The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Hardy breed the change
First reared in the Pyrenees, Gascons are suited to Scotland
When Willie Hendry went to Thainstone livestock market to research the price of calves, he had little idea he would be coming home with a thought about how to revolutionise his beef business.
Rearing 120 store cattle on grassland on his 80 ha farm in Longmorn, Elgin, Willie was struggling to make a profit, and he knew he would have to make some changes to his farm.
“We always bought heifers, and when one came through in calf I didn’t have a clue what to sell it for, so I went to the market to gauge prices,” he said.
“That’s where I first saw the Gascon cattle.
“It was a heifer which was small and had obviously been bulled a bit early, but the calf was tremendous – it caught my attention.”
After searching for the breed on Google when he got home, he contacted the secretary of the Gascon Cattle Society who told him a farmer in the society was retiring and wanted to sell his herd.
“From going to sell a cow in calf I ended up with seven cows and followers and two young heifers,” Willie said.
His purchasing didn’t stop there though. After being introduced to the retired farmer’s neighbour, who also farmed the breed, he bought some bullocks to test how well they would fatten on his farm.
“The experiment of taking the bullock showed me how versatile they were,” he said.
“They had come from 4,000 acres of hill land, and their response to grass was tremendous.
“They have a very impressive feed conversion ratio, making them very economical to feed.
“We were previously buying in seven tonnes of feed barley every two or three weeks to feed the cattle.
“With the Gascons that amount has halved. We’re feeding bullocks on silage with around 2kg of barley per day, and they’re in wonderful condition.”
But it’s not just the feed conversion ratio that appealed to Willie.
First reared in the French Pyrenees, making them adaptable to tough climates like those in Scotland, there are around 40,000 Gascon cattle are by 200 Groupe Gascon members across France, where farmers favour the breed for their ability to cope in harsh hill systems and their easy-calving ability.
According to figures from the French Gascon breeders society, caesarean rates for the breed are 1%, while veterinary costs are the lowest level for any breed of cattle – traits that suit Willie’s business perfectively.
“We moved from an extensive to a more intensive system, because we found the cattle were capable of reaching their finishing weight between 20 and 24 months,” he said.