A newly released online calculator is set to transform the marketing of cattle and help producers maximise profits and better meet customer requirements.

The BeefSpecs tool is an online livestock model that predicts the future weight and fat levels in beef cattle.

NSW Department of Primary Industries animal production research leader, Michael Beer, said BeefSpecs will help farmers target specific beef markets and get more value out of their cattle operation.

“The tool allows farmers to make more informed management decisions and meet various customer specifications for weight, fat scores and other beef carcase requirements,” he said.

The online calculator requires producers to input current liveweight, rump fat depth, and frame score and provides an initial snapshot of growth and maturity parameters of cattle while on farm.

Drawing on this analysis – and further information on animal sex, breed, HGP status and growth rates – the calculator then estimates the beef carcase characteristics at point-of- sale.

“This allows producers to forward-plan and put in place strategies to ensure their cattle meet market requirements,” Mr Beer said.

He said market compliance was a major issue and the failure of producers to meet customer requirements was currently costing the industry millions of dollars in lost profit each year.

“Some 25 percent of cattle fail to meet targets for carcase weight and fat specification, at a cost of between $15 and $30 a head, depending on the target market,” Mr Beer said.

“BeefSpecs arms producers with the right information to reduce non-compliance and maximise their profits come selling time.”

BeefSpecs has been developed by NSW DPI and Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies in collaboration with Meat and Livestock Australia, University of New England, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, University of California Davis, and the US Department of Agriculture Meat Animal Research Centre.

 The calculator can be view by clicking here. A link will also be provided on Beef Central's markets page.