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May, 2014
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New Project - Production systems and economics of forage harvesting in selected beef farms and countries
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Global and comparable information on forage harvesting systems and particularly grass-based systems is not readily available. Consequently, the focus of this new project is on forage crops (grassland and corn silage) and related operations.
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This research will be based on the work of agri benchmark partners in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The project started in February 2014 with a duration of eight months and is funded by John Deere.
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Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock
Focus Area 1 - Closing the Efficiency Gap
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The Focus Area 1 recently held its first meeting of the year at the International Meat Secretariat Headquarters in Paris (March 19-20). It was attended by a wide range of multilateral organizations, development agencies, research institutions, and industrial companies from all over the world.
The principal mandate is to build up a comprehensive approach for improving efficiency, promoting regional/local interventions, and facilitating the exchange between stakeholders, livestock initiatives and projects. They have been working in developing a wider approach for assessing natural resource use efficiency, as well as economic, environmental, social and animal welfare impacts. To develop this process, they are defining criteria for selecting regions, production systems and pilot projects, on which this assessment can be implemented.
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| » More information available on livestockdialogue.org
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Environmental and animal welfare activities
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As agreed during the last conference the network needs to consider environmental indicators and animal welfare aspects in the future, because of its growing importance globally and for analysis of natural resource use.
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| A group of partners will provide data regarding environmental indicators and first results will be presented during the 2014 conference in Italy. An overview on animal welfare issues in beef and sheep production worldwide will be given at the conference by a representative of the World Society for the Protection of Animals.
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MLA Market Information -
Australia´s beef and sheep sector
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The Australian network partners Karl Behrendt and Peter Weeks used the global agri benchmark network results 2013 to publish two brochures.
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| These publications offer information about the performance of Australian beef and sheep producers compared to other global players.
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| » Australian beef producers fare well in 2013
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| » Australia a low cost sheepmeat producer, with room to improve
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Beef production information for the US and Brazil
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For information about net returns of US cattle finishing operations, we recommend the website of the Kansas State University (Livestock & Meat Market). The monthly updates reflect current market conditions.
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Furthermore you can find the current CEPEA newsletter with the latest data from Brazilian beef production on our homepage.
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| » Estimated feedlot returns in the US
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| » Link to newsletter
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Did you know?
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The French Massif Central: a key region for European beef production
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| French farmers handle the biggest suckling herd in Europe with more than 4 million cows. The Massif Central in the centre of the country cannot be overlooked as it holds 1.8 million suckler cows, representing 43 percent of the national herd and 15 percent of the European herd.
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| » Read more
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