Aubrac beef
The Aubrac cattle is a robust breed of cattle that is more than 150 years old and arose from the crossbreeding of Braunvieh and Maraichine cattle. The name comes from the plateau of the Aubrac in the southeast of the Auvergne .
history
The Maraichine cattle, which is threatened with extinction, can be found in the lowlands south of the Loire . The Brown Swiss, on the other hand, are native to the Alps . Over 30 years ago, the French state discovered the Aubrac cattle in the Auvergne in the Massif Central and quickly became aware of the value of this breed. Due to the strong state funding, around 10,000 cows were quickly entered in the herd book. Today there are around 30,000 cows registered in the French herd book, the entire French herd amounts to around 100,000 cows. In Germany there are around 2,500 cows, 500 of which are registered in the herdbook.
Due to the selection under extensive husbandry conditions, which has been carried out for many years , a robust breed was formed, which is characterized by high resistance, frugality, calving ease and longevity. Thus, this breed is particularly suitable for suckler cow husbandry. In France, up to 60% of cows are covered by Charolais bulls, as the cows are particularly suitable for crossbreeding with heavy beef cattle breeds .
features
anatomy
Medium-sized beef with very good legs and firm, black claws . The head is elongated and has a wide muzzle . The horns are curved and have a black tip. There are pronounced muscles in the back and in the leg. The tail is relatively high and the pelvic opening is large. Females are more pointed in the bow.
| Cows | cops | |
| Withers | 130 cm | 138 cm |
| Weight | 550-750 kg | 850-1100 kg |
| Give weight | approx. 35 kg | approx. 38 kg |
| 120-day weight | 140 kg | 154 kg |
| 210-day weight | 228 kg | 252 kg |
| 360-day weight | 395 kg | 455 kg |
| 540 day weight | 566 kg | 650 kg |
colour
The coat is monochrome pale yellow to wheat gray. Male animals are usually darker, sometimes even black, in the neck, bow / front and lower leg area. The rings around the mouth and eyes are white with a fine black border. The mucous membranes as well as the horn tips and tail tassels are black.
Coat
The coat is thick and short. At lower temperatures, the fur apparently becomes longer and sometimes frizzy.
milk
The Aubrac cattle give little, but rather high-fat milk. This is mainly used to make Laguiole cheese . The dairy farmers operate remote pasture farming in summer on the Aubrac high plateau . They live secluded next to the animals in herdsmen's huts , the so-called burons, and call themselves buronniers . The accommodations are stone houses made of basalt , half of which are dug into the earth. This placement of the buildings enables a relatively constant cooling of the raw milk, which is processed and stored here to make the soft cheese Tome fraîche et fourme de Laguiole .
Movie
- 360 ° geo report. Aubrac: cows, cheese, guys! (Alternative title: 360 ° Géo. Aubrac, des bergers et des moines. ) Documentary, Germany, 2013, 52:27 min., Script and director: Maja Dielhenn, production: MedienKontor, arte , Geo , series: 360 ° - Geo Reportage , Episode 375, first broadcast: November 30, 2013 at arte, table of contents with film excerpt from Geo ; u. a. with the master chef Michel Bras .
Web links
- Race Aubrac. (French, German, English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ La maison du buronnier. In: auvergne-centrefrance.com , accessed on September 16, 2016.
- ↑ Maja Dielhenn: Aubrac - cows, cheese, guys! In: Geo , November 2013.