Meat Science Commons^™

Finishing Kimberley Cattle In The South-West, Brian L. Mcintyre, Bill Ryan, Neville Macintyre

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The idea of integrating the Kimberley cattle industry with that in the south-west of Western Australia is no new, but until recently it had not been critically evaluated.

Over the past eight years the Department of Agriculture's Beef Cattle Branch has been assessing the performance of Kimberley cattle transported south for finishing in the agricultural areas.

This research has show that Kimberley weaners can be finished in the south, and that under the present (December 1988) economic conditions it is more profitable than running breeding cattle in the south-west and comparable with fattening store steers.

Production From Heifers And First Calvers, G J. Sawyer

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Heifers and first calvers present the major problems of the beef breeding herd. Reproduction rates, calf growth and survival of first calvers are generally much poorer than those of adult breeders.

Early successful reproductive performance is important in beef herds because of the high overhead cost of keeping breeding beef heifers or cows, Where possible, beef producers should aim to join heifers at 14 to 15 months of age. To achieve this goal, producers should set production targets for those animals. These targets will differ from farm to farm depending on when calves are turned off and the seasonal feed …

Producing 20-Month Old Beef Steers Off Annual Pasture, K D. Greathead, D. J. Barker, W. J. Ryan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A recent Mt Barker experiment compared two systems of fodder conservation with continuous grazing, using two types of steers, at three stocking rates. Year-round performance, carcass composition, and resulting costs and returns per hectare were assessed.

Production per hectare was greatest from crossbred steers at the intermediate stocking rate with either type of fodder conservation.