Maja Prevolnik, Ben Moljk, Marjeta Čandek-Potokar
pp. 15-22

Growth rate (net daily gain of warm carcass weight) and carcass quality were analysed for suckling calves of trade mark “Pohorje beef” (N=634) i.e., older calves (8-12 months old) of Simmental×Limousin crossing reared on organic farms of Pohorje and Kozjak (Slovenia). Data for slaughter age, carcass weight, conformation and fatness grades were collected. “Pohorje beef” was compared to older calves of various genotypes and rearing systems (N=2980) and older beef cattle from the same, organic farms (N=271). At slaughter, “Pohorje beef” males were 324 days old with 220 kg of warm carcass weight (682 g/day net daily gain), whereas “Pohorje beef” females were 332 days old and had 187 kg of carcass weight (567 g/day). “Pohorje beef” had better net daily gain and conformation compared to pure bred calves of various rearing systems, while the differences with meat crosses were insignificant. The comparison of “Pohorje beef” to older beef cattle category of the same genotype reared on the same farms showed that under the circumstances (no concentrates added) prolonged rearing was not economical due to growth stagnation. At current price, only about a half of total costs of “Pohorje beef” veal is covered. Such rearing becomes cost-effective when various subsidies are added. However, even in that case the herd size must be about 20 suckling cows.

Key word: suckling calves, organic rearing, growth rate, carcass quality, costs analysis

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