1873 1 archive 833 disk0/00/00/18/73 2003-11-05 2009-08-20 14:21:24 2009-08-20 14:21:24 journalp show 0 en da2b03 main notyet 0 FALSE Nielsen B.K. Dr. Kristensen T. Dr. Thamsborg S.M. Professor unpub 1animalprod beef production, fattening, organic farming, production system, welfare The objective of this study was to describe organic steer production on farm level. Six Danish organic farms were part of the registration program including 3 dairy farmers and 3 crop farmers buying dairy breed bull calves from organic dairy farmers. All farmers had a steer production, some of them were recently started and some had an established steer production. The experiment endured 2 years from January 2000 to April 2002. Registrations included liveweight, feed consumption, welfare and slaughter results with special emphasis on the fattening period. Welfare registrations were based on a scheme describing the system as well as the animal during winter when stabled in the barn and during summer on pasture. Registrations were measured on the system as well on the animals. Daily gain on pasture varied from 533 to 823 g and covers grazing on ryegrass/clover pastures as well as marginal grazing areas. On most of the farms steers grazed both kind of pastures. Gains during the stable period varied from 562 to 867 g/day between the farms. Feed consumption per steer per year was 1770 SFU ± 186 based on 4 farms. Feed consumption in summer accounted 0.47 to 0.57 of total feed consumption (DM) per year. Pasture accounts for 0.22 to 0.56 and concentrates for 0.16 to 0.37 of the total dry matter (DM) consumption per year. Management strategies concerning the fattening of steers were different between the 6 farms, as liveweight (458-595 kg) and age (20-25 months) at start of fattening and at slaughter (565-667 kg and 23-28 months) and length of fattening period (2.3-3.4 months) varied. Feeding during the fattening period was based on 1.3 to 4.7 Scandinavian Feed Units (SFU) concentrates per steer per day and silage ad libitum. The total amount of cereals consumed in the fattening period was 100-357 kg/steer. Only few steers were fattened on pasture. It seemed that whole crop silage is preferred to grass silage in the fattening period. Slaughter results show a variation between farms in slaughter percentage from 49.4 to 53.8, carcass conformation from 3.5 to 4.9 and fatness from 2.5 to 3.2. Liveweight at slaughter was the only variable with general effect on carcass conformation on 5 farms (0.6 point on the EUROP-scale with increase in 100 kg liveweight at slaughter). The welfare registration scheme indicates good conditions both in the barn and on pasture, low disease rate and minor problems concerning welfare aspects in organic steer production. It is concluded that great variation between farms concerning management strategies shows the possibilities for improving the production system. Fattening strategy should focus on liveweight at slaughter. Length of fattening period as well as daily gain during the fattening period in the range practiced on the farms seemed to be of minor importance with regard to carcass conformation. 2003 published Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica. Section A. Animal Science Anonymous 2000; 2001. Gårdrapport Studielandbrug. Danish Agricultural Advisory Centre, Århus. (In Danish). Ainslie, S. J., Fox, D.G. & Perry, T.C. 1992. Management systems for Holstein steers that utilize alfalfa silage and improve carcass value. J. Anim. Sci. 70 (9), 2643-51. Andersen, H. R., Kristensen, T., Bligaard, H.B. & Thamsborg, S.M. 2002. Studeproduktion ved afgræsning af ferske enge. Report No. 40 (Husbandry). Danish Institute of Agricultural Science. Foulum, Denmark. (In Danish). Andersen, H. R., Kristensen, T., Bliggaard, H.B. & Nielsen, B. 2003. Forskellige produktionssystemer for stude på kløvergræs. Report No. 40 (Husbandry). Danish Institute of Agricultural Science. Foulum, Denmark. (In Danish). In press. Baker. 1992. Pasture fattening in the humid temperate zone. In: Jarrige, R., Beranger, C. (Eds.), Beef cattle production. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 259-270 Flynn, V. 1985. Beef production from Friesians calves. Veterinary Update : 34-36. Grenet, N., Micol, D., Haurez, Ph., Dozias, D. & Pflimlin, A.1997 Production of high quality beef extensive conditions in France. Effects of extensification on animal performance, carcass composition and product quality. Proceedings of a workshop, Belgium. 248-267. Jans, F. & Troxler, J. 1996. Ochsenmast auf ungeduengten Weiden in Hoehenlagen [Schweiz]. Agrarforschung (Switzerland) 3 (4): 169-72. (In German) Keane, M.G. & Allen, P. 2002. A comparison of Friesian-Holstein, Piemontese X Friesian-Holstein and Romagnola X Friesian-Holstein steers for beef production and carcass traits. Livest. Prod. Sci. 78, 143-58. Nielsen, B. & Thamsborg, S.M. 2002. Dairy bull calves as a resource for organic beef production: A farm survey in Denmark. Livest. Prod. Sci. 75 (3), 245-55. O´Ferrall, G.J.M. & Keane, M.G. 1990. A comparison for liveweight and carcass production of Charolais, Hereford and Friesian steer progeny from Friesians cows finished on two energy levels and serially slaughtered. Anim. Prod. 50, 19-28. SAS Institute Inc. 1999. Version 8, Cary, NC, USA. Steen, R.W.J. & Kilpatrick, D.J. 1995. Effects of plane of nutrition and slaughter weight on the carcass composition of serially slaughtered bulls, steers and heifers of three breed crosses. Livest. Prod. Sci. 43, 205-13. Thamsborg, S.M. 2000. Uptake of nematode infections in steers reared at different grazing intensities. In: Grassland farming - balancing environmental and economic demands. (Eds. Søegaard et al.), Proceedings of the 18th EGF, Aalborg, Grassland Science in Europe. 561-63. Therkildsen, M., Vestergaard, M., Ramsgaard Jensen, L. & Andersen, H.R. 1995. Betydningen af fodringsintensitet, afgræsning og slutfedning på produktion og slagtekvalitet af SDM ungtyre. Research Report No. 35, Statens Husdyrbrugsforsøg. Frederiksberg. pp 36. Tvedegaard, N. 2002. Økologisk mælkeproduktion. Fødevareøkonomisk Institut. Report No. 137. Copenhagen. Wright, I.A., Russel, A.J.F. & Hunter, E.A. 1986. The effect of winter food level on compensatory growth of weaned, suckled calves grazed at two sward heights. Anim. Prod 43, 211-23. Younie, D. 1990. Eighteen-month beef production: Organic and intensive systems compared. In: Organic Meat Production. Chamberlain, A.T; Walsingham, J.M. & Stark, B.A. (editors), Chalcombe publications. 41-53. restricted 2372 1 1873 1 source en validuser

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