Australian cattle herd: a new perspective on structure, performance and production

Abstract

Context. Businesses within the Australian cattle industries and associated research and advisory agencies require accurate data on production and performance of the national herd. Currently, these are derived from survey and statistical data; the latter is expected to be accurate, but the former needs to be tested in view of information suggesting significant under-reporting.Aims. The research aimed to define the structure, performance and liveweight production of the Australian cattle herd and describe changes in reproduction, growth and survival over the past 40-50 years.Methods. Interactive static herd modelling of beef and dairy herds was reconciled each year from 1976 to 2018, using slaughter and live export statistics and surveyed dairy cow numbers. A principle applied was that model performance should dictate input variables, moderating information derived from publications and professional opinion.Key results. The Australian cattle herd fluctuated in size till the mid-1980s from when it settled into a range of 30-40 million beef cattle (12-16 Mt), exceeding survey data by 56-75%. The dairy herd remained at~10% of the beef herd. Despite consistent herd size, productivity of the cattle herd increased from~2.5 to 4.5 Mt of liveweight annually over 35 years. Half of this change was due to reductions in mortality, though~1 million post-weaning-age cattle still die annually, in addition to >0.5 million calves from birth to weaning. Approximately a quarter each of the change was due to increased reproductive output and to steer growth. Liveweight production per beef animal increased from 70-75 kg/ year to 130-135 kg/year, while liveweight production ratio increased by 0.08 and 0.12 kg/kg of cattle in male and female beef cattle respectively, to reach 0.31 kg/kg of cattle.Conclusions. The main conclusion is the size, performance, production and productivity of the Australian cattle herd are quite different from that determined from surveys. Also, there is an on-going opportunity to derive benefit from improving cattle survival, reproduction and growth and from improving the feed base.Implications. This research may have large impact on priorities for Australian beef business and associated environmental management. It is recommended that surveys be used to derive relative values to use in combination with absolute statistical data to derive accurate herd measures.

Queensland’s multi-year Wet and Dry periods: implications for grazing enterprises and pasture resources

“…watering points, sown pastures, woodland clearing), and statewide improvements in infrastructure and transport (e.g. Fordyce et al 2021). For the 13 periods up to 1991, each of the nine Wet (and Average) periods had increased rainfall compared to their previous Dry period, and were associated with increases in TCEonP (Table 3; Fig.…”

“…In addition, producers' responses to price fluctuations have also led to apparent multi-year cycles in herd and flock numbers (Daly 1983(Daly , 1994. As well as these external factors, it has long been recognised that multi-year variability in rainfall affects livestock carrying capacity through its direct effects on pasture availability (Heathcote 1965;Fordyce et al 2021).…”

“…Some of these uncertainties (such as under reporting of numbers) have remained through the 20 th and early 21 st centuries (e.g. Mortiss 1995;Fordyce et al 2021). Nevertheless, as Daly (1994, p. 62) concluded, that as long as the limitations are recognised, the livestock statistics ''yare all we have.''…”

“…The two Average (Ave) periods (1933-1941 and 1983-1991) of several factors: a sequence of good seasons, increase in Bos indicus cattle, use of nutritional supplementation, infrastructure improvements, and volatility in beef prices, leading to retention of cattle on properties (e.g. Daly 1994;Fordyce et al 2021).…”

“…-1983 and western Australia (1935Australia ( -1940. 'Collapses' in prices received for livestock (cattle and sheep) and wool have exacerbated the retention of animals, in particular where there have been sharp decreases in prices, for example: wool -1925to 1930(Payne and McLean 1939; and 1991 -after the demise of the wool reserve price scheme (Bardsley 1994); and for cattle -1975, after the collapse of the USA export beef market (McKeon et al 2004, p. 64;Fordyce et al 2021). Under such circumstances, there have been few options for income from livestock production available to graziers, leading to financial and physical hardship (e.g.…”