Optimising the allocation of beef cattle to market endpoints

Abstract

The diversity of the markets available to Australian beef cattle production systems offers the opportunity to utilise variation in growth potential to improve efficiency. The optimisation algorithm - Differential Evolution, used an extension of the Random Keys Representation to optimise the allocation of animals from a cohort to different market endpoints with the objective of maximising profit in a simulated production system. The drafting system was found to react sensibly to changes in the prevailing production system. When the value of the Japanese B3 market was reduced, more animals were allocated to the Heavy Supermarket and European Union markets. When drought conditions were simulated fewer animals were allocated to the grass-fed European Union market.