Coastal meadows as pastures for beef cattle

The forage yield and quality and the growth of beef calves were examined in a 3-year study on four farms on coastal meadows of the Bothnian Bay, Finland. The forage yield at the end of June (1704 kg dry matter ha−1 in average) was considerably lower than that of cultivated grasslands, whereas the nutritional quality of the forage was approximately at the same level. The daily gain of calves on coastal meadows was 1 kg day−1 on average. The calves raised on the coastal meadows had equal live weights as the beef calves of the same age in northern Finland in general. The interaction between breed and pasture type tended to be significant, indicating that Simmental was capable of slightly better utilisation of coastal meadows than Limousin. Calculation of the nutrient budget showed that the amount of P entering the coastal meadows with creep feeding (0.046 kg ha−1 year−1) constituted a minor proportion of the total P load. Eutrophication of grazed semi-natural grasslands can be most effectively prevented with reasonable usage of additional minerals. The use of a suitable type of livestock and stocking rate and the timing of the grazing season were considered to be important aspects for adjusting the biodiversity management and livestock performance on coastal meadows.