Technological solution of a modular family farm

Abstract

The technological solution of a modular family farm for producing high-quality and environmentally friendly beef is presented. The development aims to make beef using bulls-producers of meat and graded dairy cows. The family farm project was developed considering the generalisation of the best practices of organising peasant farms and scientific research of SIBNIPTIZH. It assumes a comprehensive solution for a family farm, including, in addition to industrial housing facilities with outbuildings and a personal plot, the introduction of the most acceptable methods for keeping animals, type of feeding, design parameters of industrial buildings and elements of technology equipment, small-sized machinery, as well as the organisation of labour and production. The technological solution is to grow and fatten young animals using the low-cost technology of beef cattle breeding "cow-calf" from culled dairy cows suitable for reproduction. The optimal scheme of placement and movement of technological groups of cows and repair young animals has been determined. Variants of space-planning solutions for building a modular family farm for 26 cows have been developed. Cows, repair heifers and calves are kept in a lightweight cowshed. Cows are kept on a leash. Calves are kept loose. Young animals, after weaning from cows, are transferred to another room. From the age of 6 months, heifers and bulls are kept separately. Young animals in winter are in a lightweight room with a deep litter. Bulls older than 12 months are not grazed. They are intensively reared and fattened up to 17 months when they reach a live weight of 439 kg.