouth.
The event will focus on commercial beef production with a day-long programme which will include a farm tour, seminars, stock judging and demonstrations. A key theme will be the benefits of operating a closed herd.
Another major attraction will be the opportunity of viewing the Corskie Simmental herd, which is one of the most successful in the country with a string of successes at the Royal Highland Show, Perth bull sales and local shows. The 140-cow herd is run in conjunction with a 320-cow suckler herd of Simmental cross cattle at Pluscarden, Elgin.
Newsletter December 2010
Firstly, may I wish you all a merry Christmas and New Year, and all the best for 2011. The Gascon Cattle Society has had a busy year, with considerable interest being shown in the breed and most pedigree heifers being sold for breeding. Demand is still exceeding production. We are seeing UK results of using the Gascon as a suckler cow, crossed with a terminal sire. The breed characteristics of hardiness, quiet temperament, ease of calving, excellent maternal instincts and efficient use of feed make the Gascon extremely suitable for farming today.
The picture on the left shows two Limousin x Gascon calves near Tomintoul and the picture on the right shows two Blonde x Gascon yearlings at the Fleuron Gascon in Toulouse.
Fleuron Gascon, Toulouse
A delegation from the UK attended this event earlier this month where we received a tremendous welcome.
The Fleuron is held every 5 years and brings together the best of the Gascon breed in an excellent show - over 80 animals including 4 of the top Gascon AI bulls and several Blonde and Charolais x calves.
The Gascons ranged from a 15 year old cow with her 13th calf through to a month old calf.
After the show we had the chance to visit a prizewinning farm and the bull evaluation station near Carcassonne.
The farm at Gaec des Miracles has 108ha land with an arable component and a herd of 50 cows which calve all year round. This year the breeder won the prize for the best
herd with excellent growth rates, a calving interval of 361 days and very high performance in all areas. The herd is especially notable because it is very new
- it was established with cull cows in 2002. The cows are all AI'd and bulls are never used. To increase the rate of improvement, around 30% of the cows are culled
each year according to their performance. The poorest 30% are calved to a Charolais bull and the rest to the Gascon.
This is an exceptional herd, with the quality
driven by a young farmer with a clear vision of what he would like to achieve
After our visit to this farm, we carried on to the bull evaluation station. Around 70 of the best bull calves are brought to the station at weaning and evaluated.
The bottom third is fattened, with the remaining bull being kept for breeding. Of these, the best two or three become AI bulls.
In March the bulls which make the grade are sold.
This year, the rearing protocol for the bulls has changed. Instead of using maize silage, they are being fed hay
and cereals. The feed conversion efficiency of the breed was amply demonstrated when the computed rations had to be reduced... The aim for breeding bulls (as opposed
to fattening bulls) is to have an average growth rate of 1200g/day. Using the ration suggested by the technical advisor to give this growth rate resulted in an
average growth rate of 1330g/day, with some bulls reaching rates of over 2500g/day!
The Gascon characteristic of good feed conversion efficiency comes from years of natural selection in the harsh climate of the Pyrenees.
Bull/Cow Warranties from the NBA
The NBA offers a warranty for pedigree animals. This is a legal document which is signed by both seller and the purchaser setting out the terms and conditions
of the sale and the liabilities and obligations of both parties. It can be backed up by insurance.
The full text can be seen on the NBA website and non-members can buy these warranties as long as they are a member of a breed society which is a member of the NBA.
It is worth thinking about, especially for bulls in the event of infertility, as it sets out exactly what can be claimed for and gives time limits for claims.
Please contact me or the NBA if you would like any more information on this.
