Beef System Applicable To N.Z.

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31380, 27 May 1967, Page 10

Beef System Applicable To N.Z.

‘“Barky beef in Britain . has lost ground to a semi-in-»tensive system of pro- » duction of the great* est applicability to New Zealand,” Dr. G. : C. Everitt, principal scientific officer at the Ruakura agricultural research centre, told the Lincoln farmers’ conference last week. “Using both grass and cereals the system sustains an intermediate growth rate of about 21b live-weight increase a day to produce an animal of about 5601 b earcase weight at 15 to 18 months old—that is a market weight some 20 per cent greater than the “barley beef* beast with a flavourful, yet tender and lean product "The. technique alms at a daily Intake of nutrients using grass of high nutritional value with a digesti-

bllity of not less than 70 per cent. Basically the cattle rotationally graze around paddocks, returning to a given paddock after not more than four weeks; staying in one paddock about four days (depending upon stocking rate); topping the paddocks after grazing to avoid dilution of fresh-grown pasture with indigestible “left Overs;” and regular treatment with worm drenches necessary for cattle stocked so Intensively. “A period of housed, intensive feeding in one winter is involved, but great use is made of conserved pasture, as silage and/or hay, of the very highest quality. “Undoubtedly details of the method will alter as knowledge accumulates but, to summarise, in one word, these beef producing cattle are fanned—not just run. “This concept of semi-inten-sive grass and barley-fed beef

—"grarley beef,’ to coin a phrase’—is being rapidly developed in the Republic of Ireland, a pastoral agricultural country with many environmental similarities to New Zealand as well as being a major competitor for beef markets. Work under way in that country records beef carcase production an acre of more than 6001 b through carefully planned control of grazing management “Mr Joblin, at Ruakura, has produced 4031 b of beef carcase weight an acre by increasing the stocking rate to 1.94 beasts to the acre and this level of production can be compared with the average production of about 1551 b to » the acre being obtained from intensive fattening farms in the North Island. “I think we have great scope for supplementary feeding at particular times of the ; year," said Dr. Everitt in reply to a question. “I think we can devise a system of feeding animals on pasture supplemented with cereals or ' other supplements.”