The experimental design of this project is based on the "Fattening Efficiency" project, where bull calves of the Fleckvieh breed and three Holstein genotypes are fattened (see also the "Milk Efficiency" project). Ten male Brown Swiss weaners will be fattened to a final weight of 720 kg using two different basic feed rations. Additionally, a field trial comparing Brown Swiss bulls with Fleckvieh bulls will be conducted on a farm in Upper Austria.

The debate surrounding the transport of calves – particularly dairy calves – abroad is currently a major topic in agriculture, the media, and society. Possible solutions include sexed semen, increased breeding of dairy cows with beef breeds, or raising calves domestically. In any case, sustainable, animal-ethical agriculture requires a holistic approach to production systems. This necessitates a joint evaluation of milk production and fattening, and therefore also an evaluation of the bull calves from our dairy farms.

As everywhere, profitability is the central issue in cattle fattening. The project aims to incorporate the lower cost of Brown Swiss calves compared to Simmental calves into its profitability calculations.

In this project, a grass silage-based ration is used alongside a typical corn silage ration. The use of grass silage in fattening can contribute to (1) reducing imported protein concentrates, (2) limiting competition for arable land (feed vs. food production), and (3) providing an alternative to corn silage in crop rotation (due to the corn borer problem).

Ultimately, this project also aims to raise awareness among numerous stakeholders about the product quality of beef.