?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Adding+Value+to+Organic+Milk+Production+Systems%3A+opportunities+for+marketing+meat+and+milk+from+dual+purpose+breeds&rft.creator=van+Diepen%2C+Pauline&rft.subject=+Dairy+cattle&rft.subject=+Breeding+and+genetics&rft.subject=+Beef+cattle&rft.subject=+Farm+economics&rft.description=There+is+growing+demand+for+and+supply+of+organic+milk.+This+results+in+more+organic+steers+being+produced.+Many+organic+steer+calves+are+sold+to+non-organic+producers+or+are+destroyed+at+birth.+This+is+a+serious+issue+for+the+organic+dairy+sector.%0D%0AThis+report+also+provides+an+overview+of+the+current+situation+of+the+meat+from+the+organic+dairy+sector%2C+identifies+opportunities+for+improving+the+marketing+of+organic+dairy+steer+calves+and+provides+a+special+focus+on+the+use+of+dual-purpose+breeds.%0D%0ADual-purpose+breeds+were+more+often+used+in+the+past.+Some+organic+dairy+producers+have+returned+to+using+dual-purpose+breeds+such+as+the+MRI+(Maas+Rijn+Ijssel)+and+the+Shorthorn.%0D%0AStakeholder+interviews+showed+that+the+high+milk+price+makes+the+dairy+farmers+focus+merely+on+milk+production+and+not+on+finishing+the+steer+calves.+Rearing+calves+for+12+weeks+on+organic+milk%2C+lacking+infrastructure%2F+buildings+and+shortage+of+land+seem+to+be+the+main+barriers+for+organic+dairy+producers+to+finishing+organic+dairy+steer+calves.%0D%0AThe+Red+Meat+Industry+Forum+has+stressed+the+opportunities+for+finishing+organic+dairy+steer+calves+as+organic+beef+demand+continues+to+outstrip+supply.+Case+studies+show+that+by+using+dual+purpose+breeds+in+an+organic+dairy+farming+system+there+is+a+small+reduction+of+the+litres+milk+produced+but+also+a+reduction+of+the+total+costs+(by+reducing+the+replacement+costs).+It+is+shown+that+the+Profitability+of+an+organic+dairy+system+using+dual-purpose+breeds+can+be+similar+or+slightly+higher.+In+addition%2C+the+profitability+of+finishing+dual-purpose+steer+calves+seems+to+be+interesting.%0D%0ARecommendations%0D%0A1.+There+is+more+research+needed+about+the+economics+of+finishing+dual-purpose%0D%0Asteer+calves.%0D%0A2.+Information+about+systems+using+dual-purpose+breeds+should+be+widely+spread.%0D%0A3.+Finishing+organic+dairy+steer+calves+should+not+be+seen+as+a+temporary+solution+to%0D%0Aproducing%2F+finishing+organic+beef.+There+is+a+need+to+develop+a+permanent%0D%0Asolution%2Fmarket%0D%0A4.+Awareness+needs+to+be+raised+amongst+organic+dairy+producers+about%0D%0Aopportunities+of+finishing+of+organic+dairy+animals%2C+as+there+is+little+knowledge%0D%0Aamongst+the+organic+dairy+producers+interviewed+about+the+market+and+price+for%0D%0Aorganic+meat+from+the+organic+dairy+sector.&rft.date=2007-06&rft.type=Report&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F11074%2F1%2Fdual_purpose_cattle_breeds.pdf&rft.identifier=van+Diepen%2C+Pauline+(2007)+Adding+Value+to+Organic+Milk+Production+Systems%3A+opportunities+for+marketing+meat+and+milk+from+dual+purpose+breeds.&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F11074%2F