A model for predicting long term economic optimum stocking rates for beef cattle grazing dryland pastures.

Abstract

Aims to develop a model which relates profit to stocking rate and annual rainfall, and to show how this model can be used in conjunction with the frequency distribution of annual rainfall to estimate the stocking rate at which maximum profit is achieved for a given location; Previous models relating profit to stocking rate have not taken into account annual variation in rainfall. A model is developed here to allow for this factor. The frequency distribution of annual rainfall is used to demonstrate how the stocking rate which results in maximum long term profit can be estimated with the model for dryland coastcross II and kikuyu at a given location.

Keywords: annual variation; beef cattle; beef livemass gain; cattle grazing; coastcross ii; cynodon dactylon; Dryland pastures; grazing model; Grazing models; kikuyu; Modelling; models; optimum stocking rate; pasture; pennisetum clandestinum; Profitability; Rainfall; south africa; Stocking rates

Journal of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa.