Mulga Lands production systems Preparing for, responding to, and recovering from drought

This report details the analysis of the economic implications of management decisions to prepare for drought in the Mulga Lands of Queensland. Accompanying reports in this series present strategies and results for other regions across Queensland's grazing lands. It is intended that these analyses will support the implementation of resilient grazing, livestock management and business practices necessary to manage seasonal variability. The property-level, regionally specific livestock and business models that we have developed can be used by consultants, advisors and producers to assess both strategic and tactical management decisions for specific properties

Teachers' perceptions of how attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder may influence learners' career choices

This article reports on teachers’ perceptions of how ADHD may influence learners’ career choices. Purposive selection was used to identify six high school teachers who cater specifically for learners with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). An exploratory case study design and a qualitative approach were adopted. Data was gathered using an audio-recorded semi-structured focus group interview, and analysed and interpreted using inductive thematic analysis. Findings suggest teachers believe that ADHD affects parents, schooling, and the school environment from an early age, that taking medication for ADHD from an early age may positively and negatively influence affect learners’ career choices, and that intervention to address the longer-term impact of ADHD on learners’ career choices is essential. Moreover, teachers believe that parents play a powerful role in the career choice of learners with ADHD. Future research should include early childhood carers, teachers and other health professionals, and include larger and more diverse groups of participants

Fitzroy beef production systems : Preparing for, responding to, and recovering from drought

The work reported here represents a comprehensive analysis of the economic implications of management decisions that can be applied to prepare for, respond to, or recover from drought in the Fitzroy Natural Resource Management (NRM) region of central Queensland. We have applied scenario analysis to examine a range of management strategies and technologies that may contribute to building both more profitable and more drought resilient grazing businesses in the Fitzroy region. In doing this, we developed property-level, regionally-specific herd and business models for a representative, case-study beef cattle enterprise which was based on the median herd data from relevant industry surveys and research. The Breedcow and Dynama herd budgeting software was used to develop integrated herd models and discounted cash flow budgets for each alternative scenario. Production systems that can be applied to improve profitability and hence resilience of a beef business to drought are generally of a strategic nature. The economic and financial effect of implementing each strategy was assessed by comparison to the baseline production system for the case-study property. Whole-of-business productivity and profitability was assessed over a 30-year investment period. Management decisions which are considered in response to, or recovery from, drought tend to need consideration of both short term and long term implications and were examined using herd models in conjunction with spreadsheets designed to assess tactical decisions

An economic framework to evaluate alternative management strategies for beef enterprises in northern Australia

Context: Beef producers in northern Australia are continually presented with new technologies and opportunities to enhance beef production. They need to be able to accurately and efficiently assess the potential impact of alternative strategies on profitability, risk and the period of time before benefits can be expected.Aims: Our aim was to demonstrate the value of the farm-management economics framework for assessing alternative management strategies applicable to beef cattle enterprises in northern Australia.Methods: Beef cattle herd models incorporated into a farm-level partial discounted cash-flow framework were used to evaluate the potential effects of alternative management strategies on the performance of enterprises. This was undertaken using constructed, representative beef enterprises developed for the following three regions in Queensland: Central, Northern Downs and Northern Gulf, and the Katherine region of the Northern Territory. The analysis considered the expected response to change in the management of the base herd. Strategies that targeted (1) overall herd or property performance, (2) breeder reproductive performance, (3) steer growth rates, (4) alternative beef cattle marketing options, or (5) enterprise expansion were assessed. All of the changes considered to the current management strategy of the base herd and property were put forward by industry participants as potentially positive.Key results: The framework efficiently identified substantial differences in net benefits among strategies and allowed ranking of the alternatives at the property level. Strategies that improved profitability also generally increased management complexity and financial risk. While strategies that could substantially improve profitability were identified, many other strategies were likely to reduce profitability at the property level. Key insights were gained into the time taken to implement the strategies, the complexity of implementation, and the level of financial risk incurred.Conclusions: This study (1) demonstrated the appropriate framework to compare management options and support decision making, (2) efficiently indicated the potential range of outcomes, and (3) provided insight into the risks associated with development processes and technology adoption.Implications: This farm-management economics framework could be used to assess alternative strategies for individual beef enterprises and to guide appropriate adoption of technology

Productivity and profitability of alternative steer growth paths resulting from accessing high-quality forage systems in the subtropics of northern Australia: a modelling approach

Beef producers have to determine the best allocation of a limited resource of high-quality forage. This analysis assessed the most profitable way of incorporating high-quality forages into the whole-of-life steer growth path on forage systems in central Queensland, using property-level, regionally relevant herd models that determine whole-of-business productivity and profitability over a 30-year investment period. Twenty-two growth paths (liveweight change over time) from weaning to marketing were investigated for steers grazing buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) pastures with and without access to leucaena–grass pastures (Leucaena leucocephala spp. glabrata + perennial, tropical grass (C4) species) or forage oats (Avena sativa) for varying intervals throughout their growth path. The production, economic and financial effect of each growth path was assessed by comparison to a base scenario that produced finished, slaughter steers (605 kg) from buffel grass pastures. The relative profitability of marketing steers at feedlot entry (feed-on) weight (474 kg) instead of slaughter weights was also assessed. The growth paths were applied within two beef enterprises, namely (1) steer turnover and (2) breeding and finishing. For both enterprises, grazing steers on leucaena-grass pastures from weaning until they achieved feedlot entry weight (474 kg) was substantially more profitable than any other growth path. Compared with the base scenario, this optimal growth path improved profitability by 121% and 37% for the steer turnover and the breeding and finishing enterprises respectively. The purchase of additional breeders for the latter enterprise was required to optimise utilisation of the leucaena–grass pastures immediately. Incorporating leucaena–grass pastures at any steer age improved the profitability of the steer turnover enterprise (AU$7368–AU$106 508 extra profit/annum), and similarly for the breeding and finishing enterprise (AU$1754–AU$31 383 extra profit/annum) except for two scenarios where leucaena–grass pastures were provided to older steers targeted at the feed-on market (AU$4816 and AU$23 886 less profit/annum). However, incorporation of leucaena–grass into steer growth paths also resulted in increased peak deficit levels and financial risk to the business compared with buffel grass-only production systems, with payback periods for the most profitable growth path of 8 and 14 years for the steer turnover and the breeding and finishing enterprise respectively. All growth paths that incorporated forage oats and leucaena–grass resulted in lower economic and financial performance than did comparable growth paths that incorporated leucaena–grass only. Furthermore, incorporating oats into buffel grass-only growth paths always reduced the enterprise profitability. There was no relationship, across scenarios within an enterprise, between change in profit and the number of extra weaners produced or the amount of extra beef produced per hectare