Enhancing the BeefSpecs system for improving market compliance of pasture-fed beef in southern Australia.

Summary

​This project has enhanced the BeefSpecs tools to assist pasture fed beef producers improve compliance rates and 'meet market specifications' before slaughter. The new enhancements include a new input for muscle score and the prediction of denuded lean meat yield (%), MSA marbling score and MSA index of live animals. The development of the BeefSpecs drafting tool initiated during the former Beef CRC has now been developed for the web and is available on the NSW DPI web site.

A prototype pasture-fed BeefSpecs optimisation tool to optimise profitability of beef herds has been developed that can be customized, as required, to large pastoral companies. Growth trait EBVs were evaluated and confirmed that the inclusion of EBVs provides value in terms of increasing predictive accuracy. A BeefSpecs prototype economic calculator based off a generic grid has been developed and predicts total value of consignment. Workshop material has been developed and four pilot workshops are in the pipe line with a focus on the management changes that are required to assist producers meet market specifications.