On-property benefits of Precision Livestock Management (PLM) technologies and applications.

Summary

The Livestock Production Innovation unit (LPI) of Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) had a mandate to increase the profitability and sustainability of producers in the red meat industry. To achieve this, MLA planned to focus resources on the large beef and lamb producers which account for a disproportionately large share of red meat production. MLA therefore needed to develop a strategy to target this segment and base research was required to answer the following:

• What information sources do large producers prefer, what motivates them in regard to adoption of technologies or new management practices, and what factors are barriers to adoption?

• To what extent are LPI’s current range of information, tools and learning activities meeting the needs of large producers and what should be done to better meet these needs?

• How can MLA better engage large producers to contribute to the industry productivity target?

Solutions conducted base qualitative and quantitative research among large beef producers in May and June 2008 and following a one day workshop to discuss the results, developed recommendations for a strategy for MLA to target large beef producers with the capacity to change. Key findings were as follows:
Motivation for Adopting New Technologies and Management Practices
Large beef producers’ goals and achievements were largely in line with the objectives that MLA is pursuing such as increasing productivity, profitability and sustainability. Most producers therefore placed a high priority (and were apparently achieving) in specific areas such as reducing cost of production ($/kg), increasing weaning rates, reducing mortality rates, reducing age at sale and improving environmental management. Attitudes towards

(a) the need for change

(b) the need for information and advice and

(c) the sources of that information (eg MLA and consultants) also played a major part in motivation for adopting new technology and management practices.

More specifically, if producers were open to change their enterprises, willing to seek expert advice, perceived benefits in R&D and felt MLA had a valuable role to play in this process, they exhibited the greatest motivation to adopt new technologies and management practices.