Period Covered: / 3 years
Title of Project: / Family farms and usage of agricultural land on the example of Ravna Gora district
Contract number: /
Klasa: Class: 320 – 1/98 – 1/90
Broj: Number: 525 – 02 – 98 – 06Project Start Date: / 1. VII. 1998.
Investigator /
Prof.dr. Ivan Jurić
ParticipatingInstitution: /
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb
Zagreb, 14th September 2001(date) /
Prof.dr. Ivan Jurić
(Investigator)
Research Object
Utilization of the agricultural land in Croatia decreased in such an extent that it could be concluded that it is a consequence of a deep and long-lasting crisis of agricultural production. This statement is particularly obvious when speaking of meadows and pastures, meaning that the crisis is more severe in cattle and horse production than in more industrialized animal production which uses mixed feed produced by feed companies.
When the research within this project started, the level of land utilization in Ravna Gora commune was established and the data are given in Table 1.
Table 1 / Agricultural land and forests in Ravna Gora Commune (hectares)Type of land /
Area, ha
( Census of 1991) / Area, per capita(Census of 1991) / 1997/98 Survey data
Utilized land
% /
Land per head of cattle
Arable land and gardens / 1.436 / 0,465 / 38 / 20,2Meadows / 2.216 / 0,718 / 8 / 31,2
Pastures / 2.367 / 0,767 / 1 / 33,3
Forests / 5.198 / 1,684 / - / -
Total agricultural land / 6.019 / 1,950 / 12 / 84,8
Total area / 11.217 / 3,634 / - / -
Source: Ravna Gora Commune records and Survey results
Results in table 1 are presented in paper: I. Jurić et al. Praxis veterinaria 1999 vol. 3, p.147-153 (paper attached).
Data gained through further research are given in table 2.
Table 2
/Agricultural land and its utilization in the Republic of Croatia
(in 000 ha)YEAR / TOTAL / ARABLE LAND / MEADOWS / paSTURES / OTHER
ha / ha / % / ha / % / ha / % / ha / %
1885. / 3412 / 1664 / 49,9 / 462 / 13,4 / 1245 / 36,1 / 21 / 0,6
1990. / 3448 / 1720 / 48,8 / 470 / 13,8 / 1256 / 36,8 / 22 / 0,6
1998. / 3181 / 1587 / 49,9 / 434 / 13,6 / 1130 / 35,5 / 30 / 0,9
Utilized in 1999* / 39 / 65 / 24 / 10 / -
Source: ĐIKIĆ MARIJA, JURIĆ I. (2001): Future production of milk and meat in Croatia.
9th International Symposium “Animal Science Days”, “Meat and Milk Production in the future,
Radenci 3-5, 2001. (In press)
Data presented in Tables 1 and 2 clearly indicate large proportion of non-usage of land in Croatia. Besides that, it can be concluded that non-usage of meadows and pastures is connected with the decrease in number of cattle, sheep and horses. It should be emphasized that, in Croatia, horses were not substituted with cattle when mechanized cultivation of land took place of horses as it was done in market economy countries where land maximum was not implemented and where pastures were annulled through cancellation of land communities, as it was done in Croatia. These data should also be considered as a consequence of cattle production strategy, which in case of Croatia was wrong.
Problems detected and mentioned above are described in the following papers:
1. Jurić, I., Đikić, Marija, Vančina, R., Antonini, D., (1999). Possibilities and problems of developing cattle production in Gorski Kotar on the example of Ravna Gora Commune. Praxis veterinaria 47 (3) 147-153.
2. JURIĆ, I., ĐIKIĆ M., Z.MARTINIĆ JERČIĆ, A. KOLEGA (2000). Development of livestock production in the world, status, problems and prospects of livestock production in Croatia. Praxis veterinaria no.1-2, p. 21-31.
3. Jurić, I., Đikić, Marija, Kolega, A. (2000), Comparison of the condition of animal production between Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia. Agriculture, vol. 6; No.1, p. 30-32. Papers of 8th International Symposium Animal Science Days, 20-22 September 2000, Osijek.
4. JURIĆ I, (2001), Causes for the status of cattle production in Croatia and possible direction of development. International Symposium “Krmiva 2001”, Opatija, June 6-8, 2001, Proceedings, p. 50-52.
5. ĐIKIĆ MARIJA, JURIĆ I. (2001), Future production of milk and meat in Croatia. 9th International Symposium “Animal Science Days”, “Meat and Milk Production in the future, Radenci 3-5, 2001. (In press).
Figures mentioned in listed papers indicate a great decrease in number of cattle which happened due to the strategy set between year 1979 and 1980 and the land policy from year 1948. Analysis of the situation in Ravna Gora Commune showed that there is no legal opportunity for the beginning of utilization of land that is currently out of use. Many of the landowners wish for the forest to grow on their land, particularly since no tax is paid for the land. This is why they oppose to the usage of their land for grazing, or even just for cutting the grass on these areas. Forests have grown spontaneously on land that is out of usage for more than 15 years and on the big area now there are forests which are 10years old or more, as mentioned in the paper cited previously. This is the reason why it can be stated that the statistical figures on the total agricultural land does not mach the real condition, because a considerable area of once agricultural land is today under woods.
Description of the Technology
Solving the problems described in the first chapter should probably be the prime target in any country with the strategy of agricultural production set correctly, because non-usage of agricultural land of such a extent as in Croatia, is an indicator of a deep and long-lasting crisis.
In Ravna Gora Commune (as described in table1 and in paper 1 in the first chapter) meadows and pastures are almost totally out of use, so a question of technology and organization of utilization of this land aroused. This is a strong interest for this area, because of high unemployment rate of the region, as well as strong process of depopulation (also presented in the cited paper).
Researches carried out on this area, which is situated more than 750 m above sea level, showed that for the dairy production (sole kind of market animal production still existing), it is possible to produce only grass (as pasture, hay and hay silage) and some of beet traditionally produced in small amounts with the technology not renewed for a long time. It is hard to suppose that these old technologies could provide quantity sufficient for market dairy production.
Milk production on monitored farms was extremely low and was carried out by using hay and grass cut for feeding green and the concentrated part of the diet bought in local retail store.
That is why this trial and dairy production technology was set in conditions as explained in search of the following answers:
First – Is it possible to produce milk economically successfully on the investigated area by feeding hay ad libitum and purchased concentrate?
Second – Why the calves and beef are not produced in the area when this production could be carried out on the own feed base, as it was done until around year 1965?
Third – Can local authorities influence and help the development of cattle production? This is a very interesting question, because the Commune government induced the researches which should answer the questions asked, because the research carried out previously (Ivan Salopek, 1993) stated that on this area milk and beef production could be developed?
Based on all mentioned, a technology for milk production introduction and achievement of a high start of lactation is set.
For this type of experiment, to be possible to carry it out, it was necessary to sign a contract with the farmer, co-signed also by the Commune President (contract attached). From the Contract content it can be seen that it was necessary to provide farmer wit part of the concentrate and the farmer had to assure the rest of feed and to carry out the control of milk yield and feed the animals as instructed. For all of the cows feeding was the same until the day 21 of lactation (feeding system table attached). After the day 21 feeding was individually formulated based on milk production as follows: 0,5 FU and 60 g of protein per liter of milk with maintenance of additional 1 FU and 120 g of protein until the day 3o of lactation and after that only according to production. Experiment had to be carried out separately for each cow in total it was carried out on 9 cows.
Level of production achieved was satisfactory, or even excellent and in this sense, this technology could be useful for the Extension Service as an example for the farmers on how to increase the production with the existing feeds and the supplementation of those necessary for the balanced nutrition. For the Extension Service is important that the farmers could see the effects easily and in our example, neighboring farmers asked for this experiment to be set on their farms. It also has to be said that they wanted it to get the feed for free, especially because in our case they were not familiar with the feeds used.
Based on the experiment carried out it could be concluded that:
1) By the experiment carried out this way, farmer can rapidly notice that his cows can produce much more milk than earlier.
2) It is possible to calculate whether the economic effect of such increase in production exists.
On the example of Ravna Gora Commune and the whole Gorski Kotar region, high milk production per cow means bringing in big quantities of concentrates, what is in our opinion a bad strategy (described in paper attached), but with the decision on higher subsidies for mountain regions, such investments could be economically justified and can provide profit for the farmers. This conclusion needs an answer to the question why this region is not used for calf production, because for this production a feed base already exists in the region.
Attempt to answer the last question was not possible through the trials on Ravna Gora area, because there is no available pastures big enough. As described earlier, no legal conditions for organizing grazing areas. This is why we started to observe farmers Malović Mijo and Kukurić Ivan from Palanjek and Gušće, because they are using available and free area of Lonjsko polje Nature Park. By this observation we came to the following conclusions and it became possible for us to describe this technology.
Cows are taken grazing around March 19 (St. Joseph Day) and they remain grazing until snow when forecast is that snow will not melt. Waiting for snow to melt can last up to ten days and if it does not happen, then both farmers take cows to sheds and feed them with Lucerne hay and maize and keep them in excellent condition. Hay consumption is assessed to be 8-10 kg per day and 1.5 – 2.5 kg of maize is supplemented daily, according to body condition of a cow. Calves can be born both indoors and on the pasture and their weight in autumn is approximately 320 kg. Cow breed is Simmental and according to farmers, imported animals do not tolerate this way of production, although there are some of them on pastures and their calves even more. Farmers visit their herds and keep contact with animals by bringing them salt. A number of plant species exist that cows do not eat (weeds), but after the frost or in spring they are also eaten. In year 2000/2001 two cows were left outdoors in Lonjsko polje over the winter period without any problem and they both calved and now this are thriving calves. Production of this kind is possible to organize and by that to activate a big area, but with previous necessary organization of land having in mind the Law on Possession Communes from 1873 and Law on Land Communities from year 1894.
By accepting the new VIP project, the analysis of this technology and quality of calves produced in this way will be continued.
Economic Analysis (Profitability)
This project does not intend to investigate overall profitability of farmers, but profitability of the technologies described is not questionable. When calculating the prices of production and sales of these products, there is an open question of the volume of production which can be handled by the farmer, regarding organizational possibilities, that from the legal point of view and substitution of the live with industrialized labor (price of capital) are in Croatia still not clear yet. General impression is that the main problem in solving the land utilization is the lack of understanding the tradition, which was discontinued by socialist laws and prevention and non-development of our own technologies, economically successful in the past. Results of these researches enable us to make a hypothesis that, by innovation of the old traditional organizational structures and technologies, it could be possible to produce competitive products in the sense of price and quality. In that context, economical condition of the observed farmers (Malović Mijo and Kukurić Ivan) indicates that the usage of technology described resulted in very interesting income (paper to explain in details the land utilization in Lonjsko polje is being prepared to be published).
The need to investigate the old autochthonous animal production technologies was also emphasized in the past (JURIĆ I., Z. PUŠKAŠ, MARIJA ĐIKIĆ, A. JURIĆ, 1993. Animal production technologies in Croatian past – prevention of their development and perspectives for restoration, published in Poljoprivredne aktualnosti 29, 1-2, p. 163-167 – paper attached).
Applicability
Application of both of the described procedures is simple and the limiting factor for technology described as the second one is inadequate land policy.