{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/33187"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/33187","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Profitability Analysis of Forage Based Beef Systems in Appalachia","abstract":"The largest agricultural enterprise in the Appalachia region of Virginia is livestock production, particularly beef cow calf operations. However; topography and land holding patterns have resulted in a majority of small farms operating part time on less than 150 acres. These farms, while abundant, are not necessarily profitable. Management intensive grazing has been suggested as an alternative to traditional production practices to increase profitability. A profitability analysis was conducted by comparing a traditional style of cow-calf management where hay was produced on farm with a full machinery complement to a management intensive grazing farm where forages are stockpiled and all hay was purchased on farm, requiring minimal machinery investment. Four farms were simulated using Finpack Farm Management software by utilizing production data from the Virginia Tech Shenandoah Valley Agriculture Research and Extension Center and secondary financial data. The first two farms were listed as having a traditional style of management with hay production and two different stocking rates, 1.75 acres per cow-calf unit and 2.25 acres per cow-calf unit, respectively. Farm 3 and Farm 4 were simulated utilizing management intensive grazing and the two socking rates. It was found that while none of the farms actually show a profit the management intensive farms did outperform the traditional style farms. Farm 3 with the 1.75 acre per cow-calf unit stocking rate was the best performing farm financially. With these findings, beef cow producers will be able to make better management decisions and explore more profitable alternatives.","abstract_html":"The largest agricultural enterprise in the Appalachia region of Virginia is livestock production, particularly beef cow calf operations. However; topography and land holding patterns have resulted in a majority of small farms operating part time on less than 150 acres. These farms, while abundant, are not necessarily profitable. Management intensive grazing has been suggested as an alternative to traditional production practices to increase profitability. A profitability analysis was conducted by comparing a traditional style of cow-calf management where hay was produced on farm with a full machinery complement to a management intensive grazing farm where forages are stockpiled and all hay was purchased on farm, requiring minimal machinery investment. Four farms were simulated using Finpack Farm Management software by utilizing production data from the Virginia Tech Shenandoah Valley Agriculture Research and Extension Center and secondary financial data. The first two farms were listed as having a traditional style of management with hay production and two different stocking rates, 1.75 acres per cow-calf unit and 2.25 acres per cow-calf unit, respectively. Farm 3 and Farm 4 were simulated utilizing management intensive grazing and the two socking rates. It was found that while none of the farms actually show a profit the management intensive farms did outperform the traditional style farms. Farm 3 with the 1.75 acre per cow-calf unit stocking rate was the best performing farm financially. With these findings, beef cow producers will be able to make better management decisions and explore more profitable alternatives.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Young, Darin Clifton"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Agricultural and Applied Economics","degree_department":"Agricultural and Applied Economics","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Groover, Gordon E.","Bosch, Darrell J."],"committee_members":["White, Alex A."],"year":2006,"date_issued":"2006-04-27","date_published":"2006-04-27","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:34Z","subjects":["Cow/Calf","Profitability","Simulation","Stocking Rate","Management Intensive","Beef"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-05242006-131349"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd-05242006-131349","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33187","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Groover, Gordon E.","Bosch, Darrell J."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["White, Alex A."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Agricultural and Applied Economics"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Young, Darin Clifton"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-03-14T20:38:27Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T20:38:27Z","2006-07-26"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2006-04-27"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Agricultural and Applied Economics"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Cow/Calf","Profitability","Simulation","Stocking Rate","Management Intensive","Beef"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-05242006-131349"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33187"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The largest agricultural enterprise in the Appalachia region of Virginia is livestock production, particularly beef cow calf operations. However; topography and land holding patterns have resulted in a majority of small farms operating part time on less than 150 acres. These farms, while abundant, are not necessarily profitable. Management intensive grazing has been suggested as an alternative to traditional production practices to increase profitability. A profitability analysis was conducted by comparing a traditional style of cow-calf management where hay was produced on farm with a full machinery complement to a management intensive grazing farm where forages are stockpiled and all hay was purchased on farm, requiring minimal machinery investment. Four farms were simulated using Finpack Farm Management software by utilizing production data from the Virginia Tech Shenandoah Valley Agriculture Research and Extension Center and secondary financial data. The first two farms were listed as having a traditional style of management with hay production and two different stocking rates, 1.75 acres per cow-calf unit and 2.25 acres per cow-calf unit, respectively. Farm 3 and Farm 4 were simulated utilizing management intensive grazing and the two socking rates. It was found that while none of the farms actually show a profit the management intensive farms did outperform the traditional style farms. Farm 3 with the 1.75 acre per cow-calf unit stocking rate was the best performing farm financially. With these findings, beef cow producers will be able to make better management decisions and explore more profitable alternatives."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Profitability Analysis of Forage Based Beef Systems in Appalachia"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Groover, Gordon E.","Bosch, Darrell J."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["White, Alex A."],"dc:contributor.department":["Agricultural and Applied Economics"],"dc:creator":["Young, Darin Clifton"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-03-14T20:38:27Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-03-14T20:38:27Z","2006-07-26"],"dc:date.issued":["2006-04-27"],"dc:description.abstract":["The largest agricultural enterprise in the Appalachia region of Virginia is livestock production, particularly beef cow calf operations. However; topography and land holding patterns have resulted in a majority of small farms operating part time on less than 150 acres. These farms, while abundant, are not necessarily profitable. Management intensive grazing has been suggested as an alternative to traditional production practices to increase profitability. A profitability analysis was conducted by comparing a traditional style of cow-calf management where hay was produced on farm with a full machinery complement to a management intensive grazing farm where forages are stockpiled and all hay was purchased on farm, requiring minimal machinery investment. Four farms were simulated using Finpack Farm Management software by utilizing production data from the Virginia Tech Shenandoah Valley Agriculture Research and Extension Center and secondary financial data. The first two farms were listed as having a traditional style of management with hay production and two different stocking rates, 1.75 acres per cow-calf unit and 2.25 acres per cow-calf unit, respectively. Farm 3 and Farm 4 were simulated utilizing management intensive grazing and the two socking rates. It was found that while none of the farms actually show a profit the management intensive farms did outperform the traditional style farms. Farm 3 with the 1.75 acre per cow-calf unit stocking rate was the best performing farm financially. With these findings, beef cow producers will be able to make better management decisions and explore more profitable alternatives."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:identifier.other":["etd-05242006-131349"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33187"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Cow/Calf","Profitability","Simulation","Stocking Rate","Management Intensive","Beef"],"dc:title":["Profitability Analysis of Forage Based Beef Systems in Appalachia"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Agricultural and Applied Economics"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:34Z"}