Book of Abstracts
11th IFOAM
Scientific Conference
11-15 August 1996
Copenhagen, Denmark

Abstract front page
Subject index
Athor index

Symposia

Organic beef production S14

Gomez, Pedro O.; Novaro Hueyo, Enrique; Rosso, Olga R.; Steffan, Pedro.

Estacion Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce (INTA).(7620) Balcarce. Argentina. Fax (54) 266 21756

See also:
News from:
Organic.dk

Argentina, with year round grazing, places its livestock production in a very competitive position to take advantage of the growing worldwide trade for higher valued, low residue and organic produce from uncontaminated environments. The hypothesis of this work was that it is possible to produce organic beef at the same level as in conventional systems. In Balcarce, during two consecutive periods (1993/95), applying the National Organic Livestock Production Standards, forty British steers were fattened in four ecological beef systems differing in the season when animals were supplemented, with two replicates. Ground maize grain with sunflower expeller(9:1) was fed at 0.85 % of their liveweight. The treatments were: supplementing during the whole period (with-with); supplementing during autumn-winter (with-nil); supplementing during spring-summer (nil-with) and without supplementation (nil-nil). Within season, treatment means were compared by analysis of variance using randomized blocks. During autum/winter/93 there were not differences between treatments (P) and the average liveweight gain was 244 g/an/day. In spring/summer the gain differences were significant (P): 661, 750, 623 and 724 g/an/day, for treatments with-with, with-nil, nil-with and nil-nil, respectively. The annual stocking rates were 2.6, 2.1, 2.3 and 1.9 an/ha, respectively. During autumn-winter/94 there were not differences between treatments (P 0.05) and the average gain was 505 g/an/day. In spring/summer the steers in treatment with-with, with-nil, nil-with and nil-nil gained 823, 647, 730 and 733 g/an/day, respectively. The with-nil treatment gained statistically less weight than the rest (P). The annual stocking rates were 2.4, 1.9, 2.1 and 1.8 animal/ha, respectively. The beef production obtained ranged from 285 to 475 kg/ha/year, and was higher than the average beef production from conventional fattenning systems of the region (250 kg/ha/year). The results showed that it is possible to obtain relatively high levels of productivity from organic beef systems.

Gomez, P.O. & Rosso, O.R. (1994): Produccion de carneecologica. In: VII Congreso Argentino de CienciasVeterinarias, p. 132.

Gomez, P.O. & Rosso, O.R. (1995): Produccion de carneecologica de novillos en distintos sistemas de alimentacion.1. Ganancia de peso y produccin de carne. Memorias XIVR euniÆn ALPA-19ú Congreso AAPA, p. 452 -454.