ACROSS all breeding systems there are multiple factors that contribute to production and profitability. These can easily be presented in ways that overwhelm producers, often drawing attention to smaller issues rather than the fundamentals that form the basic building blocks of profitable beef production.
At last week’s MLA Northern Genetics Field Day held at Spyglass Research Station north of Charters Towers, well-known Brahman breeder Rodger Jefferis of Elrose Brahmans highlighted four key profit drivers he sees for all northern Australian beef producers: survival, fertility, growth on grass, and market suitability.
Rodger Jefferis
Mr Jefferis emphasised that survival in his region underpins everything else. While it seems obvious that cattle must survive in their environment, mortality rates still vary widely across northern production systems.
Figures from the Bush Agribusiness Australian Beef Report show average annual mortality in the north sits at 2.5pc, while the top 25pc of northern businesses achieve closer to 2pc.
A half-percentage point difference may not sound large, but in herds running thousands of Adult Equivalents (AEs) it quickly adds up. In a 2000 AE herd, that gap equals ten extra animals surviving each year.
At an average value of $1509 per head, the difference is worth around $15,000 annually, before considering the feed, labour, and management already invested in animals that do not survive.
The Calf Alive Project reinforces the scale of survival costs. It found that calf wastage across northern systems averages around 10pc, with each lost calf valued at more than $500.
In a 1000-cow herd, that equates to $50,000 in lost income annually. Even halving losses to 5pc still costs $25,000 a year. Taken together, herd mortality and calf wastage highlight survival as a major cost driver.
A 2000 AE herd can lose more than $60,000 annually in avoidable deaths, before accounting for the downstream effects on fertility, herd structure, and future income.
For cows, survival means being structurally sound, adapted to the environment, and resilient to seasonal variation.
For calves, survival hinges on maternal ability, calving ease, and having the right balance of growth and fat cover at birth. Management strategies such as maintaining adequate body condition at calving, selecting sires with balanced birthweight EBVs, and focusing on temperament and mothering ability all help reduce losses.
Once survival is addressed, fertility becomes the most powerful driver of profit. Small improvements in pregnancy, calving, and re-conception rates consistently deliver greater financial returns than gains in growth or carcase traits.
Bush Agribusiness data shows the northern industry average natural increase is around 63–64pc, compared with 65pc or more for the top 25pc. That difference highlights the compounding effect of fertility: the best herds consistently turn more pregnancies into live calves weaned and marketed.
Fertility is the clear dividing line between profitable and marginal enterprises. Cattle producers weaning 60pc or less of calves from mated cows will struggle regardless of market conditions. By contrast, herds consistently achieving 80pc or more are positioned for long-term profit and resilience.
Programs such as Repronomics highlight the role genetics can play in improving fertility. EBVs for Days to Calving, Gestation Length, Scrotal Size, and genomic breeding values for traits such as Age at Puberty and Heifer Pregnancy provide valuable selection tools.
But fertility is never just about genetics, management of cow body condition, targeted supplementation, and disciplined joining periods remain equally important.
Growth on grass
During his Spyglass field day address, Rodger Jefferis stressed the importance of growth on grass.
In pasture-based systems, particularly in the north where supplementation is costly or impractical, cattle must thrive on available feed, he said. Selecting cattle purely for high growth EBVs or large mature size without considering their efficiency on pasture can undermine profitability. Larger-framed cattle with high feed requirements often struggle in dry seasons, failing to maintain condition and compromising both survival and fertility.
The focus should be on efficiency, matching maturity pattern to environment, ensuring steady growth on pasture, maintaining condition through seasonal swings, and reaching market weights without heavy supplementation, he said.
The data collected within the Repronomics project is contributing to more accurate EBVs, which provide better information for producers seeking to select livestock that balance growth with adaptation, reinforcing that efficiency on grass underpins both cost of production and profitability.
The final driver is market suitability. Cattle may survive, reproduce, and grow, but unless they meet market specifications, they won’t deliver full value. Carcase weight, fat cover, muscle, and eating quality are all critical, as is fit for supply chains such as live export, grass-fed brands, or feedlot markets.
However Rodger Jefferis also cautioned that some northern programs have placed market traits ahead of survival and fertility. This approach, risked using genetics unsuited to the environment, which can increase losses and reduce productivity. Market suitability must always be built on the foundation of survival and fertility rather than as the priority focus.
Mr Jefferis’ message has applicability for producers operating in all environments, and not only northern systems.
Profitability in beef herds depends on getting the fundamentals right. Survival and fertility underpin everything, growth must be efficient on pasture, and market suitability ensures cattle convert into value.
Each driver is interlinked and neglecting one quickly erodes the benefits of the others. For producers, the challenge is to keep these core drivers front of mind and make decisions that strengthen them year after year.
Alastair Rayner
Alastair Rayner is Principal of RaynerAg and an Extension & Engagement Consultant with the Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI). He has over 28 years’ experience advising beef producers and graziers across Australia. Alastair can be contacted here or through his website: www.raynerag.com.au