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Limousin cattle

Place of Origin	France
Origin	The history of Limousin cattle begins in the period known as the Pleistocene (2.6 million to 12,000 years ago), when many megafauna roamed the Earth. One of the megafuana that survived until the 17th century was the aurochs, the distant ancestor of modern cattle. Cave paintings estimated to be 17,300 years old of many figures, including aurochs, were discovered in 1940 in Lascaux in the Dordogne region of south-western France. Because of their appearance, the aurochs depicted in the paintings were popularly, but incorrectly, believed to have been the immediate ancestors of Limousins. Three subspecies of aurochs are formally recognised, with the Eurasian subspecies reaching Europe about 250,000 years ago, where it survived until the 17th century. Eurasian aurochs were also domesticated into cattle breeds of European form (Bos taurus, also known as Bos primigenius taurus) commencing about 8,000 years ago in a region known as the Fertile Crescent in the Near East. These cattle began to enter Europe during and after the Neolithic expansion. Recent studies of the DNA of European cattle and fragments of Eurasian aurochs, in particular female mitochondrial DNA and male Y chromosomes, indicate that the link between modern Limousins and their presumed Eurasian aurochs ancestors is more complex than originally thought. While many European cattle breeds probably evolved from domesticated Near East ancestors, their genetics were heavily influenced by different herd management approaches across Europe. Analysis of central European cattle, including Limousins, indicates that the origin of male and female DNA can be traced directly to cattle domesticated in the Near East. This is in contrast to the DNA of northern European cattle, which suggests that wild Eurasian aurochs were at one time mated to domesticated cows, and of southern European cattle, which indicates that wild Eurasian aurochs cows were mated to domesticated bulls. DNA studies have identified close genetic relationships between Limousin cattle and other south-west European breeds. One study reported a possible common origin or recent gene flow between the Limousin and Charolais cattle breeds. whereas other studies indicated that a closer genetic relationship exists between Limousin, Gasconne, Aubrac, Bazadais, Salers, and Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle. One historian reported that the Limousin breed's origins can be traced to the blonde Garonne breed in the 5th century AD. The Garonne breed from the south-west of France was merged into the Blonde d'Aquitaine breed in 1962. The grey Gasconne breed with which Limousin cattle have a close genetic relationship is also reported to have arrived in the south-west of France with the Visigoths also around the 5th century AD. Limousin cattle are identified as members of an "intensively selected" "blond and red" branch of hardy, heavily muscled and fine-boned working cattle found in south-west Europe. The branch, which is one of several that have influenced cattle breeding in France, comprises a number of Spanish, Portuguese, and French cattle breeds, which possibly evolved from those introduced during a past occupation of Iberia. No scientific studies have been published that identify the origins of, or demonstrate a possible common ancestral link between, all "blond and red" family members. Limousin cattle evolved in the French region now known as Limousin. The region comprises the historical French provinces of Limousin and Marche, which include the departments of Corrèze in its entirety, most of Creuse, and parts of Haute-Vienne. Limousin cattle adapted to the local hilly conditions of acidic soils and weakly mineralised granite, with large variations in temperature. These factors led to the development of a hardy breed with an unusually thin but solid bone. The situation at the beginning of the 19th century: The first written evidence of the existence of Limousin cattle dates from the late 18th century. At the time, Limousins were well known for their qualities as draft animals. A market had developed for Limousin beef in large French cities, notably under the impetus of Turgot, then intendant of the Limousin region. In 1770, the lieutenant general of police of Paris, Antoine de Sartine, sent a note to see if he could "count on Limousin after Easter" to supply Paris. The animals involved in this trade were cull animals that were fattened at the age of 8 to 10 years before being shipped by road to Paris or Bordeaux, a trip of 12 to 14 days. In 1791, Jacques-Joseph Saint-Martin, an agronomist from Limoges, acknowledged the importance of Limousin cattle in the markets of cities such as Paris, Lyon and Toulouse. Limousin cattle actually came from the departments of Charente, Dordogne, Haute-Vienne, Vienne, Lot, Corrèze and Creuse. The market for Limousin cattle declined slightly in the early 19th century, but livestock still remained a major activity in the region. There was a large variation in the agricultural systems operating in the Limousin region, defined by three types of district. These were productive, grain-producing areas, called "d'engrais", undeveloped, marginal, predominantly forested land called "forestiers", and developing land called "d'élèves". Cattle, in particular cows, were used extensively for all types of agricultural work. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Limousin region was characterised by the mediocrity of its animals. Texier-Olivier Louis, prefect of the Haute-Vienne, observed that Limousin cattle weighed 300 to 350 kg and measured 1.5 meters at the withers. The defect was considered to be attributable to poor genetics, nutrition and breeding practices. In competitions, Limousin cattle were among the worst performers. The breed was considered to be a working breed, but poorly shaped and with poor milk. Early development of the breed: In order to improve the breed, some Limousin breeders tried to cross their animals with Agenais, Norman or Charolais cattle, which were better shaped. The Limousin breed was also not immune to the wave of Anglomania affecting France in the middle of the 19th century. Some wealthy farmers maintained Durham cattle, which were prized by the elite of the time. However, this practice was criticised by the agricultural society of Limoges. The society encouraged farmers to continue selecting animals that were most consistent with the characteristics of the Limousin breed, which was perfectly adapted to the region's environment, rather than trying to adapt other breeds. Furthermore, the vast majority of Limousin breeders could not afford to raise livestock in addition to their working animals, as was the case on larger properties that practiced crossing with Durham cattle. Finally, the marginalisation of English animals in competitions from the late 1860s reinforced the case to improve the breed by itself. The French Limousin Herd Book was then created in 1886 in order to ensure the breed's purity and improvement by recording only those animals that satisfied a strictly enforced breed standard. At the beginning of the 19th century, a bonus was introduced to reward farmers who retained their best bulls, even though they were not productive. The increase in weight of the animals began with improved grassland. The second half of the 19th century saw the arrival of fertilizers and improved pastures such as clover and ryegrass, which not only improved the productivity of existing fields but also transformed the moorland pasture. Vineyards affected by phylloxera were also being returned to pasture. The results were not immediate. In 1862, cattle sold at La Souterraine weighed about 600 kg. The decline of Anglomania in favour of economic pragmatism, and the criticism and fall of the aristocracy aided the development of Limousin cattle. The Limousin breed became renowned for the quality of its meat and the exceptional performance of its carcase, and was voted best European breed in 1857, 1858 and 1859 during the food animal competitions held in Poissy. The crowning moment was the honour received by the bull Achilles Caillaud to open the competition in Paris for all breeds in 1886 (the year the Limousin Herd Book was created), and the grand champion prize of all breeds won three years later by Charles Léobardy for his team. Brief decline before the current rise in popularity: The First World War slowed down the growth of the Limousin breed, which carried through the inter-war years despite a reorganisation of the Herd Book in 1923. Herd Book registrations grew slowly, from 600,000 animals in 1890 to 800,000 in 1940. The Limousin breed almost disappeared when the French government planned to combine it with the Garonne, Quercy and Blonde des Pyrenees breeds, during the formation of the Blonde Aquitaine breed in 1962. All of these cattle belonged to the "blond and red" branch of cattle. Limousin breeders fiercely opposed the merger and the Limousin breed was retained. The Limousin breed resumed its growth in the 1960s. The size of the French Limousin herd has increased sharply in recent years, with a 50% increase in numbers in France in 15 years. Today it is the second largest French beef breed, behind Charolais and ahead of Blonde d'Aquitaine. In 2004, of about 900,000 Limousin cows, 63,000 were recorded in the Herd Book. At that time, 20,000 bulls were used for breeding, 10% through artificial insemination, and 1,600 were recorded in the Herd Book.
Purpose	Meat, crossbreeding and formally draught (work)
Appearance	Limousin cattle are a breed of highly muscled beef cattle and light wheat to darker golden-red colouring. Black Limousins also bred.
Horns	They are naturally horned although international breeders have now bred polled (do not have horns).
Cows Average Weight	600 - 700 kg (1323 - 1543 lbs)
Bulls Average Weight	1,000 – 1,100kg (2,205 - 2,425 lbs.)
Other Considerations	Limousins have become popular because of their low birth weights (ease of calving), higher than average dressing percentage (ratio of carcase to live weight) and yield (ratio of meat to carcase), high feed conversion efficiency, and their ability to produce lean, tender meat. A major multi-breed study reported that Limousins converted feed into saleable meat more efficiently and significantly faster than popular British breeds, and marginally faster than other popular continental European cattle breeds. Conversely, the other cattle breeds produced proportionally more low-cost by-product and waste, which resulted in their live weight growth being faster than Limousins. Limousins are especially favoured for crossbreeding with cattle such as Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn because of their ability to contribute hybrid vigour, and improve the yield and feed conversion efficiency of these British breeds, which produce higher levels of fat and marbled meat.