Beef Production and Economy

Upon successful completion of this course, the student:

Knowledge :

• has knowledge of key economic and production target figures in milk and beefcattle production and can identify good and poor results
• has knowledge of key frame conditions in Norwegian milk and beefcattle production, including the farm resource base, milk quota arrangements, the role of the market regulator as well as potential challenges for the processing industry related to varying demand for milk and beefcattle products in the market
• has knowledge of the history as well as the development and research efforts that lie behind the most commonly used feed assessment system for milking cows in Norway
• has knowledge of important research and development work in milk- and beefcattel production and can update his or her knowledge of this topic
• has knowledge of basic breeding theory as well as the Norwegian breeding programmes for NRF and breeds used in beefproductipn in particular

Skills:

• can see economic and production target figures in relation to the farms operating arrangements, resources and keeping of animals (health, feeding and stabling)
• can reflect upon how his or her keeping of cattle should be operated in order to achieve good animal welfare and good economic results
• has thorough knowledge of ruminants' rumen physiology, decomposing and absorbtion of nutrition through the digestive tract, and knowledge of how nutrition absorbtion affects the chemical composition of milk
• can enter the correct preconditions and calculate simple feeding plans manually or in the TINE OptiFôr planning tool

General competence:

• can plan and conduct an operation analysis in a cattle herd, alone or as member of a group, in accordance with ethical norms
• can apply professional knowledge and results from research and development work to interpret and analyse data from Kukontrollen and TINE Mjølkonomi in order to analyse operating results for a herd of cattle. Can further account for what would represent improvement measures, provide professional advice and present this.
• can apply professional knowledge and results from research and development work to interpret results of a roughage analysis as well as account for what would represent improvement measures when the target is to create a roughage best possible suited for young animals, dry cows, cows in high lactation or various operating forms in beef production.
• can exchange views on what constitutes good production and operation of cattle herds with milk and beefproduction
• can exchange views on what constitutes responsible keeping of cattle from an animal welfare perspective
• can communicate basic theory of correct feeding of young animals and production animals in milk and beef-producing cattle herds