Limousine

The breeding

Our breeding is a 100% pure that has always been registered in the herd book of the National Association of Charolaise and Limousine breeders (Anacli), after having bred Charolaise cattle for years, we decided to focus on the Limousine, an always original beef breed. of France which for over thirty years has been increasingly rooted in Sardinia. Above all, we aim for high genetics that allow us to sell our breeding stock throughout Sardinia. In fact, these animals are distinguished by excellent fertility, good longevity, ease of calving, high yield to meat as well as an adaptability that has few equals.

Of course, nowadays the work of the agricultural entrepreneur involves a life made up of studies, experience and expertise, which represents a bit of the model of what should be the new return to the land that has been hoped for in Sardinia for several years now.

The Limousine breed

The Limousine cattle breed originates from the Limousine Province of Limoges, a region that includes the last buttresses of the French Massif Central, this breed belongs to the same strain as the "Blondes d'Aquitaine" breeds. The name derives from its area of ​​origin. Typical of a region with altitudes between 200 and 700 m a.s.l., characterized by acid soils and shallow soils, the Limousine has fixed on itself some characteristics that have allowed it to adapt to all continents. The climate, characterized by hot summers and rigid winters with abundant atmospheric precipitation and the soil, naturally poor in calcium and phosphorus, have in fact helped to select a cattle population capable of adapting to even difficult environments.

Initially with a triple aptitude, in the last 150 years it has been selected for the production of meat, the development of the muscle masses has been improved, maintaining the skeletal structure of the original population. This breed is very widespread in the world, in fact it is bred in more than 70 countries with different breeding forms. The Limousine is one of the most widespread foreign meat breeds in Italy for which an association called ANACLI (National Association of Charolaise and Limousine Breeders) was also created, which deals with the management and selection of this breed. In 2016, thanks to a report on the Limousine breed of cattle in Italy, about 1685 herds were counted, with a total of 30,811 cows and 1423 bulls registered in the herd book.

The Limousine breed of cattle has a Fromentino colored coat with lighter parts around the eyes, muzzle and in the ventral region. The skin is easily lifted, the short and thin head set on a short neck, deep chest with a straight back line, thin and short but strong limbs.

In the cow-calf line, the cow stands out for its marked maternal aptitudes, the milk produced by this is sufficient to satisfy the nutritional needs of the calf. The cows have a high fecundity 98%, ease in calving 99% thanks to the small size of the calf at birth, which contrasts with the rapid growth, the average birth weight is 42 kg for males and 39 kg for females.

Limousines have an excellent herd instinct and a high sturdiness, which makes this breed suitable for grazing, carried out with wild and semi-wild breeding systems in various environmental conditions.

As far as production performance is concerned, the Limousine is a very precocious breed of cattle, it has an average daily increase in males of 1.3 / 1.4 kg / d and in females of 0.900 / 1.1 kg / d; the animals are able to reach the ideal weight for slaughter at a young age, this allows to obtain better quality meat with yields at the slaughterhouse of 62-65% of live weight. Their adult weight is 1000/1200 kg in males and 550/800 kg in females.

The Limousine breed of cattle is used for industrial crossings with other beef cattle breeds, with dairy cattle breeds and rustic breeds. Thanks to its peculiarities, it gives better quality of the organoleptic properties of meat in crosses with meat breeds and with dairy breeds, on the other hand, male mestizos are obtained that can be sold at a higher price than pure ones as it promises to have a greater made flesh by them.

After having talked about the morphological characteristics and adaptability of this breed to the environment, we can also say that the Limousine breed of cattle is a pasture exploiter par excellence. In fact, the farming systems used are the same as those used for breeding Charolais cows.

These systems are mainly based on the use of pasture, among which the most common are:

The wild system: an extensive farming system, completely based on grazing even in winter. This form of farming is typical of marginal areas, characterized by mild winters with rainfall regimes and climatic trends that guarantee the availability of grazing throughout the year. Limousine breeding can also be of the transhumant type. Exceptionally, in years in which the climate is less favorable and there is a reduced availability of pasture, it is possible to intervene with the administration of forage or concentrates in addition.

The semi-wild system: with this system the cattle are raised on pasture only for part of the year, during the period from spring to autumn, in winter they are instead transferred to special very simple shelters where they are fed and controlled from the point of reproductive view throughout the cold period. Those who adopt this breeding system make sure that the parts coincide with the confinement period.