The Charolais Breed 

At The Glen
We had been using a Charolais bull since 1974, but decided to set up our own stud when we couldn't source the type of Charolais we wanted. With the purchase of a bull "Brookfield Umpire" and an in-calf cow with a heifer at foot The Glen Charolais Stud was registered.

Full French is our preferred choice of Charolais because of better coat, hardiness, purer blood lines, temperament and bone structure. They have a longer coat and cope well with our South Island conditions.Our aim is to breed cross breeding bulls that will increase the profit margins to our clients.

 The Glen is the only exclusively Full French herd in New Zealand

Why Choose Charolais?

The Charolais cross achieves some of the best gains and is developing a reputation for being able to handle difficult conditions.

But rapid liveweight gain is not the only criterion when producing product for today’s markets and the Charolais cross animals excels when it comes to processing. Their high liveweight gain ensures good carcass weights in less time. Because of their high degree of muscling, they achieve high dressing out percentages. This muscle ratio also means very high eye muscle areas. This is an indicator of a high yield of red meat which some companies are already paying a premium for.

Meat colour and pH are associated with better quality aspects of red meat and the Charolais cross animals achieve the levels that are crucial for premium meat and of course fat levels. The ability to put on lean growth rather than fat is the reason the Charolais cross continues rapid liveweight gain through to heavy carcass weights if desired.

These claims can be easily made, but research from various countries backs up these statements for Charolais sired animals. From New Zealand, comes Manawatu Beef Packers data: This shows Charolais cross animals excel for carcass weight, meat colour and pH and are among the best for dressing out % fat depth and fat colour.

Table One: Carcass and meat quality characteristics of steers processed at Manawatu Beef Packers

Breed or cross Number (steers) Carcass weight Dressing out percentage Fat depth (mm) Fat colour Meat colour Marbling score Meat pH
Angus 13,853 314 56.3 7.8 4.9 5.3 1.6 5.8
Charolais 1,069 345 57.4 4.6 5.0 5.2 1.5 5.8
Friesian 2,077 312 54.0 3.6 5.4 4.5 1.7 5.9
Hereford 4,462 315 56.0 8.4 4.9 5.3 1.6 5.8
Simmental 3,045 331 56.6 5.6 5.0 5.3 1.5 5.8
Limousin 648 329.5 57.2 5.4 5.0 5.3 1.7 5.8

Note: Low fat and meat colour scores are preferable. pH scores of 5.8 or greater lead to poor keeping qualities of meat and less desirable meat texture and flavour. 

Any beef breeder knows that there are certain criteria which must be met to ensure profitability:

  • The bull must be able to get the cows in calf

  • It is essential to maximise the number of live calves on the ground

  • These calves must grow fast even when environmental conditions vary All this liveweight gain must translate into high carcass weights

  • This carcass must yield a high percentage of saleable meat that satisfies the quality standards being demanded by today’s markets


Table Four: Growth and carcass attributes of some beef cattle breeds (P. Amer et al. Canadian Journal of Animal Science)

Trait Charolais Simmental Limousin Hereford Angus
Postweaning growth (kg / day) 1.326 1.192 1.115 1.213 1.142
Feed conversion efficiency 6.0 6.5 6.5 6.5 7.0
Dressing percentage 59.5 58.9 61.9 59.1 59.4
Fat depth (mm) 8.2 9.3 9.7 18.9 20.4


It has been shown the Charolais meets these requirements. From farmer, processor and research trials the results all favour Charolais for use as a terminal sire.

Read more about why you should choose a Charolais sire on the NZ Charolais Cattle society webpage

Charolais Breed History

France
Developed and established in the Charolles district in central France, the ancestors of today’s Charolais were not only used for draught but by the early seventeenth century were also producing highly rated meat for the markets in Lyon and Villefranche (Both renown for their cuisine, even in France). Improvement through selective breeding commenced early in the nineteenth century, and the French Charolais Herd Book was established in 1864.

New Zealand
The first Charolais semen was imported to New Zealand from Britain in 1965 for trials at Lincoln and Ruakura. The following year commercial semen was brought in by Mr J M Sutherland of “Centrewood”, Waimate. He had seen Charolais while on holiday in France and was so impressed at their size that he determined to introduce them to the New Zealand beef scene.

The New Zealand Charolais Cattle Society was inaugurated in 1968 with Mr Jack Sutherland as President. It's stated aim: To encourage, promote and improve the breeding of Charolais cattle in New Zealand and to establish relationships with other breed societies.

Development
From 1969 till 1981 sixty-one bulls and three hundred and two females were imported from Great Britain forming the basis of the Full French Charolais in the country. The majority of purebred cattle have been bred by "grading up" using a French Charolais sire over a base Angus, Friesian or Hereford cow through five generations. In this way a "New Zealand" Charolais has been developed, still with the Charolais growth rate and muscle, but better suited to the beef production systems used in New Zealand.

If you would like to learn more about The Glen Charolais
or arrange a tour of the farm please feel free to contact us