MANURE VALUE AND LIVEWEIGHT SWINE DECISIONS

Produced as a joint product, economic theory suggests that manure value could influence livestock management decisions such as herd size and optimal market weights. This study examines the concept of manure and its connection with optimal replacement age or market weight. A model of a swine finishing operation representative of North Carolina conditions is developed. Over the range of conditions considered, manure value is negative and does not affect market weights. The marginal per head change in manure value is small relative to the marginal per head change in net returns from pork production. Further, economies of scale with respect to irrigation cause manure value to increase with herd size.Manure value, Market weight, Response surface, Swine, Livestock Production/Industries,

A MIXED-INTEGER PROGRAMMING ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE OF A FLORIDA-BASED CATTLE FEEDING INDUSTRY

Florida is typical of many southeastern states in that it exports feeder cattle and imports carcass and boxed beef. The objective of this paper is to estimate the cost of retaining feeder cattle in Florida, feeding these cattle to slaughter weights, slaughtering them, and distributing the meat to retail outlets. A mixed integer programming model is developed. The optimal number and location of feedlots and slaughter plants are determined. The results indicate that at production levels exceeding 600,000 head, the cost of producing carcass beef in the State is comparable to the average for the United States.Livestock Production/Industries,

INTERREGIONAL COMPETITION IN THE U.S. SWINE-PORK INDUSTRY: AN ANALYSIS OF OKLAHOMA'S AND THE SOUTHERN STATES' EXPANSION POTENTIAL

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Supply Chain Optimisation in Animal Husbandry

The pig husbandry is an important economic sector. In the last decade, major changes have been made. As a result, farmers came together to introduce the "Eco Label pig", meeting the strong consumer and governmental call for high quality, animal friendly and environmentally friendly food. The market for Eco Label food is expected to grow enormously in the next years, asking for the development of an efficient and effective supply chain consisting of farmers, slaughter houses, wholesalers and retailers. We present some mathematical models to support decision making and evaluation of a large number of growth scenario's, using cost minimization given a number of Eco Label conditions.supply chain management;logistics;agricultural logistics;network configuration

STRATEGIC AGRIBUSINESS OPERATION REALIGNMENT IN THE TEXAS PRISON SYSTEM

Mathematical programming-based systems analysis is used to examine the consequences of alternative operation configuration for the agricultural operations within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Continuation versus elimination of the total operation as well as individual operating departments are considered. Methodology includes a firm systems operation model combined with capital budgeting and an integer programming based investment model. Results indicate the resources realize a positive return as a whole, but some enterprises are not using resources profitably. The integer investment model is found to be superior for investigating whether to continue multiple interrelated enterprises.agribusiness, enterprise selection, mathematical programming, optimal enterprise organization, Agribusiness,

AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF GENETIC INFORMATION: LEPTIN GENOTYPING IN FED CATTLE

The use of genetic knowledge is widespread in crop production but is just recently being utilized in livestock production. This study investigates the economic value to feedlots of a polymorphism in the bovine leptin gene. Previous studies indicate that this polymorphism is associated with fat deposition. Since fed cattle are often priced on a grid that considers both yield and quality grades, fat deposition is an important factor in the value and profitability of fed cattle. Using data from 590 crossbred steers and heifers, we estimate growth curves for relevant biological traits, both with and without genotypic information. Using the resulting functions, we then simulate carcass traits to various days-on-feed and compute the associated profit under three price grids. Maximum profits are determined in an unconstrained profit maximization model and in a model that constrains cattle to be marketed in 45-head "potloads." Results indicate that leptin genotypic knowledge has little impact on optimal days-on-feed but may play a role in valuing feeder cattle. The differences in value of cattle varied by as much as $37 per head between genotypes.genetics, leptin genotype, beef cattle, value of information, Livestock Production/Industries,

OPTIMAL FRESH-PRODUCE PACKAGING: COST/PRODUCTION ANALYSIS OF PACKING STYLES IN THE SALINAS VALLEY

Agribusiness,

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF PHOSPHORUS - REDUCING TECHNOLOGIES IN PORK PRODUCTION

Soil phosphorus levels have increased as pork production has become concentrated. Phosphorus-based manure management regulations for land application have been proposed by policy makers. The objective of this study is to determine benefits/costs of adopting two alternatives for reducing phosphorus: synthetic amino acids or phytase. An optimization model is constructed to determine optimal excreted nitrogen and phosphorus from alternative feed ingredients. Results are derived using different manure storage and application systems. While the two alternatives are not least-cost ingredients, they become profitable when producers are constrained by land. An important result is that the net cost of manure is negative.Livestock Production/Industries,