Production V Profitability: beef production and pest management in northern Australia

Abstract

“Production” is about maximising the quantity of beef produced while “Profitability” takes into account the cost to produce each kilogram of beef. The most productive beef producers may not be the most profitable. While production is important, the most profitable producers produce each kilogram of beef for less. The most profitable producers: have more conservative stocking rates; have substantially less overheads; focus more on profit than production; utilise plant and equipment more effectively; understand where they are in terms of overheads, turn over and gross margin, and; understand the implications of lifting stocking rates above carrying capacity (McCosker et al 2009). Matching stocking rate to carrying capacity can be critical. Macropods and introduced vertebrate pests have serious impacts in Queensland. National best practice wild dog control is intent on maximising livestock production but does not consider the positive impacts wild dogs may have limiting or regulating macropod, rabbit, feral pig and feral goat numbers or factor-in the flow-on effects of these positive impacts on livestock carrying capacity, pastures and ultimately drought resilience. This paper discusses the lethal management of wild dogs with respect to beef cattle profitability and discusses the factors that should be considered when managing wild dogs.