100% AI in Bazadais: A winning choice for EARL Estabaque
15 October 2025Pascal JOCOU - Briscous (64)
Born in the green hills of the Basque country, at Arrambidia Farm, PANTZO is the result of rigorous selection work carried out by his breeder, Pascal JOCOU. Today, he signs his entry into the catalog as a Maternal Quality bull: a consecration for this breeder, committed to Blonde d’Aquitaine genetics for over 30 years and a loyal user of AURIVA bulls since the very beginning.
- Ferme ARRAMBIDIA – family farm taken over by Pascal JOCOU in 1992
- 49 ha of UAA, including 2.5 ha used for market gardening, 6 ha for maize and the rest for meadows
- 40 Blonde d’Aquitaine dams
- 100% AI
- 90% of production sold direct: “Farmily & Co” farm store in Bayonne
- Production of rosé calves, fattening of cull cows and sale of breeding stock
An evolving family business
Pascal JOCOU took over the family Blonde d’Aquitaine herd and market gardening business in 1992. Right from the start, he became involved in performance control, joined the OS and oriented his breeding towards a 100% AI strategy: ” I’ve always had more confidence in AI bulls,” he explains. Today, Pascal produces 40 calvings; thanks to the construction of a new 40-place barn in 2021, he is gradually increasing his numbers, aiming for 45 to 50 calvings a year.
Increasing the herd size is not the only development planned for the coming years. Pascal also wants to reduce the age at first calving, currently 31 months, to gradually reach 24 months over the long term, with the aim of maximizing the herd’s numerical productivity.
This evolution requires meticulous monitoring of reproduction and feeding. For Pascal, reproductive management is a key, highly technical point, with already a remarkable average LPI of 363 days (compared with the racial average of 404). Since February 2025, he has also invested in heat detection collars. The cows are also equipped with SMARTVEL, and a camera in the stalls enables calving to be monitored. These are just some of the tools and guidelines Pascal is putting in place to prepare for the handover of the farm to his children.
A strategy focused on direct sales
90% of sales are generated by direct sales via a farm store in Bayonne, co-founded in 2016. Pascal sells rosé calves (160 to 180 kg carcass in U=) and fattened cows (570 kg carcass on average), as well as produce from the market garden. The remainder is sold via a few breeding animals (2-3 males/year), calves at the station (1-2/year) and occasionally to restaurateurs or at markets organized on the farm.
A strong commitment to genetic selection
Pascal JOCOU is a fervent supporter of AURIVA genetics: testing then Aurizon range, directed matings, collected embryos… His herd has several donors, including RAINETTE, collected in spring 2025 with 14 frozen embryos. ” It’s not a goal in itself, but a real pleasure when it works! ”
Three MTEs are now part of the herd, reflecting the rigorous genetic work carried out in collaboration with his AURIVA technician for over 20 years, David Gonzales: ” I trust him completely, he knows my animals by heart, I wouldn’t be where I am without AURIVA genetics “. His priorities are clear: ease of birth, lactation and, last but not least, breed quality and mix. Pascal likes well-balanced animals! His efforts have paid off: over the last ten years, the herd’s average IVMAT has risen by 7 pts, and DM and DS by 6 pts.
Among the herd’s outstanding cows is DUCHESSE (RINGOT/LEO), a female who is the origin of the breeding’s flagship line. Her mating with BERLIOZ produced four remarkable sisters. Among them, MASSILIA and LUTECE. MASSILIA, an MTE-qualified cow, stands out for her morphology, her balance and above all her maternal qualities. PANTZO was born from a mating with this cow. The pair were presented in Paris in 2020, when PANTZO was still a calf. PANTZO then joined the Breeding Station, where he was bought as soon as he entered to join the individual control.
PANTZO is the first bull born at Pascal to join the catalog. With his excellent genetic make-up, powerful morphology and breed qualities, PANTZO has already established himself as an indisputable breeder. His production is very homogeneous and mixed. Indexed at 104 for maternal quality, he will pass on his maternal qualities to his progeny. A complete bull ready to leave his mark on future generations.
"I've always used AI. If today a bull born at home can, in turn, be used by other breeders, that's real recognition."
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