Breedcow and Dynama software redevelopment

The project renewed the Breedcow and Dynama software making it compatible with modern computer operating systems and platforms. Enhancements were also made to the linkages between the individual programs and their operation. The suite of programs is a critical component of the skill set required to make soundly based plans and production choices in the north Australian beef industry

Meat sheep, meat goats and wool sheep in Queensland - Overview and prospects

This report provides production and economic data for the wool sheep, meat sheep and meat goat (collectively, the small ruminant) industries of Queensland. It also considers the prospects for a rebuilding of the Queensland sheep flock

An economic evaluation of tick line deregulation in Queensland

Rhipicephalus microplus, the cattle tick, is widely distributed across many tropical and subtropical regions of the world and has been identified as the most economically important species of tick across a number of countries. Quarantine boundaries currently limit the spread of the cattle tick into northern New South Wales, parts of South East Queensland, the central parts of the Northern Territory and northern parts of Western Australia. The Queensland tick line (or quarantine boundary) largely follows the 500mm rainfall isohyet until it reaches southern Queensland. As the cattle tick is unlikely to become endemic to regions receiving median rainfall less than 500mm per annum, the region most likely to be effected by a deregulation of the tick line is located in the south east corner of the State “inside” the 500mm isohyet but “outside” of the tick line. There are a number of strategies available to beef producers running susceptible cattle within the region impacted by a deregulation of the tick line. For example, they could: o choose to apply acaricides into the foreseeable future, o choose to breed tick resistance into their livestock and apply acaricides during the conversion period, o replace their susceptible breeding herds with tick resistant stock from within the tick endemic region, or o continue with susceptible livestock and implement sufficient quarantine and pest management strategies to reduce the risk of tick infestation to a negligible level The economic evaluation of these strategies indicates that the total costs of deregulation depend upon the type of response made by industry and the level of that response.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Benefit Cost Analysis of RD&E in Action

Since 2004, the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries has embarked on a rigorous evaluation of its R&D Programs, with Benefit Cost Analysis being a cornerstone of this work. The analyses conducted to date have proved to be powerful tools in internal resource re-allocation. However, the process used has been time consuming, partly because there needs to be adequate time allowed for consultation both with scientists and with senior staff. Experience has highlighted the need for strong organisational support to the analysts carrying out the work.Benefit Cost Analysis, management, research and development, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

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

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

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

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