Developing high-quality beef cattle farming.

QTO - In recent years, the movement to raise high-quality beef cattle using foreign breeds has been developing strongly in many localities. With the advantages of large weight, high carcass yield, and stable selling prices, this model has helped many farmers switch from small-scale to intensive farming, bringing in significantly higher income compared to traditional cattle breeds.

Outstanding effectiveness

After a period of raising cattle in confinement, in 2025, with the support of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, Mr. Nguyen Minh Muoi in Tich Tuong village, Quang Tri ward, decided to invest in a new farm to switch to raising 10 BBB cattle.

According to Mr. Mười, the BBB breed of cattle has the advantage of easily adapting to local natural conditions, eating well, being easy to care for, suitable for confined housing, and having good resistance to disease. The most outstanding feature of this breed is its rapid growth rate; if provided with a complete nutritional regimen including fresh grass, dry straw combined with fattening with rice bran, cornmeal, brewer's yeast, soybean meal, and commercial feed, each animal can gain 30-40 kg per month.

"If properly cared for, breeding cattle weighing 220-250g/kg can reach an average weight of 530-600kg/animal after 11-12 months of rearing," Mr. Mười said.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Muoi's BBB cattle herd in Quang Tri ward yields outstanding economic results - Photo: LA

In terms of economic efficiency, according to Mr. Mười, raising BBB cattle yields significantly higher income compared to traditional breeds. With a selling price of 84,000-86,000 VND/kg, it is estimated that each BBB cow generates an income of 45-51 million VND, resulting in a profit of 12-15 million VND per cow after deducting costs. Compared to the local yellow cattle breed, the profit from raising BBB cattle is 6-10 million VND higher per cow over the same rearing period.

Similarly, recognizing the high economic efficiency and stable market demand of the BBB cattle breed, since 2022, Ms. Ho Thi Hao in Nhan Bieu village, Trieu Phong commune, has invested in barns and purchased breeding stock to raise. According to Ms. Hao, BBB cattle have a large build and a high carcass yield, making them popular with traders and fetching good prices. However, this breed has a large appetite, so to ensure weight gain, it is necessary to provide sufficient food and water. In addition to fresh grass and dry straw, it is necessary to supplement with concentrated feed and commercial feed.

"On average, my family sells 3-4 beef cattle each year, which, at current market prices, brings in an income of 30-35 million VND per animal, depending on its weight," Ms. Hao said.

Continue to improve the quality of the cattle herd.

According to Phan Van Phuong, Deputy Director of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, in order to replace the small, low-yielding local yellow cattle with high-yielding, high-quality foreign breeds, the unit has promoted a cattle herd improvement program using Zebu cattle in recent years. As a result, not only has the number of cattle increased, but the quality of the herd has also improved significantly.

Zebu crossbred calves are born weighing 20-25kg, have good resistance to disease, and gain an average of 25-30kg per month. After one year of raising, they reach a weight of 230-250kg, selling for 21-25 million VND/calf, yielding double the economic efficiency of local yellow cattle. Notably, building on the stable foundation of the Zebu crossbred herd, the province has boldly switched to adopting high-quality beef breeds such as BBB and Droughtmaster…

These breeds help crossbred calves reach a birth weight of 28-32kg, have an attractive appearance, strong muscle development, and a high carcass yield. After 12 months of rearing, meat-type crossbred calves reach 250-300kg, with a selling price of 25-30 million VND. The economic efficiency is 1.5 times higher than Zebu crossbred cattle, opening up a new direction for livestock farmers.

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the total cattle population in the province reached over 151,800 head; of which, crossbred cattle accounted for a high proportion. The breeding crossbred cows, crossbred with high-yielding foreign beef breeds such as Brahman and BBB, have contributed to improving the quality of the beef cattle herd. There has been a gradual shift from small-scale, free-range farming to concentrated, biosecure farming with disease control and environmental protection.

According to Nguyen Phu Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, in order to continue developing beef cattle farming towards high quality and sustainability, in the coming time, the agricultural sector and localities will strengthen propaganda and guidance for farmers to apply safe farming processes; gradually form large-scale concentrated beef cattle farming areas, linked with processing and food safety, creating linkages along the value chain.

Promote the development of artificial insemination using high-quality bull semen; apply technology in feed processing and microbial fermentation from agricultural by-products; and blend concentrated feed from locally available raw materials to enhance nutritional value, improve digestibility and absorption, save costs, and increase livestock farming efficiency.

Directing specialized units to continue organizing training courses and providing technical guidance; developing livestock farming models based on biosafety principles linked to environmental protection and product consumption; and simultaneously strengthening the monitoring and control of diseases in livestock.

Le An

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202603/phat-trien-nuoi-bo-thit-chat-luong-cao-8104fc1/