Adult equivalent - Revision history

FinlayV: /* Age groups in the Dynama+ program */

2020-08-26T07:35:28Z

Age groups in the Dynama+ program

FinlayV: /* Adult equivalents in Dynama+ */

2020-08-26T07:10:08Z

Adult equivalents in Dynama+

FinlayV: /* What are adult equivalents? */

2020-08-26T07:09:27Z

What are adult equivalents?

FinlayV: /* What are adult equivalents? */

2020-08-26T07:03:57Z

What are adult equivalents?

FinlayV at 04:13, 18 August 2020

2020-08-18T04:13:44Z

FinlayV at 04:13, 18 August 2020

2020-08-18T04:13:08Z

Lara at 01:10, 12 August 2020

2020-08-12T01:10:51Z

Lara at 01:09, 12 August 2020

2020-08-12T01:09:04Z

Lara at 01:08, 12 August 2020

2020-08-12T01:08:55Z

Lara: Created page with "===Adult equivalents in Breedcow+=== Another key concept underpinning Breedcowplus analyses is that of adult equivalents. The calculation of the total adult equivalents for e..."

2020-08-12T01:08:30Z

Created page with "===Adult equivalents in Breedcow+=== Another key concept underpinning Breedcowplus analyses is that of adult equivalents. The calculation of the total adult equivalents for e..."

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===Adult equivalents in Breedcow+===

Another key concept underpinning Breedcowplus analyses is that of adult equivalents. The calculation of the total adult equivalents for each modelled herd structure indicates the relative grazing pressure exerted by the herd structure and, if herds have similar total adult equivalents, a meaningful comparison of relative profitability can be made.

The main calculation of adult equivalents is based on the total number of cattle carried for the whole year in all classes. The number carried is calculated as the opening number plus purchases less sales less spays. Cattle recorded as sold or spayed are no longer in the “number carried” and have an adult equivalent rating attributed to them separately.

'''What are adult equivalents?'''
Most planning in grazing livestock enterprises requires that track be kept of how much feed is used or at least of the “stocking rate”. Thus the comparison of herd structures, turnoff strategies or gross margins is undertaken whilst observing self-imposed limits on how much stock the property can carry.

An immediate problem encountered in herd modelling is that all cattle are not the same size and do not eat the same amount of feed, e.g. weaners eat less than bullocks. Likewise a herd of 2,000 cattle comprising breeders turning off weaners will most likely not eat the same amount as a herd of 2,000 comprising fewer cows but turning off older steers.

'''To ensure that herds are compared on the basis of consuming the same amount of feed when making predictions of relative profitability, feed requirements are estimated for each class of cattle relative to an adult equivalent.'''

'''For the Breedcowplus program an adult equivalent is taken as a non-pregnant, non-lactating beast of average weight 455 kilograms (1,000 lbs) carried for 12 months.'''

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:35, 26 August 2020
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	If the supplementation strategy is profitable at a 30% reduction if AE’s, the strategy can be tested again at a 40% reduction to test the assumptions further. This is little available evidence to identify the actual impact of a supplementation regime on consumption in the paddock so some sensitivity testing is warranted.		If the supplementation strategy is profitable at a 30% reduction if AE’s, the strategy can be tested again at a 40% reduction to test the assumptions further. This is little available evidence to identify the actual impact of a supplementation regime on consumption in the paddock so some sensitivity testing is warranted.
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−	~~===Age groups in the Dynama+ program===~~
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−	~~In the Dynama+ program, groups are defined either by their age at the start of the year or by a specific age. Prices on sale cattle are generally applied at a specific age.~~
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−	The meanings of age group descriptions can be established early by starting the budgeting exercise in the AECalc worksheet. The peak calving time, expected live weights, sale weights and sale months for each class of cattle are declared in the AECalc worksheet.
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−	The tables in the Prices worksheet use headings which refer to a specific age at which cattle are sold, e.g. weaners, one year, two years etc. In practice, people sell their cattle throughout the year at ages such as 15 months, 18 months, 20 months etc. One label may have to cover everything from say 12 months to nearly two years. Sale ages are defined in months in the AECalc worksheet.
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−	In the Dynama worksheet there is provision for trading “New Calves (mixed)”. This includes purchasing calves on their mothers and selling calves in the same year they were born. Sale and Purchase prices for “New Calves” in the Prices worksheet refer to these transactions, and Table 7 of the Dynama worksheet has provision for entering sales and purchases of “New Calves”. Beneath Table 7 there is also an entry for “Closing new calves female”. This is used, if for instance a group of steer calves has been sold, to ensure correct numbers of weaner heifers versus steers going into the following year.

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 The AECalc worksheet is used to calculate adult equivalent ratings, based on weights and months carried, for each group. Values for the AECalc worksheet in [[Dynama+]] can be imported from an [[Breedcow+ AECalc|AECalc]] sheet in [[Breedcow+]]. The values for the first year in the Dynama+ [[Dynama+ AECalc|AECalc]] sheet are automatically transferred to the remaining nine years but can be overwritten where weights or appetite change over time. This is important where a supplement feeding program is under consideration or being altered.
-====Adult equivalents and feeding supplements====
+===Adult equivalents and feeding supplements===
 There are some adult equivalent calculation issues that arise with cattle receiving feed supplements that may need to be considered if systems that provide supplements are to be compared to systems that do not.

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 '''Five months is an arbitrary age beyond which the former “calves” are rated purely on weight. This age may bear no relationship to the age at which they are actually weaned.'''
-Therefore, when comparing herds with and without phosphorus or non-protein nitrogen (e.g. urea) supplementation, pasture consumption at a given weight will be greater for the supplemented animals at the same weight and may need to be taken into account in the allocation of adult equivalent ratings.
+The AECalc worksheet is used to calculate adult equivalent ratings, based on weights and months carried, for each group. Values for the AECalc worksheet in [[Dynama+]] can be imported from an [[Breedcow+ AECalc|AECalc]] sheet in [[Breedcow+]]. The values for the first year in the Dynama+ [[Dynama+ AECalc|AECalc]] sheet are automatically transferred to the remaining nine years but can be overwritten where weights or appetite change over time. This is important where a supplement feeding program is under consideration or being altered.
-The increased consumption is likely to be only partly captured through the increased weight of supplemented cattle. One solution is to '''use a lower weight''' as the '''adult equivalent standard''' for supplemented cattle thereby calculating higher adult equivalent ratings for them. Alternately the comparison may be between say 4,000 adult equivalents that are not supplemented with 3,600 adult equivalents supplemented, thus acknowledging that a supplemented adult equivalent represents more forage consumption. There may also be issues with energy supplements such as molasses if the adult equivalents are being supported in part by pasture and in part by the supplement. These issues are especially important when assessing the economics of supplementation. Unfortunately, there is currently no scientific evidence to support how the adult equivalent ratings should be adjusted to cope with the impact of supplementation on increased intake, making the estimates of experienced livestock managers the best source of information available.
+====Adult equivalents and feeding supplements====

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 '''To ensure that herds are compared on the basis of consuming the same amount of feed when making predictions of relative profitability, feed requirements are estimated for each class of cattle relative to an adult equivalent.'''
-'''For the Breedcowplus program an adult equivalent is taken as a non-pregnant, non-lactating beast of average weight 455 kilograms (1,000 lbs) carried for 12 months.'''
+'''For the [[Breedcow+]] program an adult equivalent is taken as a non-pregnant, non-lactating beast of average weight 455 kilograms (1,000 lbs) carried for 12 months.'''
 Animals of average weight over the twelve months of more or less than 455 kilograms are rated in proportion to their average bodyweight over the period. Thus a beast growing from 450 kilograms to 600 kilograms (average 525 kilograms) would be rated at 1.15 adult equivalents for twelve months. (525 divided by 455 equals 1.15)

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 Adult Equivalents are calculated using the same process in all Breedcow and Dynama programs with Dynama+ allowing users to consider the impact of change on both cash flow '''and''' grazing pressure over time.
-'''What are adult equivalents?'''
+===What are adult equivalents?===
 Most planning in grazing livestock enterprises requires that track be kept of how much feed is used or at least of the “stocking rate”. Thus the comparison of herd structures, turnoff strategies or gross margins is undertaken whilst observing self-imposed limits on how much stock the property can carry.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-===Adult equivalents in Breedcow+===
+==Adult equivalents in Breedcow+==
 Another key concept underpinning [[Breedcow+|Breedcow+]] analyses is that of adult equivalents. The calculation of the total adult equivalents for each modelled herd structure indicates the relative grazing pressure exerted by the herd structure and, if herds have similar total adult equivalents, a meaningful comparison of relative profitability can be made.
 The main calculation of adult equivalents is based on the total number of cattle carried for the whole year in all classes. The number carried is calculated as the opening number plus purchases less sales less spays. Cattle recorded as sold or spayed are no longer in the “number carried” and have an adult equivalent rating attributed to them separately.
 '''What are adult equivalents?'''