Due to the decline in dairy cattle numbers, the number of suckler cows in grassland areas is increasing significantly. After weaning, some of the young cattle are marketed as young beef through branded meat programs.

However, the majority of young cattle are fattened to higher final weights. This mainly takes place in specialized fattening farms in arable farming areas with the basic feed base of maize silage and corresponding concentrated feed supplements. In the present study, the possibility of fattening young suckler cows in grassland areas using grass silage as basic feed is to be examined.

In a cooperation project between the Federal Experiments Economy GmbH Wieselburg (BVW) and the Higher Federal Teaching and Research Institute for Agriculture ( HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein), questions are being asked about the influence of genetics, gender, concentrated feed supplements and the final fattening mass on the fattening and slaughter performance as well as the meat quality of the fattening of young suckler cows examined.

A key aim of the project is to support farmers as well as cattle producer groups (Steirisches Rind Producer Group, Austrian Cattle Exchange, etc.) and consultants in the production of quality beef.

In addition to producing high-quality beef, the main aim is to develop a production process that is optimally adapted to the economic and agricultural policy conditions.

There are currently no production data or economic calculations for the intensive fattening of suckler cow calves and bulls of different genetic predispositions (maturity types) on the basic feed base of grass silage. With the help of the data to be compiled, the possibility of fattening out young suckler cows in grassland areas will be examined.