Early weaning theory and enterprise benefits from beef cattle

Abstract

Early weaning (EW) beef calves at 3 months of age represents a modification of current on-farm beef production that decreases the metabolic energy requirement of the entire herd, maximises the number of cows for a given area and increases land use efficiency. The EW calves are then grown and finished using an intensive production system. This study has modelled the potential impact of EW in terms of economic return and optimal land use for beef production. The modelling procedure used a linear programming model of a pasture and livestock system to analyse the whole farm impact after changing to EW. The economic analysis has shown an unexpected and dramatic increase in the gross margin from beef production for a virtual 1,000 ha beef enterprise in NE Victoria, from $54,459 to $262,935. This corresponded to an increase in the number of cows in the herd from 574 to 851 (48%). Sensitivity analysis suggested that further benefits could be achieved if calving occurred in October, rather than in August. Profitability of EW was sensitive to market price and finished weight. Weaning a calf at 3 months and finishing it in a feedlot decreased the metabolic energy requirement of the cow from 15 to 13 dse per year. The economic benefit from EW arose from increased stocking rate, higher carcass weight and improved product value. The productivity and quality of beef from the EW system need to be evaluated before the full benefits to the beef industry can be realised.