{"id":151615,"date":"2025-06-23T16:40:40","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T16:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/the-new-red-gold-what-is-the-crop-that-transformed-traditional-livestock-production-and-enables-the-production-of-inexpensive-meat\/"},"modified":"2025-06-23T16:40:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T16:40:41","slug":"the-new-red-gold-what-is-the-crop-that-transformed-traditional-livestock-production-and-enables-the-production-of-inexpensive-meat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/the-new-red-gold-what-is-the-crop-that-transformed-traditional-livestock-production-and-enables-the-production-of-inexpensive-meat\/","title":{"rendered":"The new red gold: what is the crop that transformed traditional livestock production and enables the production of inexpensive meat?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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<\/picture>
Remolacha forrajera: un cultivo de alto rendimiento energ\u00e9tico utilizado para engorde animal en seis meses<\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Revolutionizing Animal Feed: The Case of Forage Beet<\/h2>\n

In the Buenos Aires<\/strong> region of Carmen de Patagones<\/strong>, a pioneering producer has introduced a forage crop that is transforming traditional meat production parameters. Alejandro P\u00e9rez Iturbe has developed a system centered around forage beet<\/strong>, specifically the variety Beta vulgaris<\/strong>, inspired by a technical trip to New Zealand<\/strong> and Australia<\/strong> in 2017.<\/p>\n

During his visit, P\u00e9rezIturbe observed the intensive use of this plant in animal fattening systems and decided to replicate the model on his farm, Don Antuco<\/strong>. The initial planting covered seven hectares and tests were also conducted in the nearby area of Choele Choel<\/strong>. The results were promising from the outset and prompted a rapid expansion of the system.<\/p>\n

High-Performance Metrics<\/h2>\n

The forage beet<\/strong> has shown remarkable productivity, yielding between 2,300 and 3,500 kilograms of meat per hectare in just six months<\/strong>, at a competitive cost of $0.50 per kilogram of meat<\/strong>. These figures align with dry matter yields ranging from 25,000 to 36,000 kilograms per hectare<\/strong>, daily weight gains of 750 to 900 grams per animal<\/strong>, and the capacity to support up to 26 animals per hectare<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For instance, on certain plots where animals weighing 250 kilograms<\/strong> were introduced and later weighed 412 kilograms<\/strong>, the system achieved an impressive 3,300 kilograms of meat per hectare<\/strong> in half a year. In a notable example, a 14.2-hectare<\/strong> plot of forage beet supported 300 animals<\/strong> in continuous fattening.<\/p>\n

Energy and Nutritional Benefits<\/h2>\n

The plant boasts a high energy content<\/strong>, measuring 3 megacalories per kilogram of dry matter<\/strong>, comparable to corn. Furthermore, its foliage provides a high protein content<\/strong>, resulting in a balanced nutrition profile that combines energy from the roots with protein from the leaves.<\/p>\n

Implementing this innovative system necessitated an initial 20-day adaptation phase<\/strong> for the cattle due to shifts in microbial flora. To facilitate this transition, the animals were also fed one kilogram of fiber<\/strong>, typically sourced from corn. The overall productivity reached 45 tons of dry matter<\/strong> per hectare.<\/p>\n

The Compensatory Power of Forage Beet<\/h2>\n

According to P\u00e9rez Iturbe, the forage beet exhibited superior compensatory ability<\/strong>. The planting density was approximately 80,000 plants per hectare<\/strong>, with an average weight of 3 kilograms per plant<\/strong>, resulting in 240,000 kilograms of green material<\/strong>, of which 15 to 16%<\/strong> consisted of dry matter. Remarkably, some roots achieved extraordinary weights of up to 18 kilograms<\/strong>, a phenomenon attributed to reduced competition among plants.<\/p>\n

To avoid excessive growth in individual plants, uniform seed distribution was essential, achieving roughly 100,000 seeds per hectare<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Irrigation and Regional Adaptability<\/h2>\n

The system employed gravity irrigation<\/strong>, similar to practices in the Rio Negro Valley<\/strong>, although it also proved suitable for pivot irrigation<\/strong>. In more humid areas, the forage beet was cultivated without irrigation, with annual precipitation figures between 700 and 800 mm<\/strong>. Notably, on dryland farms in the Coronel Su\u00e1rez<\/strong> region, yields were about half<\/strong> those obtained with irrigation.<\/p>\n

The initial investment cost was around $1,700 per hectare<\/strong>. Although other operational costs emerged during the process, the average gross margin reached $800 per hectare<\/strong>, especially in southern regions where meat prices were approximately 15% higher<\/strong> than those north of the Colorado River<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A Groundbreaking Alternative for Small and Medium Producers<\/h2>\n

The forage beet system not only tripled or quadrupled productivity<\/strong> compared to traditional extensive models but also improved winter efficiency, particularly when green forages were scarce. This advantage stemmed from the cultivation cycle, which was sown between August and October<\/strong>, requiring about 900 mm of water<\/strong> during its developmental phase, and was ready for cattle by March<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

As a result, the system provided a valuable solution for regional economies<\/strong>. According to P\u00e9rez Iturbe, just four hectares<\/strong> could handle the fattening of 100 animals<\/strong>, offering a viable option for small and medium producers with limited land.<\/p>\n

Initially, many producers met this innovation with skepticism. However, witnessing Charolais calves<\/strong> weighing 500 kilograms<\/strong> thriving on forage beet led to a change in perception.<\/p>\n

The strategy involved using animal-appropriate varieties of beet<\/strong>, eliminating previous risks associated with toxins found in unadapted beets. This endeavor received support from seed companies<\/strong> that participated in the early stages of the initiative.<\/p>\n

The most comparable precedent in the country was sugar beet cultivation<\/strong> in the north, which did not achieve significant development due to competition with sugarcane. The forage strategy proposed an intensive and sustainable model<\/strong> that operated even in winter<\/strong>, adapting a nutritionally valuable crop<\/strong> for a new productive use.<\/p>\n

A Promising Future Ahead<\/h2>\n

By achieving yields of 30,000 kilograms of dry matter per hectare<\/strong>, the system consistently supported 21 animals per hectare<\/strong>, producing daily weight gains of 900 grams<\/strong>. These results demonstrated marked growth in meat production, showcasing the system’s economic efficiency and technical reproducibility<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

P\u00e9rez Iturbe emphasized that the forage beet could adapt to various regions across the country<\/strong>, and its success hinged on factors like irrigation type, soil management, and planting schemes. Although the development demanded adjustments, it has established itself as a viable option for enhancing productivity on less productive lands.<\/p>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Remolacha forrajera: un cultivo de alto rendimiento energ\u00e9tico utilizado para engorde animal en seis meses Revolutionizing Animal Feed: The Case of Forage Beet In the Buenos Aires region of Carmen de Patagones, a pioneering producer has introduced a forage crop that is transforming traditional meat production parameters. Alejandro P\u00e9rez Iturbe has developed a system centered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151616,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[13649,33479,1357,31749,3882,4868,1678,401,11742,13565],"class_list":["post-151615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mazagine","tag-crop","tag-enables","tag-gold","tag-inexpensive","tag-livestock","tag-meat","tag-production","tag-red","tag-traditional","tag-transformed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}