M. Kearney , E.G. O’Riordan , C.J. Byrne , J. Breen , P. Crosson
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Abstract
Objective
The objective of this study was to quantify the sustainability of representative dairy-beef farms in Ireland (AVE) and to compare these with dairy-beef farms participating in a farm improvement program (IMP) and research (RES) systems. The study aimed to determine the differences in technical performance and key sustainability indicators among these farm categories.
Material and Methods
Within each farm category, dairy-beef systems differing in sire breed (early maturing, late maturing, and Holstein-Friesian), animal sex (steer and heifer), finishing age (ranging from 18 to 30 mo of age), and production system (finishing from grazing or indoor-based systems) were modeled using the Grange Dairy-Beef Systems Model.
Results and Discussion
The average finishing age was 25.4, 23.8, and 20.6 mo on AVE, IMP, and RES, respectively. Results highlighted a wide range in net margins (from €185 to €806 per hectare; €1 = $1.05) for the systems modeled. Sex had the largest effect on profitability (steer greater than heifer), followed by finishing system (finishing from grazing systems greater than indoor systems) and breed type (late maturing greatest and Holstein-Friesian least). Greenhouse gas emissions of the 3 farm categories ranged from 10.8 to 16.6 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq) per kilogram of carcass weight produced. All farm categories were, on average, net producers of human-edible protein, and all farms were net consumers of human-edible energy.
Implications and Applications
Key sustainability performance indicators identified in this study include carcass output per hectare, reduced age at slaughter, high individual animal performance, and increasing of the proportion of grazed pasture in the animal’s diet. There is a temporal dimension to ranking farm categories from an economic, environment, labor, feed-food competition, and land-use perspective because none of the 3 farm categories investigated were without fault from a sustainable dairy- beef production perspective.
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