2009, Volume 17, Paper 11
ISSN: 1883-5675

Economic Effects of Alternate Growth Path, Time of Calving and Breed Type Combinations across Southern Australian Beef Cattle  Environments: Time of Calving at the Western Australian Experimental Site

B.L Davies
T.J. Della Bosca
G.R. Griffith

Abstract

In a Beef CRC project undertaken over the period 2001-2006, different combinations of beef cattle genetics, growth/nutritional pathways and calving seasons were examined across a number of sites in Southern Australia for their ability to achieve targeted market specifications. In this paper the focus is on the Western Australian experimental site. The target market was a heavy domestic steer of around 500kg liveweight, and the steers were all Angus crossbreeds. Comparisons were made between Angus sires selected for high retail beef yield (RBY), for high intramuscular fat (IMF), and for both high RBY and high IMF. Three different growth treatments were imposed following weaning: (Fast ~ 1.0kg/day, then feedlot finishing; Slow ~ 0.6 kg/day, then pasture finishing; Compensatory ~ Weight loss of approximately 10 per cent from weaning, over the next 4-5 months, followed by compensatory growth and pasture finishing). Autumn and Winter calving systems were also compared. The consequences on carcase weight, carcase and meat quality and enterprise profitability (as measured by enterprise gross margins) were then examined. The primary drivers of profitability for the cattle enterprises evaluated were weight gain and feed costs. Those sires selected for high RBY outperformed other sires in terms of carcase value of their progeny. However, fast growth finishing options were less profitable except in a situation of cheap feed prices, since these treatments were feedlot finished. Changing calving time from Autumn to Winter decreased profitability to weaning by 10 per cent when stocking rate was unchanged. There are major implications for local agribusiness firms from decisions made in this production environment due to the reliance on supplementary feeding and feedlot finishing to meet domestic market specifications.

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