Økologisk oksekødsproduktion baseret på tyrekalve fra ...

Abstract
This report deals with organic beef
production based on dairy bull calves and
consists partly of a literature study and
models for steer production and partly of a
study with interviews and a questionnaire
answered by organic farmers. The main
objectives of the study were to (1) quantify
how many dairy farmers sell bull calves to
fattening on other farms, in particular
conventional farms, (2) to examine reasons
for selling the bull calves, (3) to provide data
on already existing beef production and (4) to
examine how to support organic beef
production based on bull calves in the future.
Ten organic dairy farmers were interviewed in
February 1999. The questionnaire was sent in
October 1999 to all organic dairy farms in
Denmark (n=671) and 168 plant breeders
with an existing beef production or with a
potential for beef production. The interview
and the questionnaire included management
procedures, all aspects of selling young bull
calves, housing facilities, feeding strategies etc.
Farmers’ attitudes to beef production were
assessed focusing on perceived limiting
factors and ethics. Models for steer
production were developed and analyzed
including strategies with intensive and
extensive grazing.
Results showed, that 71% of the dairy
farmers either sell all bull calves to fattening
on other farms or kill the bull calves (10%).
Only a few farmers sell bull calves to organic
farms (11%). However the majority of these
farmers (59%) wished to keep the bull calves
on their own farm if feasible. The main
problems of keeping the calves in order of
decreasing importance were: lack of stall
capacity, expected poor production economy
and shortage of own foodstuffs. This
confirmed the results from the interviews.
Beef production based on their own bull
calves had been started on 29% of the dairy
farms with all or some of the bull calves. The
main reason for keeping the bull calves on the
farm was the wish for a holistic production
system. Most of the farmers that kept the bull
calves, had steer production (66%). Steers
were preferred due to high rate of utilization
of roughage, the capacity to graze marginal
areas and their calm temperament. Marginal
areas were utilized for beef production on
59% of the farms. A mean fattening period of
2.7 months with 3.6 kg cereals/day before
slaughtering was typical, based on data from
69% of the farms with steers. Steers were
slaughtered at an average liveweight of 539 kg
at a mean age of 24.6 months.
Organic beef production may be stimulated
by documentation of the economic results for
steer production. This should be done with
theoretical models and practical farm studies,
to give the farmers a realistic impression of
the economic possibilities. Models showed,
that a production with grazing on clover grass
pastures within crop rotation can give a net
return of 600 DKr/steer more than
production with grazing on marginal areas
with lower grass quality. At present,
calculations showed that organic steer
production give a higher net return than bulls
under given assumptions, and an organic steer
production can compete with an conventional
bull production. Subsidies are a great part of
the gross proceeds (28%) and the production
should be arranged in such a way, that these
subsidies and the premiums received for
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