Sector | Livestock farming Beef cattle farming

Beef cattle farmers, their customers, and their suppliers find answers here to the question “what can ILVO do for me?”. You’ll get a brief overview of relevant expertise, analyses, infrastructure, and the professional approach that characterizes ILVO. You can contact the Cattle Information Center for specific services and questions regarding co-creation.

Go to Cattle Information Center (NL)

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What does ILVO do?

ILVO performs chemical and physical analyses on roughage, ration components, by-products and compound feeds. ILVO gives advice on good silage practices, estimates the energy and protein values of cattle feed, tests the rumen stability and intestinal availability of rumen-resistant products and studies the effect of feed components or additives on rumen fermentation.

> List of feed analyses

> What ILVO does for feed production
Food companies with questions concerning food processing, process and recipe development and analyses concerning food safety, authenticity, and quality can contact the Food Pilot of ILVO and Flanders FOOD, a pilot food processing plant. For on-farm food processors, there is a specific subsidy channel, the ‘KRATOS innovation support for on-farm food processors’ (in Dutch).

> List of food analyses

> What ILVO does for food companies
ILVO has a lab for chemical analysis of animal-related products: feces, urine, meat, blood, rumen fluid.

> List of animal-related analyses
ILVO has extensive experience in measuring and evaluating emissions of ammonia, odor, particulate matter, and greenhouse gases in and around barns, as well as their possible reduction strategies. The reduction of enteric emissions (methane) from cattle is one of the spearheads of climate research at ILVO. ILVO can carry out in vivo trials to reduce the methane as well as the nitrous oxide, ammonia, and CO₂ emitted by individual cows. In addition, ILVO can measure ammonia emissions in cattle under practical conditions (in free stalls with straw bedding). ILVO also provides advice and supports the sectors and government authorities involved in the development and evaluation of (ammonia) emission-reduction barn systems.

> More info about ILVO climate research: Center of Expertise for Agriculture and Climate
ILVO conducts research into the effect of different types of feed, weather conditions (heat stress), (pasture) management, and barn environment and layout (including cubicles) on the welfare, behavior, physiology, and morphology of dairy and beef cattle. ILVO offers scientific expertise and support for measurement techniques for animal welfare assessments under both experimental and practical conditions. Practical training courses, with or without collaboration from external experts, are also available. Well-known examples are the Welfare Quality© Protocol and Low-Stress Stockmanship.
ILVO strives for livelihood security and a more stable income for all links in the agrifood chain, through economic business and sector analysis, research into profitability, added value, market competition, organization of sales, consumer preferences, and the role of cities and municipalities. In order to convert the theoretical knowledge from the research into recommendations that provide support for business leaders, ILVO builds useful web applications and tools.

How does ILVO work?

ILVO aims to support all stakeholders in Flemish pig farming, from the pig farmers, the supplying and processing industry, the distribution chain, to research and educational institutions, government authorities, consumers, and citizens with the above broad palette of expertise and a modern research infrastructure.

Contemporary challenges are handled by experienced professionals. Together with the other parties involved in the chain, they work on customized solutions.

Your point of contact: the Cattle Information Center (in Dutch)

The Cattle Information Center (Rundveeloket) is the ideal point of contact for all questions on dairy or beef farming. Their answers are always objective, independent, and scientifically substantiated. The Cattle Information Center keeps you informed of the latest research results by participating in seminars and information sessions, as well as through publications in the trade press, an up-to-date online knowledge center, a website, and a free quarterly newsletter.

Last, the Cattle Information Center is happy to listen to your concerns in order to translate them into concrete research questions, and to bring the necessary partners to the table.

Your ILVO guarantee

Scientifically-based solutions
Individual and/or co-creative guidance for innovation trajectories
Confidential treatment of your question
Clear and easy-to-interpret results that are applicable to day-to-day operations
Technological support for various farm processes
Specialised analyses in the Animal Marine Laboratory (ANIMALAB)

Specialized research infrastructure

Six gas exchange chambers (GECs) for research into cattle emissions (methane, CO₂, nitrous oxide, and ammonia).
Research barn for measurements of ammonia emissions in cattle housing with straw bedding.

All of ILVO's expertise at your service

ILVO works in an interdisciplinary fashion and has a network of living labs that work closely together. A problem or question is therefore examined from many different angles by ILVO experts from different disciplines. This is guaranteed by ILVO's broad and systematic approach, together with the typical openness of the ILVO culture.