The state of beef cattle breeding in the Kurgan region

In beef cattle breeding, the policy of the country’s agricultural industry is aimed at increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of the industry with a significant expansion of the reproduction of beef and crossbred cattle, an increase in beef production. The purpose of the work was to analyze the current state of beef cattle breeding in the Kurgan region. It has been established that in the Kurgan region, measures are systematically taken to improve the efficiency of the beef cattle breeding industry, increase the livestock, and organize breeding work. As of January 1, 2024, the total number of cattle in the Kurgan region was 116,865 heads, including 51,600 heads of cows. The number of beef cattle on the reporting date in all categories of farms was 33,935 heads or 29 % of the total livestock. The largest number of beef cattle was concentrated in peasant farms 69.7 %, in agricultural organizations only it was 23.1 % of animals. In 2023, the number of beef cattle increased by more than 5,500 heads or 19.5 %, compared to the previous year. The number of crossbred animals increased significantly. The breeding stock is concentrated in 4 leading farms in the region. Most of the livestock of the enterprises 78.3 % belongs to the highest appraisal classes of elite and elite-record. Animals have high rates of productive and reproductive traits. Thus, milk production is the main indicator that characterizes the productivity of the breeding stock. This indicator is determined by the live weight of calves at weaning at the age of 205 days. The average live weight of calves was 228 kg for steers and 220 kg for heifers. In terms of breeds, superiority in milk production was observed in the Aberdeen Angus breed. Further selection and breeding work will allow creating a herd of highly productive beef cattle in the Kurgan region.