Innovative methods of rearing beef cattle for fattening in Przedgórze Sudeckie in order to produce beef with unique properties and introduce it to the market

Reasons for the creation of the project:

• unsatisfactory quality of beef in Poland;
• low consumption of high-quality beef;
• the need to produce high-quality beef;
• conducting long-term scientific research in the field of proper animal husbandry.

The main goal of the project:

• increase in the profitability of farms engaged in beef cattle breeding, leading to sustainable development of the beef sector.

Detailed objectives of the project:

• achieving the appropriate weight of animals at the age of 18-22 months;
• obtaining fodder with reduced emission of exhaust fumes into the air from means of transport and consumption of energy, energy resources and natural resources;
• obtaining meat with unique properties;
• assessing the impact of the applied rations on selected characteristics of the culinary and processing quality of the obtained beef;
• development of food rations adapted to the needs of individual nutritional groups with the use of reduced-emission feed and determination of their impact on fattening, carcass and meat quality.

Tasks implemented in the project:

1. Developing a sales strategy
2. Model and optimization of feed productivity on permanent grasslands [hereinafter: TUZ] in extensive beef cattle breeding
3. Keeping animals in proper condition and somatic development
4. Modeling and monitoring of beef cattle nutrition in the context of improving the quality of consumer beef
5. Promotional activities
6. Sharing resources of breeding farms
7. Project management

The project in question is an operation carried out in 3 farms in the following communes: Międzylesie, Radków and Bystrzyca Kłodzka

Project activities

The most important activities undertaken in the project:

• making investment purchases,
• making purchases to conduct planned research,
• conducting research,
• conducting an analysis of the existing data on the markets for the leading products: beef, sheep, cheese, wine and the e-commerce market,
• developing a sales strategy,
• monitoring and evaluation of the sales strategy,
• preparation of guidelines for the development of research tools,
• carrying out quantitative and qualitative research,
• conducting focus research
• habitat and utility assessment - development of maps and designation of research plots;
• determination of the species composition, biomass production and fodder and utility value of green fodder after the use of plant biostimulation - fodder production models
• recording animals from farms included in GO;
• carrying out live quality monitoring. in the post Gr. Nutrition
• carrying out animal welfare monitoring during the pasture and alcove period
• carrying out an analysis of the nutritional value of roughage and concentrated fodder used. in feeding cattle for fattening;
• conducting an assessment of the effectiveness of animal nutrition for fattening characteristics;
• facilitating the exchange of know-how and good practice on innovation in agriculture and rural areas - organization of two conferences;
• providing animals for feeding, arable land for research, infrastructure of farm buildings;
• carrying out the procedure for purchasing equipment and machines;

• project management and settlement in accordance with the Consortium Agreement of the Operational Group "Premium Class Beef".

The main benefits of the project

Expected project results:

• reduction of the production costs of roughage in animal nutrition;
• reduction of consumption of natural resources;
• preservation of grassland biodiversity in the production of fodder with meadow herbs;
• protection of animal welfare and human health;
• creating a new product - PREMIUM class beef meat of the desired culinary and processing quality;
• developing a sales strategy;
• product - PREMIUM class beef meat of the desired culinary and processing quality

Practice summary

Main benefits of applying all predicted results:

• exchange of knowledge, experience and the latest research knowledge between all members of the consortium;
• dissemination and implementation of results in other farms in Poland, especially in Lower Silesia;
• implementation of project results into breeding practice;
• renovation of grasslands, which will reduce groundwater pollution, weaken erosion processes, reduce degradation of the humus layer, increase CO2 absorption, increase humidity, mitigate the temperature amplitude, and accumulate water in the turf.
• improvement of biodiversity and leading to a greater coverage of the soil with plants (through the planned foliar fertilization with L-alpha amino acids, sterols, glycolipids, microelements of meadows. This will have a positive impact on the protection of the natural environment;
• improving the quality of groundwater due to the lower solubility of organic fertilizer components in water (by reducing mineral fertilization in favor of organic fertilizers),

• reducing emissions of exhaust fumes into the air from means of transport and the consumption of energy, energy resources and natural resources.

Additional comments

Factors facilitating the implementation by agricultural producers as well as scientific and research units of the results obtained in the project will be the dissemination of these results by members of the Operational Group: Premium Class Beef. Online information through the project website and in the SIR (Agriculture and Rural Innovation Networks) database, as well as at conferences promoting project activities and results (including regional and central EIP operational group summits).