Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1995,
55: 165-168
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1995,
55: 165-168
The main objective of this study was to investigate the potential of increasing weaning rates and weaning weights on a commercial beef suckler herd under the above conditions. The main 3 means to achieve this were: (I) increasing stocking rate, (ii) intensive trough-feeding, during the dry pasture season, of rations based on recycled wastes, and (iii) short calving periods.
Main input-output data in the 1st and 10th year of the study, respectively, were as follows: herd size: 424, 624 cows; stocking rate 0.19, 0.29 cow/ha of pasture; trough-fed ration; 1, 2 metric tons DM/cow/year; energy in trough- fed ration: 7.5, 8.8-9.6 MJ ME/kg DM; percent cows calving in the first 2 months of the calving season (Aug. + Sept.): 35, 89; percent cows weaning (of exposed to mating bulls): 73, 86; avg. calf weaning weight 206, 259 kg LW; total weaned calf crop: 64, 138 metric ton LW/year. These data present a potential model for improving the efficiency and increasing the volume of range beef production under Mediterranean-type pasture conditions.
Studies are in progress on intensive beef production (I) by suckler herds in full confinement - fed year-round on rations composed mainly of recycled wastes, (ii) by dual-purpose cattle - in dairy herds under milk quotas, and (iii) under desert conditions based on grazing or trough-feeding forage irrigated with saline water and/or purified recycled sewage water.
Keywords: NZSAPAB; beef production; suckler herds; feeding recycled wastes; reproductive management; grazing management; feeding management
