Record breeders and milk prices: Freistadt celebrates cattle success!

Record breeders and milk prices: Freistadt celebrates cattle success!

Freistadt, Österreich - What's in Austria's agriculture? A look at the latest developments in the Upper Austria cattle breeding association (RZO) brings exciting insights. At the most recent general meeting in Freistadt, in which around 250 farmers and numerous guests of honor took part, RZO chairman Ernst Kneewasser reported on the success and challenges of the past year, including the first cases of bluezungen disease. Welcome to the exciting year 2025, in which agriculture is more in demand than ever.

The Schwarzelmüller family from Steinbach an der Steyr is particularly proud. Your company is considered the most powerful stain cattle breeding company in the region. The increasing interest in beef from Austria was also reflected in a lecture by Erik Schöttl, Managing Director Europe from OSI Europe Foodworks GmbH. He presented the market opportunities for local beef and gave the farmers valuable suggestions to successfully market their products.

calf prices and success in breeding

to report positively is also of the calves: these increased this year at auctions and delighted many farmers. The Freistadt and Regau locations in particular proved to be excellent places for dairy farming. RZO managing director Matthias Wieneroither emphasized the increasing marketing figures and prices in all categories. A gratifying news that many are happy and spurred on to better use the opportunities in cattle breeding.

In a festive ceremony, awards for breeding families were awarded that can show extraordinary herd performance. Milk jans were presented in gold, silver and bronze. A special honor was the award of a cow that entered the "Club of 100,000 liters". 168 cows made this impressive jump, including a 200,000 liter cow called "Rille" from the company Christoph Poscher from Schenkenfelden. Another highlight was the awarding of the fifth title "Fleckvieh breeder of the Year" to the breeding company Fürst from Lasberg.

Blue -tongue disease: a serious topic

But not everything runs smoothly. The blue -fashioned disease, which now also moved in in Austria, is a major problem for many farmers. There are different serotypes that are possible against vaccinations, but there is currently no national vaccination program in Austria. This means that the vaccinations happen voluntarily and at the expense of the pet owners. The protection does not occur immediately; The immune response takes around three to four weeks. Against this background, the Ministry of Health strongly recommends starting vaccinations to protect the animals in good time.

Currently three vaccines against serotype 3 (BTV-3) are approved in Austria. These dead vaccines reduce the risk of severe symptoms, but do not protect against infection. In addition, there are no special waiting times for meat or milk after vaccination. This is a crucial point in particular for organic farms. The experts advise you to start now with vaccination to secure the animals sufficiently by summer. After all, some farmers have already had positive experiences with the vaccines.

For the best successes, young animals should also be included in the vaccination strategy, depending on the age at the time of vaccination. And since the number of animal -fumblers increases, the advantages and possibilities of vaccination must continue to be clarified. The message is clear: if you want to protect your animals, you have to act in good time.

Overall, this year's general meeting of the RZO shows that there are both positive and challenging developments in agriculture. A good mix of tradition and innovation that has the potential to bring Austria's cattle breeding to new heights.