The foundation of our herd goes back to the registered Hereford my grandfather raised and several registered breeds our families have raised. In the 1970’s we traveled to Canada, where we purchased and brought home a newly imported breed of cattle from France called Salers (Sa’lair).

As one of the last European breeds to be imported into North America, the Salers breed has made tremendous strides in growth and is now an influential part of the American cattle industry.

The historical journey for the Salers breed was first recorded by archaeologists as depicted from ancient drawings in cave dwellings dated some 7,000 years ago. The drawings were found near Salers, a small medieval town in the center of France. The breed is considered to be one of the oldest and most genetically pure of all European breeds. This fact produces a marked positive effect on the predictability of Salers in crossbreeding programs.

Salers cattle are now known to be native to the Auvergne region of south central France. This isolated, mountainous area noted for its rough, rocky terrain and harsh, damp climate is characterized by poor soil and a wide range of temperatures throughout the summer and long winter. The Salers cattle were forced to become foragers with bred-in range-ability.

Until modern times, Salers cattle were respected not only as beef animals, but as milk producers for cheese products and were also utilized as strong sources of animal power.

Salers cattle are typically horned and dark mahogany red in color. However, a growing number of polled and black Salers are available. With more than a decade of solid growth behind it, the Salers breed continues to make lasting contributions to modern commercial cattle production. Documented proof of the breed’s attributes of calving ease, maternal efficiency and carcass merit, gives this breed a future as the “balanced breed” to meet the need of the beef industry.