Speaker
Description
The Alberta beef sector plays a crucial role in Canada’s agricultural economy, however, beef producers are increasingly being pressured by climate-related risks such as drought and extreme weather. While alternative management practices may improve environmental outcomes, their adoption is often limited by uncertainty regarding economic performance. In addition, decision-makers currently lack integrated tools that jointly assess the economic and environmental trade-offs of alternative beef production practices.
To address these issues, this study develops a bioeconomic model of Alberta beef production to evaluate how selected grazing and winter feeding practices affect farm profitability and environmental performance. The analysis focuses on two scenarios: (1) rotational grazing compared to continuous grazing and (2) the adoption of in-field winter grazing compared to conventional winter feeding systems. Model outputs quantify the trade-offs between profitability, land use, and environmental outcomes for different scenarios. For example, a combination of rotational grazing and herd size levels is expected to affect pasture use and the cost structure, while in-field winter grazing will most probably reduce feed and manure management costs, but this will also depend on regional constraints related to soil and climatic conditions. The model will generate scenario-specific estimates of farm income, cost changes, and environmental indicators under alternative management strategies.
| Are you participating to the "AnaEE Environmental Rising Star Award "? | No |
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