Charolais Bulls - Interview with Remi Bidegaray on Quality Charolais Genetics
Tue 27 Mar, 2012
“DeBruycker bulls have proven to my family that you can have a calving ease bull that will ALSO produce calves that perform extremely well on pasture, backgrounding, and feedlot situations.”
Interview with Remi Bidegaray, Commercial Cattle Producer in Brockton, Montana
Have you used other Charolais bulls? Yes – the other breeders bulls we have tried did not perform as well nor did they calve as well. I tried some heifer bulls from another breeder and had calving problems with those bulls. Since I went to DeBruycker Charolais bulls I have had no calving difficulties.
What do you attribute to DeBruycker Charolais’s calving ease as opposed to other breeders you’ve tried? They have good birth weights and their cattle are shaped right. DeBruyckers know their cattle and their Charolais bulls. A big difference in their calving ability versus other breeders is they listen - if you communicate with them they understand what you need for your herd. DeBruycker bulls have proven to my family that you can have a calving ease bull that will ALSO produce calves that perform extremely well on pasture, backgrounding, and feedlot situations. Calving at our place goes really well due the fact that our calves have good vigor and are up and running in no time at all. Our average cow weighs less than 1300 pounds.
Do you use Charolais bulls on your virgin heifers? Yes, we have used DeBruycker bulls on our virgin heifers and it worked well when we did; so well that this spring we are going to AI 175 heifers to their bull BHD Zen X270.
What is your typical calf shipping weight? In 2010, we started calving on February 28th. On March 10 of 2011, we shipped these calves and the steers weighed 850 pounds. These calves were grown out on a low energy ration, averaged less than a year of age and were born weighing around 85-90 pounds. That is an incredible growth rate that only DeBruycker Charolais can provide.
How has your calf backgrounding changed since you began using DeBruycker Charolais bulls? We have backgrounded our own calves for 20 years and we have seen our best performance with DeBruycker Charolais bulls. The feed efficiency and weight gain with DeBruycker Charolais cattle is incredible. And this added performance is really what puts money in my pocket.
What else do you like about offspring from DeBruycker Charolais bulls? I like the way the calves’ weight is evenly distributed from one end to the other. They carry the weight well and don’t have big, soggy bellies like you see in other breeders’ cattle. These DeBruycker Charolais-sired calves are thick, stout, and straight across the back. I really love the uniformity in my calf crop since I began crossbreeding with DeBruycker Charolais bulls.
Why do you feel DeBruycker Bulls work better than other bulls you’ve tried? The difference is that the DeBruycker family has a thorough knowledge of cattle and they listen to your needs. My family has been ranching for generations and we know what will work on our herd. It’s very nice to be able to pick up the phone and contact Brett (or anyone in the DeBruycker family) and convey to them what I need. Since they have such a thorough knowledge and understanding of cattle in general and of their genetics, they help me find what is best suited to reach my goals. I express to them what I need for my herd and they understand me.
Anything you’d like to add about the DeBruycker family? I trust what DeBruyckers say - The DeBruycker name is trustworthy and they stand behind their product; they are very dependable and what they claim will happen, happens. The personal relationship and friendship that we have developed through the years is really an added bonus and it shows that DeBruyckers care about their customers. It’s amazing to me how well known Lloyd and the DeBruycker family are. It’s neat how people recognize the name and align that with Quality, Trust and Dependability.
About Remi Bidegaray...
Remi is a generational rancher from Brockton, Montana. He and his brother, Claude, and father raise commercial cattle - F1 cross bred to proven DeBruycker genetics for the past 7/8 years. The Bidegarays are a hard working and highly respected family raising quality cattle on their family ranch. If you’d like to contact Remi to learn more about their commercial cattle operation or more about their high quality commercial calves, please contact him at bidbros@gmail.com.