Economic Trade-Offs Between Milk And Meat Population Under Various Supplementation Levels In Botswana

A dynamic and stochastic cattle herd simulation model is used to investigate economic trade-offs between meat and milk production of two genotypes in Botswana. Under the present pricing structure supplementation of Simmental x Tswana crossbred cows results in a substantial increase in milk yields and much higher returns compared to that of indigenous Tswana cows, without at the same time impairing their performance as meat producers.