Indexation Maternal Qualities Blonde 2024
21 August 2024
EARL PLANEIGE: Artisan of collective progress
14 October 2024In the heart of the Médoc, in the commune of Gaillan-en-Médoc, Xavier AUGEAU passionately runs a Blonde d’Aquitaine breeding operation alongside a 9-hectare vineyard. He is the breeder of PYHA, the key bull in the Blonde Vêlage Facile label in the Blond AURIVA catalog. His results at the Maternal Quality station confirm his potential, particularly in terms of morphology and the dairy qualities passed on to his daughters. Find out more about this exceptional bull and his breeder in this article.
EARL AUGEAU: the breeding of an enthusiast
EARL AUGEAU, historically a dairy farm, switched to a suckler herd in the 1990s with the suckler cow premium. In 1996, Xavier AUGEAU joined the family GAEC with his mother. The herd, then made up of around forty Blonde dams, has grown to reach 100 dams today.
The farm extends over 240 ha of natural grassland in the Natura 2000 zone, enabling almost 100% grass feeding from April to December, with supplementation during the dry period from mid-July to mid-September with hay and haylage. By December 15th, the animals are housed in part of the farm’s 3,000 m² of buildings, which have been converted into stalls without headlocks for the winter. The ration is composed of unlimited hay, sweet corn and alfalfa, meticulously adapted to the needs of each age group.
- EARL AUGEAU – family business taken over by Xavier AUGEAU in 1996
- 100 Blonde d’Aquitaine dams
- 240 ha of natural meadows in Natura 2000 zones
- 9 ha of vines – Cave coopérative Uni Médoc in Gaillan-en-Médoc (33)
- OS membership and VA4 performance check
- Production of grazers, fattening of cull cows and sale of breeding stock
- IGP Bœuf de Bazas promotion
Docility, breed qualities and mixity: a well-defined selection strategy
For the Augeau family, the #1 criterion for selection in the herd is docility. Xavier explains:
” For me, it’s a redhibitory factor. I’m uncompromising on this criterion: I won’t keep a heifer with too much temperament, even if she’s the best in the herd. I don’t want to bother with animals that are difficult to handle. “
Secondly, the breeder takes into account breed qualities and morphological diversity: “We start with a fairly heterogeneous herd, and today we’re tending towards homogenization. AI bulls make it easier to homogenize than naturally-bred bulls. “.
The breeder also cites milk and calving ability, which are already well established in the herd, as evidenced by the average genetic level of the maternal line (Milk104 and AVel: 101,5). He has worked hard on the basins to facilitate calving in the herd.
AURIVA's expertise in bull selection
To choose his bulls, the breeder relies on his technician to use breeding bulls in line with his objectives. For the past three years, the breeder has rented also a rental bull AURIVA .
I'm very satisfied with this system; it allows me to bring in genetic variability every year without having to buy a bull. This year, we have SURVIVOR (GALIAX/ARLEQUIN), a very good bull, with good legs and docile. I can't wait to see his production! Last year we had RAPACE (JABU/CALINOU), and I'm very satisfied with his production: he calves by himself and is very pretty.When it comes to choosing bulls, I put all my trust in my AURIVA technician.FUXEEN was recommended to me at the time, and he's a bull that has worked extremely well for me. He's the best bull I've ever used! He brought a lot of docility, very good morphology and breed qualities. He hasn't worked the same everywhere, but here I've kept all the females: they calve easily and produce very nice grazers. The heifers are precocious in meat but a little late in development.
PYHA: the nugget in an exceptional line
PYHA is mated to FUXEEN, an exceptional sire who has remarkably in the breeding program, and MOUETTE (HOULALA/OULOU)a cow from one of the best AUGEAU bloodlines, indexed at 105 in IVMAT and 109 at Alait. La lignée remonte à UTILE (JURANCON/HECTOR), une vache qualifiée MTE née à l’élevage dans les années 2000 et qui donnera par la suite CHOUETTE (OULOU/JURANCON), la grand-mère de PYHA. C’est une lignée très calme, typée élevage et avec beaucoup de lait : « This is the breeding line with the most calves recruited at the station!“.
The decision to recruit PYHA was an obvious one,” says Xavier.He was an exceptional calf, already standing out as a youngster for the quality of his pelvis, his breed qualities and his finesse. I immediately saw the calf’s potential: I initially wanted to keep him for breeding, but I have a lot of FUXEEN and HOULALA daughters in the herd. I wouldn’t have been able to use him much. This calf deserved a good career: he was then recruited by the station and selected by AURIVA as soon as he entered the herd. “.
Xavier testifies: ” PYHA is my first bull to be released at AI and in the AURIVA catalog, which makes me very proud! It’s a reward, highlighting the selection work carried out on our farm over several generations of cows. Now I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a second one. “
Today, his results and his catalog display speak for themselves: 114 in IFNAIS, 125 in IVMAT and indexed in Maternal Qualities with 109 in PLAIT and 102 in IQM. He has successfully completed the final stage of a long selection process, and will pass on his remarkable qualities to his progeny, meeting the expectations of many breeder-users.
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