Improving the balance of sheep and beef cattle livestock systems

Abstract

Two data sets were used to analyse the impact of changes in stock policy from a dominant breeding ewe system to a dominant beef cattle finishing system. These included data from a farmlet trial and data from a monitored study farm. The Stockpol model was used to carry out the analyses. Required daily pasture demand and average minimum pasture covers increased as cattle finishing increased. Stock numbers had to be reduced for the policies to become biologically feasible, that is, for the increased pasture demands and pasture covers to be attainable on the farm. Historic stocking rate was not a good guide to the reduced stocking rate required. Tests of biological feasibility should be carried out before a change in policy can be analysed for its financial merits. Keywords: biological feasibility, finishing, pasture cover, pasture demand, stock policy, systems