Description

Practice abstract

 Green FarmSel is a family business from Turda, Cluj County, that owns 1,087 Angus beef cattle and uses 405 hectares of land, of which 310 are for grazing and 95 are arable land of alfalfa and grain, intended for winter fodder. Grazing is practiced on the farm for 6 months of the year (taking in consideration 1 LSU/ha) in three big parcels and has led to reduced labor and animal feed costs. 

Extensive, free grazing is practiced with approximately 250 animals (Suckler cows and suckler heifers). A large proportion of the winter feed is produced on farm, but an additional nine tons of cereals, premixes and bran are acquired each year. 

Fattening is carried out throughout the year and when the animals reach 500-600 kilograms (about 1322.77 lbs), they are sold/slaughtered.  

Although the beef market in Romania is not saturated, the problem faced by the farmer was identifying the outlets for the products on the one hand and on the other hand increasing the added value of the products obtained from the farm. For this reason, he established the ”Halal butchery” in Cluj-Napoca, which positioned itself as a niche brand specific to the “halal” concept right from the start.  

The total costs of setting up the Halal food store are approximately 150,000 euros, a large part of the investment being used to purchase equipment (the location is rented and the rent is not included in these set-up costs, only the arrangement of the space). Following the economic calculations carried out, the farmer chose not to invest in his own slaughterhouse due to the high operating costs and finally opted to outsource the slaughtering services. 

The added value of the products is increased by processing certain meat products obtained from the farm. Thus, some categories of meat sold fresh would bring a lower income to the farmer. 

This selling method can also be applied by other farmers even if they own small farms. The idea is to establish the butchery in an association of farmers. In this way, costs can be shared, the butchery is supplied with farm produce all year round, and also, a greater product diversity is ensured. 

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