EARL PLANEIGE: Artisan of collective progress

Pierre RESCHE - Laféline (03)

Born in the Allier region at EARL PLANEIGE, TYROL has established himself as a must-have in the AUBRAC catalog. Available in conventional and sexed semen, this young bull has been widely used, and this article presents him and his breeder.

Pierre RESCHE is an AUBRAC breeder based in Laféline in the Allier region (03). Originally from the Cantal region of France, Pierre started out on the family farm with his father, who had taken over an AUBRAC herd in 1996. The two partners decided to buy a second farm to use as an estive, and in 2004 found a farm in Laféline. Pierre moved to the Allier region and joined forces with his father to form a GAEC, taking the 50-hectare farm to 125 hectares in two non-adjacent départements. Pierre’s brother Benjamin also joined the family GAEC, and they eventually separated the two sites. Pierre will remain on his own in Allier, and his brother in Cantal.

Today, Pierre produces 100 purebred calves. Of these calvings, 35 females are kept on the farm in the Allier region (15 to 20 heifers for renewal, the others sold in foal for breeding) and the remaining females are sent to his brother’s boarding farm in the Cantal region. Each year, 2 to 3 males are put on the station, around ten are kept for the sale of breeding stock, and the others are sold as grazers. Pierre also sells direct with 5-6 heifers fattened for the occasion each year.

The farmer is almost self-sufficient in forage, depending on the year. Grazers are not supplemented and are fed 100% grass. All calvings take place in the barn, with a flexible stall that can accommodate 85 cows, 35 heifers and a few males.

AI: a strategic return for Pierre

The herd is made up of many large lines of AI sires. After having slowed down the use of AI, Pierre wants to gradually resume it. For the occasion, he has invested in 40 heat detection collars. There are many reasons for this choice:

Flexibility in the choice of couplings “. AI allows us to be more flexible in terms of mating, to think it through better on a case-by-case basis and to make corrections. With natural breeding bulls, we work in batches. Sometimes, to combine inbreeding and the construction of our batches, we have to compromise on mating. ”

Bull management ” For logistical reasons and to avoid having to put them out for lack of space, it would be simpler to have fewer bulls on the farm.”

The docility of calves “For me, this is perhaps the main reason for taking up AI. I’d be able to keep the calves in the barn a bit longer. It saves time when it comes to training the calves; they’re more docile in the barn. As someone who sells breeding stock, it’s very important to have patient, docile animals. This is often one of the first criteria when potential buyers come to see the animals. “

Pierre also wants to keep his calvings tightly grouped (with an IVV of 370 days, he’s below the breed average of 377 days) to sell his grazers all at the same time. ” With AI, I’ll have to maintain these grouped calvings, so I’ll have to match the sensitivity of the collars or use another effective heat detection method “.

A rigorous selection strategy: milk, precocity and docility

In fact, docility is one of Pierre’s main selection criteria, along with milk and precocity, as well as the breed qualities already well established in the herd:

” Docility is a criterion for sales, but also for my working conditions. I work alone most of the time, so it’s important for me to have animals that follow and handle easily. When it comes to milk selection, I don’t supplement my calves. This allows me to quickly identify the strains without milk and then sort them out more effectively. And finally, for precocity, it’s a bit the same. I quickly identify the most precocious animals “.

Pierre is attached to breed qualities, but not to horns :

” I dehorn everything because I find it easier for them and for me. The absence of horns prevents a lot of injuries and accidents between them. I don’t use hornless yet, but I think we’ll all have to face it one day if dehorning is banned. “.

Pierre does not cross :

” I specialize in selling breeding stock. Fattening is not in my genes, I don’t have the patience. I’m in a sector where there’s a demand for heifers for breeding. Today, this system suits me. I love being able to help young people build up a herd, meet other breeders and exchange ideas on our ways of working. “

TYROL and MISTRAL: the results of a fruitful collaboration with AURIVA

Pierre has long been involved in the selection scheme, putting several calves on the AURIVA program at the station every year. The collaboration with AURIVA has resulted in the catalog release of the bull MISTRAL (FIEROU/TAUPET) in 2019, followed by TYROL (LIPTON/FIEROU) in 2023.

"I'm very happy and satisfied with the current system. For me, it's very important to play the game, to send calves to the station and bulls to AI. I see this as collective progress, a selection tool that should be more widely used and promoted. It's also a showcase for our breeding business, allowing us to get to know each other and compare our work with that of other breeders.

Pierre RESCHE

TYROL is a son of LAUZE, an elegant, precocious cow with very regular production and high milk production.

Pierre exclaims: ” She gave me few females but some incredible males. You don’t get a cow like that every day! TYROL has always been very well marked, as was MISTRAL at the time. As soon as they’re born, these calves stand out, and we already know that they’ll make great future bulls. ”