The Fullblood Limousin

Back when I started raising beef I was torn between two breeds. I had mixed breed cattle but I knew longterm I wanted to raise registered breeding stock - which meant I had to pick what breed to work with. My family had raised purebred Charolais for a while and the two cows I had started my herd with were both Charolais cross originating from that herd. The other breed that peaked my interest at the time was the Limousin. Within the original Charolais herd there were also four Limousin cows. I fondly remember naming the largest of those four females “Baylene” after the Brachiosaurus in the Disney movie “Dinosaurs”.

Both these French breeds are large and heavily muscled. However - as much I loved the nostalgia Charolais would bring me from my time growing up with them - I do remember one thing I disliked about them, calving difficulties. I remember pulling calves very often. I decided to dive deeper into my research on the two breeds and found that the Charolais were “heavy boned” while Limousin were “fine boned” and this meant that if I brought one animal of each breed with the exact same weight to the butcher - I would get more meat back from the Limousin yet still have to pay the butcher the same amount for the Charolais.

However the difference doesn’t end at heavy vs fine boned - there’s also the muscling genes. Many may have heard of the term double muscle but may not know what this means. Basically a double muscle animal carries a Myostatin inhibitor gene. Myostatin controls the size of your muscles - when they are big enough it tells them to stop growing. However with one or two copies of the inhibitor which, well, inhibits Myostatin from performing properly muscles are able to grow much larger than they would without the gene. There are a few different versions of this gene but the difference here is that one is far less dangerous to the cattle than the other ones and that is the Myostatin gene F94L. This is a gene homozygously (2 copies) carried by the majority (94% +) of all Full blood (French pure) Limousin. There are two other major Myostatin genes of importance in cattle; nt821 and Q204X.. these are predominately found in other double muscles breeds such as the Charolais. Unlike the F94L gene found in Limousin, these other two genes found in Charolais is proven to cause increased issues with calving and fertility as calves in utero develop more muscle and resulting in larger calves and harder births.. which explains all the pulling we had to do. The Limousin gene only starts to start taking affect when the calf is already born, bypassing any calving issues a heavier muscled calf could cause. The secondary and third bonus the F94L gene has is that it is also proven to increase meat tenderness by up to 11% as well as increase feed efficiency - no other Myostatin gene can compare! This is why it has been given the nickname “money gene” as it both increase the value and volume of meat to sell while also decreasing feed costs per animal which results inn increased profit margins. In the end it just made sense to me which breed to pick.

The Fullblood Limousin really is a breed like no other. A breed that could who’s ancestors could have been inhabiting these regions around ancient France for much longer than the herd book’s existence. In the Lascaux Caves near Montignac, France - ancient cave paintings dated to 20,000 years ago depict a strikingly familiar golden-red bovine showing that cattle have been roaming these lands for a long time.

The Limousin was a breed that evolved in one of the harshest and least fertile regions of France. The resources in this region were more scarce and so they opted not to waste those resource to build barns for the cattle, leaving them out in the elements to fend for themselves. On top of this, the low fertility of the land meant the forages growing were lower in nutritional value. This left the Limousin in a situation where only the hardiest prospered. They developed a fine-bone frame that required less minerals to grow and sustain. They evolved a mutation - which we now know to be the F94L gene - which allowed the breed to be very feed efficient, an advantage in their native nutrient poor soils while simultaneously increasing lean and tender meat mass for farmers to harvest. This is how they became known as the carcass king of the bovine world.

Back when I started raising beef, I was torn between two breeds. I had mixed-breed cattle, but I knew that long-term, I wanted to raise registered breeding stock. This meant I had to decide which breed to focus on. My family had raised purebred Charolais for a while, and the two cows I started my herd with were Charolais crosses from that line. The other breed that caught my interest at the time was the Limousin. Within the original Charolais herd, there were also four Limousin cows. I fondly remember naming the largest of those four females “Baylene,” after the Brachiosaurus in the Disney movie Dinosaur.

Both these French breeds are large and heavily muscled. However, as much as I loved the nostalgia that Charolais brought me from growing up with them and the adorable little snow-white calves, there was one thing I distinctly disliked about them: calving difficulties. I remember pulling calves far too often. This prompted me to dive deeper into researching the two breeds. I learned that Charolais cattle are “heavy-boned,” while Limousin are “fine-boned.” This fine bone-quality aids in the dressing percentage. Limousins can yield 46% edible meat from live weight where as a Charolais only come in around 40% at best. This means that if I brought one animal of each breed, with the exact same weight, to the butcher, I would get 6% more meat back from the Limousin but would still have to pay the exact same processing cost for the Charolais. This is what has earned the breed the title “the carcass king” of the bovine world.

However, the differences between these breeds don’t end with bone structure; their muscling genes also set them apart. Many people have heard the term “double muscling” but may not understand what it means. Essentially, a double-muscled animal carries a Myostatin inhibitor gene. Myostatin is responsible for controlling muscle growth—once muscles reach a certain size, it tells them to stop growing. However, with one or two copies of the Myostatin inhibitor gene, muscle growth continues beyond the normal limit, resulting in significantly larger muscles and therefore more meat per animal.

Both the Charolais and the Limousin are known carriers of these genes. However, there are different versions of this gene and not all are created equal. The Myostatin gene known as F94L - which is unique to the Limousin breed - is a standout because it is far less risky to cattle than the others. This gene, homozygously carried by more than 96% of Fullblood (French pure) Limousin cattle, is linked to increased muscle growth without causing calving difficulties. In contrast, other Myostatin genes, such as nt821 and Q204X, are predominant in breeds like the Charolais. These genes increase muscle mass in utero, leading to larger calves and harder births, which explains the frequent need for calf pulling in our original Charolais herd. The F94L gene works differently. It begins to take effect after the calf is already born, bypassing the calving issues typically associated with heavily muscled breeds. Additionally, research, including a study from Australia, has shown that this gene can improve meat tenderness by up to 11% and significantly increase feed efficiency (up to 10% less feed per day while maintaining same growth rate as other beef breeds). No other Myostatin gene offers this combination of benefits. This is why it’s often called the "money gene"—it not only boosts the value and volume of meat a farmer can sell but also reduces feed costs per animal, resulting in higher profit margins. After learning this, it became clear to me which breed I would choose to work with.

The Limousin is a breed that evolved in one of the harshest and least fertile regions of France. Resources were scarce, and farmers often didn’t waste them building barns for their cattle, instead leaving them to fend for themselves in the elements. The cows naturally have strong mothering abilities despite being most commonly known for their meat and carcass qualities, likely due to the harsh environment the breed developed in. Their resilience is also seen in their longevity, showing the well rounded structure and disease resistance that is ingrained in their lineage. The poor fertility of the land they reign from also meant that forages were lower in nutritional value. Only the hardiest animals could thrive under these conditions, which shaped the Limousin into the highly adaptable breed it is today. The Limousin’s fine-boned frame requires fewer minerals to grow and sustain, and their F94L mutation gives them an edge in feed efficiency, allowing them to produce more lean and tender meat from less input.

Historically, Limousins were considered a more excitable or flighty breed. However, this perception has shifted significantly in recent years. Unlike many breeds, the Limousin breed association enforces strict temperament recording as part of registration requirements, ensuring calmer and more manageable animals are selected for breeding. In contrast, the surge in Angus popularity has resulted in less rigorous temperament selection, allowing some less docile animals to remain in the gene pool. As a result, Limousins today are widely regarded as having excellent temperaments, often surpassing Angus in terms of docility and ease of handling.

The Fullblood Limousin truly is a breed like no other. While the official herd book of the Limousin was established in 1886, their ancestors likely roamed the region of ancient France long before its existence. In the Lascaux Caves near Montignac, France, ancient paintings dated to around 20,000 years ago depict golden-red bovines that bear a striking resemblance to modern Limousin. These images remind us of how long bovines have been a part of France’s history and suggest the lineage of the cattle stretches back millennia. This kind of adaptability and resilience has become deeply ingrained in the core of todays Fullblood Limousins.

This hardiness and efficiency has made the Limousin cattle For me, the decision to focus on Limousin was an easy one—they combined the traits I needed for both profitability and ease of management.

Back when I started raising beef, I was torn between two breeds. I had mixed-breed cattle, but I knew that long-term, I wanted to raise registered breeding stock. This meant I had to decide which breed to focus on. My family had raised purebred Charolais for a while, and the two cows I started my herd with were Charolais crosses from that line. The other breed that caught my interest at the time was the Limousin. Within the original Charolais herd, there were also four Limousin cows. I fondly remember naming the largest of those four females “Baylene,” after the Brachiosaurus in the Disney movie Dinosaur.

Both these French breeds are large and heavily muscled. However, as much as I loved the nostalgia that Charolais brought me from growing up with them—and their adorable snow-white calves—there was one thing I distinctly disliked about them: calving difficulties. I remember pulling calves far too often. This prompted me to dive deeper into researching the two breeds. I learned that Charolais cattle are “heavy-boned,” while Limousins are “fine-boned.” This fine bone structure aids in the dressing percentage, or the proportion of usable meat from the carcass. Limousins can yield around 46% retail meat from live weight, whereas Charolais typically come in at 40% (breeds such as Angus come in around 36-38% and dairy cross even less). This means that if I brought one animal of each breed, with the exact same weight, to the butcher, I would get 6% more meat back from the Limousin, while paying the exact same processing cost for both. This is one reason why Limousins are often referred to as the “carcass king” of the bovine world.

However, the differences between these breeds don’t end with bone structure; their muscling genes also set them apart. Many people have heard the term “double muscling” but may not fully understand it. Essentially, a double-muscled animal carries a Myostatin inhibitor gene. Myostatin is responsible for controlling muscle growth—once muscles reach a certain size, it tells them to stop growing. However, with one or two copies of the Myostatin inhibitor gene, muscle growth continues beyond the normal limit, resulting in significantly larger muscles and therefore more meat per animal.

Both the Charolais and the Limousin are known carriers of Myostatin genes. However, not all Myostatin genes are created equal. The Myostatin gene known as F94L, which is unique to the Limousin breed, is a standout because it is far less risky to cattle than other versions. This gene, homozygously carried by more than 96% of Fullblood (French pure) Limousin cattle, promotes increased muscle growth without causing calving difficulties. In contrast, other Myostatin genes, such as nt821 and Q204X (commonly found in Charolais), increase muscle mass in utero, leading to larger calves and more difficult births—something I experienced firsthand in our Charolais herd. The F94L gene works differently. It begins to take effect after birth, bypassing the calving issues typically associated with heavily muscled breeds. Additionally, research—including studies from Australia—has shown that this gene can improve meat tenderness by up to 11% and increase feed efficiency, with Limousins requiring up to 10% less feed to achieve the same growth as other beef breeds. No other Myostatin gene offers this combination of benefits. This is why it’s often called the "money gene"—it boosts the value and volume of meat while reducing feed costs per animal, resulting in higher profit margins. After learning this, it became clear which breed I would choose to work with. For me, the decision to focus on Limousins was an easy one—they combined the traits I needed for both profitability and ease of management.

The Limousin is a breed that evolved in one of the harshest and least fertile regions of France. Resources were scarce, and farmers often didn’t waste them building barns for their cattle, instead leaving them to fend for themselves in the elements. This rugged environment shaped Limousins into a highly adaptable breed with exceptional hardiness, strong mothering abilities, and disease resistance. The poor fertility of their native land also meant forages were lower in nutritional value. Only the hardiest animals could thrive under these conditions, and this resilience is still seen in the Limousin’s longevity and efficiency today. Their fine-boned frame requires fewer minerals to sustain, and their F94L mutation gives them an edge in feed efficiency, allowing them to produce more lean and tender meat from less input.

Historically, Limousins were considered a more excitable or flighty breed. However, this perception has shifted significantly in recent years. Unlike many breeds, the Limousin breed association enforces temperament recording as part of registration requirements, ensuring calmer and more manageable animals are selected for breeding. In contrast, the surge in Angus popularity has resulted in less rigorous temperament selection, allowing some less docile animals to remain in the gene pool. As a result, Limousins today are widely regarded as having excellent temperaments, often surpassing Angus in terms of docility and ease of handling.

The Fullblood Limousin truly is a breed like no other. While the official herd book of the Limousin was established in 1886, their ancestors likely roamed the region of ancient France long before its existence. In the Lascaux Caves near Montignac, France, ancient paintings dated to around 20,000 years ago depict golden-red bovines that bear a striking resemblance to modern day Limousins. These images remind us of how long bovines have been a part of France’s history and presence in this region stretches back millennia. Time tested, this kind of adaptability and resilience has become deeply ingrained in the core of today’s Fullblood Limousins.