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Beef Cattle Breeds

Charolais Cattle: The Big White Breed From Central France

A large, white, heavily muscled French breed that spread to Mexico, the United States and beyond.

Where Do Charolais Cattle Come From?

Charolais cattle were developed around Charolles in central France. The American-International Charolais Association history says historical evidence of the white cattle goes back as early as 878 A.D., and that the breed was prized for meat in the Lyon and Villefranche markets in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The page also describes the type as being of Jurassic origin, a claim this profile cannot verify. The documented story starts with named breeders.

French Breeders and the Herd Books

The association names Claude Mathieu, who moved his Charolais herd to the Nevers (Nivernais) province, giving 1773. It then names Count Charles de Bouille, who started an influential herd in 1840. His herd book was established in 1864 at Villars near Magny-Cours.

In 1882 breeders in the Charolles area set up their own herd book, and in 1919 the two herd books merged, with records kept at Nevers. One date in the association's text conflicts with the Revolution, so treat the Mathieu date as approximate.

Jean Pugibet and the Mexican Herd

The association says Jean Pugibet, a Mexican industrialist of French ancestry, brought French Charolais to his Mexican ranch soon after World War I, after seeing the cattle in France during the war.

The page does not give his herd size or finances, so this profile leaves them out. What it does show is that the breed's first foothold in North America was a private importation to Mexico.

How Did Charolais Reach the United States?

The first Charolais entered the United States from Mexico in 1934, according to the association. In the mid-1940s a hoof and mouth disease outbreak in Mexico led to a treaty among the United States, Canada and Mexico that set up a permanent quarantine against European cattle.

The quarantine meant that direct imports from Europe were shut off, a fact that matters for the history of every continental breed in North America. Other sources, including the cattle.com breed article, give more on the breed's characteristics.

Associations and Breeding Up

In the late 1940s and early 1950s the American Charbray Breeders Association and the American Charolais Breeders Association formed. In 1957 the American and International Charolais Associations merged into the American-International Charolais Association (AICA). The Pan-American Charolais Association merged into it in 1964, and the American Charbray Breeders Association in 1967.

A five-generation breeding-up program produced animals that were 31/32 Charolais, which the association says carry about 3 percent of the foundation breed's genetic material. Polled Charolais emerged from the same program by using other breeds that carry the polled gene.

What Made It Work

The Charolais spread because ranchers wanted growth and muscling, and because breeders worked out ways to build up purebred numbers despite a closed border.

The record has gaps, and the association page does not discuss drawbacks such as calving difficulty, so those are not covered here.

  • The breed is known for white color, large size, muscling and growth.
  • Feedlot gains and carcass cut-out values made it popular for terminal crossing.
  • French herd books from 1864 and 1882, merged in 1919, kept the pedigrees clean.
  • A private importer, Jean Pugibet, started the North American herd.
  • Breeding up to 31/32 let American breeders create purebred-level animals from crossbreds.

Learn More

The Oklahoma State Charolais profile offers a quick overview. For more beef history, visit the ranching section of farm.FM and one farm.FM story about Charolais cattle.

Timeline

  1. 878White cattle recorded in the Charolles area, per the association
  2. 1773Claude Mathieu moves his herd to Nevers, as the association gives it
  3. 1840Count Charles de Bouille starts an influential herd
  4. 1864De Bouille's herd book established
  5. 1882Charolles-area herd book established
  6. 1919The two French herd books merge
  7. 1934First Charolais enter the United States from Mexico
  8. 1957American-International Charolais Association formed

Frequently asked questions

Where do Charolais cattle come from?

Charolais cattle come from the area around Charolles in central France, in Burgundy. The American-International Charolais Association says white cattle were recorded there as early as 878 A.D.

Who brought Charolais cattle to Mexico?

Jean Pugibet, a Mexican industrialist of French ancestry, brought French Charolais to his Mexican ranch soon after World War I, according to the American-International Charolais Association.

When did Charolais arrive in the United States?

The association says the first Charolais entered the United States from Mexico in 1934. The American-International Charolais Association was formed in 1957 by a merger of earlier groups.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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