The experience of breeding beef cattle in Virginia (USA)
The article provides information about situation of the beef cattle industry in the state of Virginia (USA), which includes more than 650 thousand beef cows, comprised on 26 thousand farms with an average area of 206 hectares. Considered are the technologies of beef cattle breeding used in the USA: «cow-calf», «background-stocker». In Virginia, 70% of beef producers use the natural mating of cows, other producers - combination of artificial insemination and natural mating; 61% of farmers fed their cattle only pasture, mostly without supplementary feeding, some - fed their cattle on pasture, and then in the paddock with the inclusion of additives and part of farmers use only a paddock. Majority of cattle breeders (98%) do not use antibiotics and hormonal drugs to feed their livestock. Winter calving are the most common (46%), 18% of farms use calving year-round. Examined the technology of beef cattle breeding in the farm of Innisfree Village (organization of work with people with disabilities), where year-round pasture technology and additional feeding of cattle with hay and mineral additives in winter are applied, pastures are divided into paddocks using electrical hedges powered by solar panels. The experience of US beef cattle breeding can be useful for Russia, since this industry does not require much labor and material costs, and can also perform not only an economic but also a social function. People who find it difficult to find a job on general terms can work in family and subsidiary farms.