A PUZZLE OF GRAZING MANAGEMENT TOOLS IN THE INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE AREAS

Abstract

Animal feed is the biggest variable cost that a farmer must manage in cattle production. Thus farmers need to maximise profitability by increasing the amount of locally grown forage that is transformed into animal output. Grazing management must be viewed as a collection of dynamic decisions that lead the farm towards its production goals. This study explored the available literature on grazing management tools and technologies, and categorised them according to industrial engineering (IE) bodies of knowledge (BOK) tools and technologies. A systematic literature review was conducted to retrieve the relevant literature. It was found that, although the technologies to aid grazing management exist, models still need to be developed into a fully functioning decision support system. The findings from this study provide guidance for future research on how to develop the tools and models into decision support systems.