Visit to Finnish Feedlots
A great interest in feedlots prompted a dozen beef cattle breeders to embark on a quick visit to Finland. On January 8, 11 enthusiastic beef farmers gathered for breakfast on a Tallink ferry. Upon arriving in Finland, the first destination was Inkere manor, where Henrik Jensen has been raising Hereford and Angus beef cattle since 1995. The core herd consists of 100 cows, approximately 70% of which are Hereford and 30% Angus. In addition to purebred animals, Henrik also engages in crossbreeding, and according to him, the hybrid grows much better.
In front of Inkere manor with owner Henrik and his wife.
Feeding specialist Harri Jalli from HKScan gave a presentation on the topic of feeding.
Our next stop was Juha Tenho from Tenhon Tila farm (https://www.tenhontila.net/english.html), who raises Limousin cattle and also sheep. This farm was particularly interesting because they raise, process, and market their animals on-site. They have about 150 cows. Each year, they process around 100 cattle and 250 sheep, with 30-60 animals going for breeding. This is the largest Limousin farm in Finland. Their on-site shop is open every other week Thursday to Sunday, and processing also takes place biweekly. Since 1996, they have been engaged in organic production.
Limousins at Tenhon Tila farm.
After a 1.5-hour drive in the dark, we were welcomed by the owners of Tammisto Farm—a father and son who feed calves from 2 weeks to 5 months of age.
This was followed by a joint dinner with Finnish farmers. After dinner, we visited another farm where cattle are fed until they reach slaughter weight. This is likely one of the largest feedlots in Finland, with 700 bulls raised on a contract farming basis.
The next day started early again, with another long distance to cover. We visited Maiju Pesonen’s Angus farm. It was immediately clear that the animals were very accustomed to people, as we had to gently move them aside to observe them.
At Maiju’s, the group split into two. One group headed north to visit more Angus farms, while the other group set course for Helsinki to take the evening ferry home, stopping first at Anttila Hereford farm along the way.
Owner of Anttila Hereford farm and happy beef farmers.
During the long drives, various ways to pass the time and entertain themselves were found.
In one group, brainstorming sessions were held, resulting in a description of the ideal cow.
The ideal cow is:
- Good-natured
- Fertile
- Exhibits good maternal traits
- Has a proper udder and good milk production
- Has easy calvings
- Has good legs and hooves
- Is a good feed converter
- Feminine
- Of reasonable size and harmonious
Article from lihaveis.ee website
(https://lihaveis.ee/aasta-algas-meeleoluka-uhisreisiga-pohjanaabrite-juurde/