L11

• Stocking rate and production detail

  • Stocking rate per ha
  • Buy price $
  • Sell price $
  • $ Margin /animal
  • $ Margin /ha
  • Lwg /Ha
  • Meat/Ha
• Bull meat mainly supplies the processing industry – but not all of the carcass
• Bulls versus Steers – primals vs manufacturing percentages in carcass
• Over the last few years the number of primal cuts produced from bull has expanded from 2 to 10
• Size of the bull beef industry

  • Bull Calves of dairy origin reared for beef (almost all of Holstein/Friesian male calves and increasingly some of Kiwi cross males)
  • 20% of adult cattle kill (around 450 - 550,000 bulls per year) are processed
  • Average Carcass weights for bulls
  • In 1980 average carcass weight was 252 kg
  • In 2023 it was 300 kg
  • 1.7 -1.9 million calves are sold as bobby calves - potential to rear more of these
• Bull Beef Production


  • Specialised beef production
  • one year system 3 month to 15 -22 months
  • 100 kg to 550-600 kg (280-320 kg carcass)
  • average liveweight gain of 1.0 -1.1 kg/head/day over entire period
  • appropriate stocking to achieve these LWG are essential
• Calf rearers do a superb job to get calves to 100 Kg at 3 months of age
• Often Young 100 -200 kg bull calves are grazed on less than average pastures (low ME content)
• Often these Young bull calves are grazed on less than average summer pastures (low pasture covers in dry summers)
• Bull Beef Production – calf to 18 month system


  • The seasonal match of feed demand and pasture growth is achieved by:
  • increase in stock numbers with purchase of replacements in November
  • Sale of older bulls through the summer
  • Adjusting the rate of liveweight gain achieved per bull per day
• Maximum daily liveweight gains achievable in Bull systems


  • 3-6 months of age 0.9 kg / day
  • 12-15 months of age 1.5 kg / day
  • 24-27 months of age 2.0 kg/ day
• Herb pastures in late Feb could increase summer LWG
• aim 250Kg plus by 1 May
• Herb Treatment


  • Chicory
  • plantain
  • red clover
  • white clover
• Sward Targets


  • To ensure liveweight gains are achieved need sward targets
  • often best liveweight gains are achieved when pasture conditions take precedent over animal liveweight gain targets
  • monitoring of sward conditions
  • use visual, sward height or mass
• Target Sward Conditions


  • Keep pastures between 1200-1400 and 2500 -2800 kg DM/ha for intensive beef
  • We need to focus on pre and post grazing residuals to maintain pasture quality and ensure high animal intakes
  • Better farmers will increase post grazing residuals and decrease pre grazing levels
  • Pre grazing controls pasture quality
  • Post grazing controls animal intake
• Target Sward Conditions for Tuapaka Bull Unit

  • Pre-grazing herbage mass (kg DM/ha) Autumn 2500 – 2700
  • Pre-grazing herbage mass (kg DM/ha) Winter 2800 – 3000
  • Pre-grazing herbage mass (kg DM/ha) Early Spring 2700 – 2800
  • Post-grazing herbage mass (kg DM/ha) Autumn 1500 – 1600
  • Post-grazing herbage mass (kg DM/ha) Winter 1100 – 1200
  • Post-grazing herbage mass (kg DM/ha) Early Spring 1500 - 1600
• This illustrates that pasture cover does not act as a large feed reserve during winter. Thus stocking rate, buy and sell decisions and other enterprises become important.
• Example 18 month bull/steer live weight profile


  • Liveweight (kg) at 7 months 250
  • Liveweight (kg) at 8 months 200
  • Liveweight (kg) at 9 months 250
  • Liveweight (kg) at 10 months 300
  • Liveweight (kg) at 11 months 325
  • Liveweight (kg) at 12 months 350
  • Liveweight (kg) at 13 months 400
  • Liveweight (kg) at 14 months 450
  • Liveweight (kg) at 15 months 500
  • Liveweight (kg) at 16 months 550
  • Liveweight (kg) at 17 months 575
  • Liveweight (kg) at 18 months 600
  • LWG 0.61 kg /day
  • LWG 1.52 kg / day
  • LWG 0.62 kg / day
• Example 30 month steer/bull live weight profile

  • Liveweight (kg) at 7 months 225
  • Liveweight (kg) at 8 months 200
  • Liveweight (kg) at 9 months 250
  • Liveweight (kg) at 10 months 270
  • Liveweight (kg) at 11 months 300
  • Liveweight (kg) at 12 months 350
  • Liveweight (kg) at 13 months 400
  • Liveweight (kg) at 14 months 465
  • Liveweight (kg) at 15 months 500
  • Liveweight (kg) at 16 months 520
  • Liveweight (kg) at 17 months 500
  • Liveweight (kg) at 18 months 520
  • Liveweight (kg) at 19 months 520
  • Liveweight (kg) at 20 months 520
  • Liveweight (kg) at 21 months 520
  • Liveweight (kg) at 22 months 520
  • Liveweight (kg) at 23 months 520
  • Liveweight (kg) at 24 months 520
  • Liveweight (kg) at 25 months 520
  • Liveweight (kg) at 26 months 520
  • LWG 0.41 kg / day
  • LWG 1.07 kg / day
  • LWG 0.72 kg / day
  • LWG 1.35 kg / day
  • LWG 0.16 kg / day
  • LWG 0.59 kg / day
  • LWG 0.52
• Some important parameters to analysis in a beef production system

  • stocking rate
  • buy in weight and price
  • selling weight and price
  • meat production / ha
  • $ margin / animal
  • $margin /stock unit
  • $margin / Kg Feed DM eaten
  • $ margin /ha
  • capital requirements of system
  • Costs /kg beef produced
  • Return on capital invested
• There are still a lot of calves from dairy industry that are processed as 4 day old calves or bobby calves. Can more of these be reared
• Can more of these be reared
• New Generation Beef


  A new class of beef created from dairy-origin cattle that are slaughtered before one-year of age
• Approximately 1.7-1.9 million surplus calves produced by dairy industry = opportunity
• Slaughter at one-year of age for system sustainability (turnover of animals, maximising growth efficiency)
• A full red-meat beef product without animals being on-farm for 2-3 years
• Potential positives of New Generation Beef

  • Improved animal welfare: Utilisation of "surplus" animal from the dairy industry minimising the need to slaughter very young calves
  • Reduced environmental footprint: animals on farm for less than a year
  • Better feed efficiency: only feeding animals during accelerating phase of growth
  • Feed budgeting options: slaughter prior/during first winter, reducing stock units over winter period
• Accelerating growth phase


  The phase of growth where the animal's growth rate is increasing
• Pilot study objective: 1) Define the carcass & meat product obtained. 2) Baseline for further studies
• 80 calves (steers; Kiwi-Hereford cross) slaughtered at 8, 10, 12 and 18 months of age
• Measurements: Animal: live weights and ultrasound (EMA, fat depth), Carcass: conformation, ossification, M:B, muscularity, Meat quality: pH, colour shear force, sensory
• Feeding and management: Plantain/Chicory/Clover mixes (Dec-Jan), Supplemented with meal ~0.5 kg/head/day (until end Jan), Hunter Brassica (Feb), Plantain/Chicory/Clover mixes (March), Perennial ryegrass pasture (April)
• Aspects for further research in New Generation Beef before it can get to market: Markets/market development and defining product value, Carcass classification that adequately defines the value, Whole system viability (interaction of: dairy farm, rearer, finisher, processor, retailer, consumer), Validating the efficiency of production
• All successful beef finishing systems have a common theme "profitability is determined by the amount and quality of feed eaten"