Why Charolais

            For those who show charolais cattle they know how much extra work is involved.  All the extra washing, it being so much harder to blend, and even the white paint doesn’t really match.  So why charolais?  The charolais breed has been in North America for approximately seventy years starting in the southern United States eventually making its way north to everywhere it is today.  When the breed was first brought to North America it was well known for having more red meat and less fat, what we refer today as cutability.  This is the same reason that they are here for today, increasing carcass weight, yield, and cutability.  So with all of these good traits within the breed why are we still seeing the Angus reign that has been present for so long?  Well times are slowly changing but as a breeder it seems like not fast enough.  I think that charolais cattle should be used on commercial cattle with the intention of the progeny being for slaughter because of the benefits on the rail. 

            Years ago carcass weights were lower then the present day both live and hanging however, as the demand for food and beef increases so does the carcass weight required.  Charolais cattle have always had plenty of size and been able to keep that mass when they hang, their high percentage yield is a great trait that sets the breed out from others.  A large reason for this yield is because as charolais cattle are on feed they consistently build muscle.  While other breeds reach a point at which they don’t develop any more muscle and only turn it into fat, essentially waste, a charolais will continue to build muscle and meat.  This is why if you have ever tried to finish a charolais steer he will never seem to get over finished.  Another reason why as a breed they hang such a heavy carcass is because they start with a large frame.  Charolais cattle have always been and always will be a breed with a lot of size and performance.  This added size and performance is why charolais cross calves have become such a hot commodity.

            Nothing or nobody is perfect as much as I would like to believe that the charolais breed is everything can always get better, that is why charolais cross calves are such a great thing.  Every breed has its good traits, but every breed also lacks in other traits.  If you were to ask the owner of any feedlot they will all give you the same answer regarding breed preferences.  It doesn’t matter what the cross is, any cross is better then any one purebred animal.  The charolais breed has most all the good qualities required in the ideal carcass or feedlot animal however the one missing exponent is the marbling.  This is the strong trait of the Angus breed, this makes a Charolais Angus cross a carcass as close to perfect as you can get.  This breeding has become the most sought after calves by both feedlots and slaughter houses as they are the most likely to grade the best.

            I’ve discussed how charolais cattle can be used to create the ideal animal for feeding and slaughter and the benefits the charolais breed brings when getting it to the rail, so what advantages does the breed bring once they’re hanging.  Earlier I talked about how a charolais will continue to develop muscle instead of just become fat, this along with their natural muscle mass creates a larger rib eye area then other breeds are able to present.  The other huge advantage that they have is that because they don’t get “fat” is their cutability, as well as their overall grade.  Them having a smaller amount of cover, fat on the outside of their body, give’s them a higher grade essentially increasing the value of the product, them never getting “fat” also increases profitability as less labor is required to get the meat to customer quality.  Now that the packing plants and the feedlots having noted this high quality, producers are starting to get a premium for their calves which increase’s the demand for charolais bulls, in the end making it more profitable for everyone.

            The high performance breed of charolais cattle offers many valuable traits that set it out from the other breeds.  Whether it be selling your calves in the fall, feeding them through the winter, or when they’re hanging in the cooler the charolais difference is always noticeable.  These valuable traits are finally starting to be recognized both in the show and sale ring.  We have certainly waited long enough but I think our waiting is finally starting to pay off.  Farmers that are worried about the color of their calves should never be aloud to use that as a reason as we have white, red, and black purebred charolais that all offer the same performance and quality.  The charolais breed is proven, in the fields, the feedlots, and the slaughter houses.  If you aren’t running charolais bulls its time to make the switch, just remember, white makes you money.