The short growing period to maximise growth efficiency should also help address concerns about beef’s high environmental footprint, a consequence of the animals’ two- or three-year life.
She told farmers at the annual Limestone Downs field day in northern Waikato about a pilot study at Massey’s Keebles Farm where 80 Hereford-Kiwicross steers are being fast-tracked.
The autumn-born calves will be grown through their accelerated growth phase from weaning to different slaughter ages – eight, 10, 12 and 18 months.
The target weights include 200kg LW at eight months and 300kg at 12 months.
Liveweights and ultrasound scans will then be matched with carcase measurements and meat quality aspects such as pH, colour, shear force and some sensory testing.
To push growth rates, after some early supplementary feeding, the steers are being fed on plantain/chicory/clover mixes and Hunter brassica this month.
The growth rate target was 1kg/day liveweight and they had done 0.7kg over the past fortnight.
Schreurs said this new beef product wouldn’t be veal or bull beef and a classification separate to standard prime steer would be needed in future.
“We are developing a new, full red-meat product of its own that could require less resource and deliver a more sustainable product.
“The concept needs validation if it is to have uptake and our research seeks to hammer out how it could work on the farm and will define what type of carcase and meat product we would be getting as well as considering the potential markets.”
Future trials will need to include calves with dairy-only breeding.
“Our goal is to one day have farmers, meat processors and marketers taking on board the concept of new generation beef for application into an integrated supply chain for export traded beef with sustainable returns to the beef sector.
“We see this innovation as a new beef product coming from a new generation of farmers for the new generation of consumers,” she said.
