Winsmaksimering met die meet van gemiddelde daaglikse toename in 'n Bonsmara-beesvoerkraal
Abstract
Met die toenemende verkleining van marges in die landbousektor wêreldwyd, is daar ʼn konstante neiging om boerderypraktyke te vind wat effektiwiteit sal verbeter en winsgewendheid sal verhoog. Een van die sektore waarop gefokus word, is die rooivleisbedryf, en meer spesifiek, in die intensiewe beesvoerkraalmilieu. Voerpryse wat wispelturig is, veroorsaak onsekerheid vir die voerkraalbestuurder en dit is dus uiters noodsaaklik om elke aspek in die voerkraal noukeurig te monitor. Die hoofdoel in kort is om maksimum karkasgroei te realiseer, met so min as moontlik insette (voer, arbeid, kapitaal, rente), maar ook binne ʼn gegewe hoeveelheid staandae.
Hierdie studie het gefokus op die effek wat die meet van gemiddelde daaglikse toename (GDT) op die winsgewendheid van ʼn beesvoerkraal het.
Beesvoerkrale in Suid-Afrika word nie gevrywaar van die wêreld se heersende koste-knyptang-effek nie. Verder is daar ook ander faktore soos wisselkoers, klimaat, doeane-beheer, politiek, grondbesit, rente en voerpryse wat tans die bedryf in Suid-Afrika se winsgewendheid beïnvloed.
Daar is besluit om slegs die GDT in hierdie studie te meet omdat die drie veranderlikes, naamlik staandae, inname en groei gedeeltelik deur hierdie meting verteenwoordig word. Dit is ook die meting wat die maklikste deur voerkraalondernemings van enige grootte op plaasvlak gedoen kan word.
By meeste voerkrale is dit eers moontlik om die GDT van ʼn dier of ʼn groepering van diere te bepaal die dag wanneer die slagting plaasvind en is dit moontlik dat daar diere in die groep was wat nie genoegsaam kon groei nie en dus nie tot wins kon bydra nie. ʼn Hipotese kan op grond hiervan geformuleer word dat, sou die sogenaamde passasiers deur middel van meting vroeër uit die proses geskakel kon word, dit meer wins tot gevolg sal hê. Die gesegde van “om te meet, is om te weet” is deur hierdie studie beproef.
Die resultate het egter aangedui dat daar heelwat tekortkominge is indien daar slegs op ʼn enkele meting soos GDT gefokus word. Daar kon ook nie bewys word dat die gereelde weeg van diere, bepaling van hul groeikoers en dan die uitskakeling van passasiers, meer wins tot gevolg sou hê nie.
Deur die deeglike kwantitatiewe ondersoek wat geloods is, het hierdie studie dan ook gepoog om moontlike vrae en persepsies hok te slaan. Aanbevelings rakende die meet van GDT vir beter wins is in hierdie studie vervat asook die identifisering van tekortkominge wat die gebruik van slegs hierdie enkele meting tot gevolg kan hê. With the increasing reduction of margins in the agricultural sector worldwide, there is a constant tendency to find farming practices that will improve efficiency and increase profitability. One of the sectors focused on, is the red meat industry and more specifically, the intensive cattle feedlot environment. Feed prices which are capricious causes uncertainty for the feedlot manager and it is imperative to carefully monitor every aspect in the feedlot. The main purpose in short, is to realise maximum carcass growth, with as little as possible inputs (feed, labour, capital and interest), but also within a given amount of days on feed.
This study focused on the effect of measuring average daily gain (ADG) on the profitability of cattle in a feedlot.
Cattle feedlots in South Africa are not indemnified against the world's current cost squeeze effect. There are also other factors such as exchange rate, climate, customs control, politics, tenure, interest and feed prices currently affecting the profitability of the industry in South Africa.
It was decided to measure only the ADG in this study because the three variables, namely days on feed, intake and growth are partly represented by this method of measurement. It is also the easiest way for feedlot businesses of any size to measure at farm level.
At most feedlots, it is only possible to determine the ADG of an animal or a group of animals on the day of the massacre and it is possible that there could be animals in the group that did not grow enough to contribute to profit. A hypothesis can be formulated on this basis that, if the so-called passengers could be excluded from this measurement process, it would lead to more profit. The adage of "to measure is to know" has been tested by this study.
The results have indicated that there are several shortcomings if the focus is only on a single method of measurement, like ADG. It could not be proven that the regular weighing of animals, determining their growth rate and the elimination of passengers, would lead to more profit.
By means of a thorough quantitative investigation that was launched, this study also sought to prevent the questions and perceptions.
Recommendations regarding the measurement of ADG for better profits are contained in this study as well as the identification of deficiencies that may lead to the use of only this single method of measurement