Suckler cow farming
With this form of cattle farming, the calf stays with its mother after birth and feeds primarily on her milk. Suckler cow farming is the most common method of meat production worldwide.
In suckler cow farming, calves stay with their mothers for six to ten months after birth. The mother’s role is to raise the calves. Unlike dairy cows, suckler cows are not milked – their milk is reserved entirely for their calves. Suckler cow farming is therefore the most natural form of cattle rearing and is used primarily for beef production.
Calves are born either in the barn during winter or out on pasture in spring. They are suckled by their mothers and live on pasture with the herd, which consists of several cows and their calves.
They stay there all summer, right through to late autumn. Within the herd, calves learn natural behaviors from the older cows. Once a calf no longer depends on its mother’s milk, it is weaned. The male calves are then moved on for further fattening. Young bulls weigh around 300 kg at eight months old. They are fattened up to a slaughter weight of about 800 kg and then slaughtered at around 18 months of age. Female calves are usually reared to replenish the herd of suckler cows and to produce calves of their own later on.
In a suckler cow herd, there is usually a breeding bull that handles the mating of the cows. From the age of three, a suckler cow typically produces one calf each year. Cows that can no longer become pregnant are removed from the breeding herd, fattened and then sent to the abattoir. They are also used in meat production.
Suckler cow farming usually relies solely on breeds that are hardy, weather-resistant and have good muscle development, such as Limousin, Angus, Aubrac and Charolais. Because the cows spend most of their lives on pasture, they help maintain grassland and support its rich diversity of plant and animal species.