S ALE RS
- THE BREED
These good maternal qualities are the basis of its current world-wide distribution, for example North America where its calving ease, fertility, hardiness, and notable longevity plus the ability to forage widely make it a good ranching breed. In France the breed has expanded well outside its Auvergne heartland, along the German border for example, as well as in Normandy and Brittany. There are currently about 210,000 cows and 98,000 pure-bred heifers in France with around 49,000 Salers cattle performance recorded and thus participating in the selection program. The commercial success of Salers cows is due at least in part to a high coarse forage intake capability. For example direct comparison with Limousins in France showed intakes of 11.7 versus 8.9kg /day in the 8th month of gestation and 14.4 versus 11.9kg in the 2nd month of lactation. Interestingly the Salers spent less time grazing but took bigger and more frequent bites. Does this mean they can devote more time to rumination ? Overall the Salers rumen capacity is about 15% larger than Limousins. Ability to use coarse forage well means less use of concentrates which means less costs.
Salers (pronounced sall-air) were the native cattle of the Auvergne, a mountainous plateau of South Central France. Since altitudes rise from 2,500 to 6,000 ft. the weather is variable and harsh with a high rainfall and heavy snow. Not surprisingly the breed is hardy and the Salers mahogany coat is thick and weather resistant.
Salers are one of the oldest distinct breeds in the world perhaps going back directly to the early settlement of the area by Neolithic stockbreeder farmers some 9,500-4,500 years ago. The isolated nature of the Salers original habitat lent itself to a high degree of genetic fixation. Thus, I believe that, in contrast to most British breeds which often trace back to one cow or bull, Salers arose from a large indigenous population. As a consequence there is a wide genetic base and good diversity within the breed to select for whatever characteristic might be appropriate, size, milk, conformation, etc. Most successful breeding is based on distinct lines within the breed, Brousse, Calvet, Chevalier, for example and breeders should be aware of these bloodlines when choosing bulls. Some Durham Shorthorns were imported into the Auvergne in the mid 19th century to “improve” the breed. However this was challenged by a local agriculturalist, Tyssandier d’Escous, and he promoted improvement by selection from within the native stock. His statue stands in the middle of the picturesque medieval village of Salers from which the breed derives its name. Genetic analysis shows that the effect of the importation was negligable, in fact it revealed 400 times more Shorthorn blood in Charolais than Salers. It also reveals a good genetic distance of Salers from most other breeds which explains the strong hybrid effect (heterosis) generally observed when Salers are used for crossing. On most breeds the key Salers characteristics, that is low calf birth weight and impressive pelvic structure, are rather dominant.
All comparative studies of calving ease invariably rank Salers number one.The flat square, box-like pelvis of well bred Salers cows is very noticeable and the internal dimensions, the pelvic aperture, are some 25-40 sq cms bigger than other breeds. All bulls passing through the Salers Bull Test Station, intake some 200/year, are carefully measured internally. The large pelvic aperture, plus the low calf weight at birth, 38kg or less, ensures calving ease and Salers cows are rarely assisted, or even observed calving with subsequent positive consequences for fertility and longevity. In France many Salers heifers are sold, in calf to a Salers, to lowland farmers for subsequent terminal crossing with a very heavy muscle Charolais; which poses few problems. These weanling bull calves sell at much the same price as pure-bred Charolais, however heifers of this cross are not retained for breeding and are consequently worth less than the pure-bred Salers. In the Auvergne heartland most purebred (90%) (and crossbred calves) are exported to Italy but elsewhere the Salers bulls are generally fattened locally. In France, as in Ireland, at 18 months there is little if any difference in value between Charolais cross and pure Salers carcases and since pure Salers heifers are valuable as sucklers, there is little incentive to cross-breed.
Originally milk cattle, but since the Auvergne was too remote to supply a liquid milk market the Salers milk was converted to cheese, Salers and Cantal for example, particularily when the stockmen and their cattle moved to the high summer grazing (the estive). This historic cheese and weanling system still exists and Salers cheese can only be made legally between the April 15th and Sept 15th . However while highly lucrative the system is labour intensive, not least because milk let down is poor without a few preliminary sucks and the presence of the calf (attached to the front left leg) during milking. There are now only 5,000 cows in the milk herds in Auvergne but most French breeders consider preservation of this nucleus important to retain the breeds milking ability. Most farmers in France now use their Salers in pure suckler systems; in Auvergne with extensive usage of high estive mountain pastures. With a large frame, mature cows weigh 650-900kg; milking ability, in France calves rarely receive meal, and with calving ability and good conformation the Salers is the ultimate suckler cow. Milk production, generally around 7 but up to 9kg/day, is good, some 20% better than French Charolais and 40% better than Limousins. Crucially the thrifty Salers cows are capable of maintaining good milk yields even on poor quality feeds and respond well by increasing yields when switched to good grass. Fertility remains good even under poor winter feed regimes and the breed shows an impressive “concertina” effect, that is a very rapid regain of condition at grass in Spring. SALERS
Salers beef quality is very good, well marbled, with little of the excessive surface carcase fat seen in British breeds. The Auvergne has historically been a region of high emigration and the Auvergnats who went to Paris traditionally opened bars and restaurants. Many specifically have Salers beef on the menu and there is a profitable and expanding Salers beef label. In France, as we are beginning to see in Ireland, top-line meat is more important than back-end and a priority of the extensive recording/selection system involving 1,368 herds is to thicken back muscle while retaining length and maintaining the key maternal qualities. It is particularily difficult to improve back muscle without losing size and thus growth rate. Further reading of this journal will show the breed is expanding rapidly in Ireland and will provide details of performance here. James Mason
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FOR SUCKLING