Business planning

CATEGORIES UNDER BEEF BUSINESS PLANNING

IN INFORMED FARMERS

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Australia’s Beef industry

Average feed requirements for beef cattle

Beef Cattle market specifications

Beef Farming – setting the strategic direction

Beef Heifer Development The Economic Importance of Reproduction

Benefits of a good handling system and risk factors of handling Beef Cattle

Calculating carrying capacity and area for Beef

Common beef cattle enterprises

Comparing Veal Carcass Size and Ageing with Sensory Attributes

Considering A Replacement Beef Heifer Enterprise

Criteria for Choosing Beef Bulls

Designing a Beef Cattle handling system

Determining the enterprise strategy and beef herd structure most likely to maximise profit

Develop a transition plan to achieve beef enterprise targets

Ensure Beef Cows earn their keep

EU, Feeder, Japanese Ox and Organic Beef production systems

Evaluating market opportunities to maximise enterprise profit for Beef Cattle

Farm record keeping and beef enterprise modelling

Feeding Beef Cattle Beyond Optimum Market Weight and Finish

Flight Zone and Point of Balance to Improve Handling of Beef Cattle

Gross margin budgets for Beef enterprise

Gross margin budget for Grow out beef steers 240-420kgs

Gross margin budget for EU Beef Cattle

Growing out Beef steers 240kg – 460kg Gross margin budget

Growing out early weaned beef calves 160kg – 340kg gross margin budget

Health costs for Inland Beef Cattle

Health costs for North Coastal Beef Cattle

Heavy Feeder Beef cattle gross margin budget

How Many Beef Cows Do You Need

Japanese Ox – grassfed beef steers Gross margin budget

Land classification for Beef in Hunter Region

Land Use Planning Implications for Beef

Liveweight and fat score ranges beef cattle

Local trade/feeders Beef cattle gross margin budget

Manage the nutrition, health and welfare for sale of beef

Managing Beef Cattle before sale and during mustering and transport

Measure performance and compare to physical target for beef

Meat Standards Australia (MSA) tips & tools for Beef Cattle

Meeting Market Specifications in beef

North Coastal beef weaners (improved country) gross margin budget

North Coast Beef weaners (unimproved country) gross margin budget

Nutritional Programs Using Body Condition Scores for Beef

Prices and other market information for Beef Cattle

Record Keeping During Calving

Scales for Liveweights of Cattle

Selecting Beef Bulls

Selling options for Beef Cattle

Specifications for a typical beef enterprise simulation model

Stretching feed supplies for wintering Beef Cattle

Systems for Recording Liveweight of Cattle

Tagging at Weaning of Cattle

Template of partial budget calculations for comparing change scenarios in beef

Trough Times For Bovine Vandals.

Using DSEs and carrying capacities to compare beef enterprises

Vealer Beef Trade Gross Margin Budget

Weighing/Tagging at Cattle Birth

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INFORMED FARMERS

Guidelines to establishing the best enterprise strategy and herd structure

There are five components to establishing the most profitable herd structure and markets:

1. Know how well your feed supply matches the requirements of your herd for maintenance, growth and reproductive performance. You can build a picture of the normal feed supply and demand for your enterprise by regular feed budgeting. Through regular feed budgeting you are able to predict the likely seasonal fluctuations in feed supply and from this better judge the ‘buffers’ (feed reserves) you need to manage that risk. Regardless of how you go about the next steps towards building your enterprise strategy, you will need to know your feed supply and demand.

2. Develop a range of options for changing feed supply, changing feed demand (herd structure), or targeting new markets that you would like to consider further. The basis for these options will best come from consultation with a range of people including private sector consultants, state department staff, other successful producers and family members and staff.


3. Text Box: Farm record keeping The key to sound decisions is having accurate information readily available. There are a number of computer software programs available to assist in record keeping. Some packages include both paddock and animal records, as well as financial accounts. A number of these programs have the capacity to help calculate feed budgets. Increasingly, with widespread electronic identification of animals, data capture and storage can be automated. Even without computer programs, the information you need is readily available from a variety of sources. A sound economic and performance evaluation of the current and/or alternative enterprise strategies can be conducted using your accountant’s report, the knowledge you have about your property’s physical characteristics, livestock business and trading records, and information you record in your diary such as animal performance and rainfall. Text Box: 7Compare the predicted performance of alternative strategies with the current performance of your beef business. There are several methods available for analysing current performance and alternative strategies. Although these use tools and services of varying complexity, they all require:

– Good property, production performance, and financial records; – A way of quickly narrowing down the options; and

– A full bioeconomic analysis that ensures all aspects of any major change are included.

4. Decide on the preferred herd structure and market options taking into account your goals and financial constraints.

5. Text Box: Choosing the best options Analysing the most profitable herd structure and markets is a complex task involving many constantly changing factors that will be particular to your resource base and personal circumstances. Making these important business decisions often requires specialist skills and expertise, in which case you may wish to employ the services of a farm management consultant with appropriate knowledge and tools. This type of service is explained in the section on Enterprise modelling. If you believe the scale of your enterprise or the significance of the change being considered does not warrant this expenditure you need to analyse the impact of changes to your enterprise using partial budgeting. Benchmarking your performance against similar enterprises, but using alternative enterprise strategies, is another way of considering the merit of other enterprise options. Also, private consultants and the staff of state departments of agriculture regularly conduct analyses of various enterprise options that may be relevant to your situation.Develop a transition plan from the current enterprise structure to the preferred option.

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