Open AccessEffects of farm monitoring on Northland's small beef cattle farms
Author(s) -
G.R. Ussher,
Daniel Löw,
S. N. Brown
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
proceedings of the new zealand grassland association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1179-4577
pISSN - 0369-3902
DOI - 10.33584/jnzg.1995.57.2158
Subject(s) - profitability index , beef cattle , agricultural science , productivity , stock (firearms) , business , farm income , agricultural economics , agriculture , geography , environmental science , economics , forestry , finance , archaeology , macroeconomics
Results from the MRDC-ANZ monitor farm programme in the Far North (Omatua Farm Ltd) have involved the adoption or continued use of onfarm technologies such as crossbreeding, yearling mating, regrassing, supplementary feeding, subdivision, fertiliser use, stock policy evaluation and monitoring animal growth rates. These results have substantially improved farm productivity and profitability. Farm business planning has been a significant part of the monitor farm process, leading to a 12% increase in yearly beef produced off the monitor farm. Small farms like Omatua Farm Ltd make up 63% of the beef cattle and sheep farms in the Far North District Council. The potential of the farm monitor-business planning approach on these farms is to improve gross annual income by $20 000. Without improvements in productivity and profitability an increasing amount of beef cattle farm land in the area is likely to end up in an alternative land use. Keywords: business planning, farm management technologies, monitor farm, small beef cattle farms