Bioeconomic Analysis of Ruminant Production Systems

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Abstract
Ruminants have a special role to play in converting noncompetitive feed sources (e.g., range, crop residues) to food and other products useful to man. Technology is available to improve productivity of ruminant systems with little increase in feed requirements. Many interacting factors — biological, economic, political, sociological — will influence the decisions to implement this technology. While improving biological efficiency usually increases economic efficiency, predictable short term financial returns may not justify the investment. Financial coefficients do tend to be more volatile than biological coefficients; therefore, decisions on strategies for long term improvement of ruminant productivity should first consider biological efficiency. Results from simulated production systems for beef cattle, dairy cattle and dairy goats were presented for feed energy requirements, meat and milk yields and efficiency of converting feed gross energy (GE) to food net energy (NE). Increasing birth rate increased turnoff of meat and milk with little change in feed energy requirements within all types of production systems. NE/GE ratios were much higher for dairy systems than for beef cattle systems. Energy requirements for maintenance and normal activity exceeded 50% for all systems except dairy cattle and goats in good production environments. Copyright © 1978. American Society of Animal Science. Copyright 1978 by American Society of Animal Science.

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