Demand For Beef Research Articles

Effects of Discharge Parameters on the Thawing Characteristics and Physicochemical Properties of Beef in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) System

Traditional thawing techniques can cause certain losses to beef quality. Due to the increasing demand for high-quality beef, there is an urgent need to research new thawing techniques. Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), as an innovative non-thermal thawing technology, still has a lot of work to be studied. In order to explore the influence of DBD on the thawing characteristics and quality of beef, different discharge parameters were used for thawing. The results show that voltage and needle distance have significant effects on ion wind speed and composition. Ion wind can improve the thawing rate, and the thawing time of DBD is 50% shorter than that of natural thawing. DBD improved the water-holding capacity, nutritional components, and color of beef, and the ordered structure of beef protein could be improved by 6.25% at most. The plasma emission spectrum shows that the plasma produced by DBD is mainly active substances of nitrogen and oxygen, which can reduce the fat oxidation of thawed beef and improve the quality of beef. This work provides the theoretical basis and practical guidance for deeply understanding the influencing parameters and thawing mechanism of DBD thawing technology.

The Comparison of Performance Double Exponential Smoothing and Double Moving Average Methods in Seasonal Meat Stock Demand

The demand for beef supplies depended on seasonal patterns because it depends on feed supplies, especially in rural areas that still rely on natural feed. Beef supplies were part of government regulations because they were highly demanded commodities. They are livestock products that contain nutritional value to meet the protein needs of the community. Beef stocks were influenced by factors such as beef production, beef consumption, and people's income levels. In anticipating the increasing demand for beef, it is necessary to carry out forecasting to estimate the demand for meat in the future. In forecasting, various methods were used to choose the method with the lowest error rate. This research will compare the Double Exponential Smoothing (DES) with the Double Moving Average (DMA) based on the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) measurement, one method for finding the minor error value. Based on the test results with beef supplies in Madura and conducting analysis, it can be concluded that the method with the smallest MAPE value is the Double Exponential Smoothing method, with the smallest MAPE value of 9.50% at an alpha parameter of 0.5. In testing with the Double Moving Average method, by determining the best MAPE value, the best time order in the Double Moving Average method is at time order parameter 2 with a MAPE value of 29.8408%. After finding the parameter with the smallest MAPE value, that parameter is used for data testing. In the measurement, data testing for data of 1 year, two years, three years, and four years. Each method has a level of error value that increases the same; a lot of data entered can affect the size of the MAPE value. So, the more data entered, the smaller the resulting error value.

Leveraging Functional Genomics for Understanding Beef Quality Complexities and Breeding Beef Cattle for Improved Meat Quality.

Consumer perception of beef is heavily influenced by overall meat quality, a critical factor in the cattle industry. Genomics has the potential to improve important beef quality traits and identify genetic markers and causal variants associated with these traits through genomic selection (GS) and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) approaches. Transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics provide insights into underlying genetic mechanisms by identifying differentially expressed genes, proteins, and metabolic pathways linked to quality traits, complementing GWAS data. Leveraging these functional genomics techniques can optimize beef cattle breeding for enhanced quality traits to meet high-quality beef demand. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of applications of omics technologies in uncovering functional variants underlying beef quality complexities. By highlighting the latest findings from GWAS, GS, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics studies, this work seeks to serve as a valuable resource for fostering a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between genetics, gene expression, protein dynamics, and metabolic pathways in shaping beef quality.

A Comparison of Three Camera Technology Predictions of Intramuscular Fat Percentage in F1 Wagyu

The prevalence of highly marbled cattle breeds, such as Wagyu, has increased in the US due to consumer demand for higher-quality beef. The ability to grade highly marbled carcasses accurately and consistently, particularly with quantifying intramuscular fat content for validation, remains a challenging task for the Wagyu beef industry. New camera grading technologies have been proposed by VIAS VBG 2000 (e+v Technology GmbH & Co. KG, 2021), Meat Image Japan (MIJ), and MasterBeef (MB) for Wagyu-influenced beef carcass assessment based on advanced image analysis. However, the intramuscular fat measurements of these camera technologies and the actual percent intramuscular fat (%IMF) in the longissimus at the 12/13th rib have yet to be investigated. Chilled carcasses (n = 173) from F1 Wagyu cattle were ribbed between the 12th and 13th ribs, and the left carcass sides were imaged with the E+V, MIJ, and MB cameras. Additionally, the marbling score was assigned by a team of 3 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) graders. Samples from the longissimus thoracis were collected, and the %IMF of the muscle was determined in triplicate. Linear regressions and descriptive statistics were done using JMP (Statistical Discovery, NC, USA) software. Camera fat-related measurements were linearly correlated, and R2 was calculated. The E+V camera had the highest %IMF predictability of all cameras (P < 0.0001) using the marbling score (R2 = 0.6450) estimate. The MIJ camera presented prediction accuracy between the other 2 technologies (P < 0.0001) of %IMF with identical R2 for fat percent and fat score estimates (R2 = 0.5952). The MB camera had the lowest predictability (P < 0.0001) of %IMF using the measured marbling score (R2 = 0.3269), marbling area (R2 = 0.3333), and marbling percent (R2 = 0.3269) estimates from the instrument. As technology advances, new technologies will provide alternative means for grading Wagyu-influenced carcasses. Additionally, these findings could aid the implementation of the USDA pilot program for remote carcass grading.

Policies Affecting the Efficiency of Beef Production in Alberta: A Supply Chain Analysis

Shoppers face high beef prices at the supermarket, but those prices are not a reflection of what Canadian farmers and ranchers earn from their cow-calf herds. In the past 30 years, the average beef producer’s operating margin has never reached $50,000, despite the fact that the average beef farm’s asset base stands at more than $2 million. Better access to export markets, including the U.S., South Asia and North Africa, would help to remedy the producers poor returns. Export prices would need to cover production costs, the largest of which is feed for the producers’ cattle herds, accounting for 77 per cent of the average ranch’s cash costs. As of July 2023, Alberta’s herd consisted of 1.77 million beef and dairy cows. With demand for livestock-derived food expected to jump by 38 per cent in the next 30 years, Canadian cattle ranchers need to take advantage of this global increase through freer trade. Canadian beef can remain competitive globally if the supply chain accesses world markets beyond the U.S., especially in developing countries where consumer incomes are increasing. The industry also needs investments in research, farm extension and supply chain co-ordination from national and provincial self-funded producer groups. Producers must look outward to global trade but be ready to capture new innovations at home. The dominant economies of scale are available to beef processors and finding savings is difficult for farmers and ranchers. However, there is potential for the supply chain to see savings from new technology, which is why investment in continuing support for ranch-level production research is necessary. Producers also need to focus on national co-ordination aimed at protecting trade access and responding to trends in consumer demand for beef. Any new industry policies must also consider key factors that currently affect market demand and expansion including: changing consumer preferences globally, the welfare of animals raised for slaughter and the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on supply chain sustainability. As some of the output and byproducts of the grain production sector provide feed for cattle, policies meant to support the grain sector may be indirectly influencing the beef sector significantly — for good and bad. Infrastructure required for worker safety, animal welfare improvements or improved food safety also adds to the cost of the beef supply. Protectionist trends and increased tariffs pose a threat to the supply chain because they too can create new costs. This is why access to foreign markets is crucial for producers, along with continued investment in research, sector-wide co-ordination to support market access and reviewing crop support to ensure livestock producers are compensated if grain policy changes harm them. Although live animals and much processed Canadian beef are exported to the U.S., fostering good trade relations in Asia and Africa is vital, given the growth in incomes and consumer demand for beef that is predicted for those regions. Free trade is the basis of good agriculture policy and any move towards protectionist policies and higher tariffs is the biggest threat for new costs in the supply chain. Canada’s beef sector requires low-cost access to foreign markets, making free trade policy the single most important policy focus for the sector.

ESCHERICHIA COLI CONTAMINATION ON IMPORTED FROZEN Buffalo MEAT SOLD AT AIKMEL TRADITIONAL MARKET, AIKMEL DISTRICT, EAST LOMBOK DISTRICT, WEST NUSA TENGGARA PROVINCE

The demand for beef in Indonesia continues to increase. The government is striving to achieve self-sufficiency in beef production, but the high price of beef is driving imports of buffalo meat from India. Buffalo meat has high nutritional value, similar to beef. Since 2015, frozen buffalo meat imports from India have begun to enter Indonesia, particularly in West Nusa Tenggara, as an effort to meet market demand in the modern shopping areas in Mataram City, Lombok. The relatively cheap price of frozen buffalo meat has led to expanded marketing in East Lombok, especially in the traditional market of Aikmel, which is approximately 72 km away from Mataram. The aim of this research is to determine the extent of Escherichia coli contamination and the amount of Escherichia coli contamination per gram of buffalo meat sold in this traditional market. The research samples consist of frozen buffalo meat from India sourced from 10 Indian buffalo meat vendors in the Aikmel market, each weighing 100 grams. The isolation and identification method follows Jawetz et al. (2008), starting with isolation on Eosin Methylene Blue Agar (EMBA), followed by identification with INMVIC (Indole, Methyl Red, Voges Proskauer, Citrate), reinforced by results from TSIA (Triple Sugar Iron Agar) and Urease tests. The research found that E. coli contamination exceeded the specified limit (SNI 7388:2009, 2009) in 9 out of 10 samples taken from 10 Indian buffalo meat vendors in the Aikmel market. The smallest and largest amounts of E. coli contamination in 90% of the contaminated samples were 80x101 and 7x103 colonies/gram, respectively. This condition is crucial for the government to pay attention to, in order to enhance education and supervision of the public regarding the procedures and regulations for the sale of frozen buffalo meat from India, in accordance with the marketing of animal origin products.

OVERVIEW OF THE APPLICATION OF ANIMAL WELFARE IN BALI CATTLE FARMS IN THE HIGHLANDS AND LOWLANDS IN GIANYAR REGENCY OF BALI

Increased demand for beef requires optimisation of animal husbandry, which in turn leads to improved management of livestock production. This situation must be balanced with the application of animal welfare principles, where a prosperous livestock situation will support optimal production. Geographical differences are one of the factors that determine the knowledge of farmers and the implementation of animal husbandry management. This study aims to determine the description of the application of animal welfare in Balinese cattle farms in the highlands located in Puhu Village and and lowlands located in Pering Village, Gianyar Regency. An observational design was conducted, data collection was done by directly interviewing Balinese cattle owners with the guidance of a set of questionnaires. Data were tabulated and then analysed qualitatively and presented in tabular form. To differentiate the application of animal welfare in the two research locations, the Mann Whitney test was conducted. The application of animal welfare on Bali cattle farms in the highlands, was in the category of less than 5%, sufficient 50%, and good 45.0%; while in the lowlands, it was in the sufficient category with a percentage of 45.5%, and the good category 54.5%. No significant differences were found in the animal welfare principles in the two sample villages. Farmers are expected to further improve their knowledge and application of animal welfare principles to increase livestock productivity.

Enhancing Beef Supply through Beef Self-Sufficiency Policy in Indonesia: An Econometric Approach

Abstract Enhancing beef production is important to meet the increasing beef demand. However, beef demand has outpaced domestic beef production, resulting in a gap between beef demand and domestic beef production. The beef self-sufficiency policy is one of the flagship policies aimed at enhancing beef supply in Indonesia. This study aims to assess the impact of the beef self-sufficiency policy on beef supply in Indonesia. The study used time series data from 1990 to 2019, sourced from BPS, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Trade, BI, and FAO. The analysis method employed an econometric approach through a simultaneous equation system model and estimated using the Two Stage Least Square (2SLS) method. The research findings showed that the beef self-sufficiency policy has a positive and significant effect on domestic beef production (p-value < 0.15) and beef demand (p-value < 0.05). Conversely, the beef self-sufficiency policy has a negative and significant effect on the import of fattening cattle (p-value < 0.05). The results showed that the beef self-sufficiency policy through the artificial insemination program had an impact on increased calf population by 3.819%, cattle population by 1.202%, and domestic beef production by 2.528%. These programs also showed an impact on the decreased import of fattening cattle by 13.727% and the import of beef by 24.972%. It can be concluded that the beef self-sufficiency policy has significant impacts on the beef supply in Indonesia.

Consumer Information Drives Willingness to Pay for Low Emissions Milk and Beef

An emerging innovation in the sustainable food space is low methane emissions in beef and dairy products. A leader in this space is Symbrosia, 1 an innovative aquaculture company based in Hawai’i. They produce SeaGraze™, a feed additive derived from the red algae Asparagopsis taxformis, which is designed for ruminant 2 livestock producers to reduce the methane emissions of their livestock by more than 80%. However, the feed additive SeaGraze™ represents an additional cost for livestock producers, and the consumer demand for low methane emissions beef and dairy products is relatively unknown. This study explores consumer demand and the willingness to pay for low emissions beef and dairy products. It reports on a survey of 495 participants, which found product-informed consumers are willing to pay between 51.7% and 72.3% more for low emissions milk and between 0.6% and 8.6% more for low emissions beef. A regression analysis found the most notable driver of consumer preference and willingness to pay more for these products was product information. This suggests that effective advertising of low methane emissions products is necessary for their financial success. These results should encourage producers in other countries to expand the production and consumption of these kinds of products to curb methane emissions.

Supply and demand of beef in Indonesia: a system dynamics approach

This research paper thoroughly analyzes a constructed model that aims to investigate the intricate dynamics of beef supply and demand in Indonesia. The main aim of this study is to enhance comprehension of the diverse factors that influence beef supply and demand within Indonesia’s beef production system. The disparity between beef consumption and beef production in Indonesia has been acknowledged as contributing to the nation’s reliance on beef imports, impacting food security inside the country. The per capita beef consumption in Indonesia remains relatively low compared to the global average. Indonesia has achieved a level of beef self-sufficiency amounting to 71%. However, the Indonesian government has set a goal of attaining a 90% fulfillment of domestic production to satisfy the increasing demand of the people adequately. This research utilizes a qualitative system dynamics methodology to examine the impacts of pricing, cow population, and beef production technology in Indonesia by applying causal loop and stock-flow diagrams. The findings of this study will offer significant insights to assist the government in understanding the causal relationships between several factors related to the improvement of beef production policies in Indonesia.

Impact of Various Ration Energy Levels on the Slaughtering Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Meat Qualities of Honghe Yellow Cattle.

Consumers are increasing their daily demand for beef and are becoming more discerning about its nutritional quality and flavor. The present objective was to evaluate how the ration energy content (combined net energy, Nemf) impacts the slaughter performance, carcass characteristics, and meat qualities of Honghe yellow cattle raised in confinement. Fifteen male Honghe yellow cattle were divided into three groups based on a one-way design: a low-energy group (LEG, 3.72 MJ/kg), a medium-energy group (MEG, 4.52 MJ/kg), and a high-energy group (HEG, 5.32 MJ/kg). After a period of 70 days on these treatments, the animals were slaughtered and their slaughter performance was determined, and the longissimus dorsi muscle (LD) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles were gathered to evaluate meat quality and composition. Increasing the dietary energy concentration led to marked improvements (p < 0.05) in the live weight before slaughter (LWBS), weight of carcass, backfat thickness, and loin muscle area. HEG also improved the yield of high-grade commercial cuts (13.47% vs. 10.39%) (p < 0.05). However, meat quality traits were not affected by treatment except for shear force, which was affected by dietary energy. A significant improvement (p < 0.05) in the intramuscular fat (IMF) content was observed in the HEG. Little effect on the amino acid profile was observed (p > 0.05), except for a tendency (p = 0.06) to increase the histidine concentration in the BF muscle. Increasing dietary energy also reduced C22:6n-3 and saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and enhanced C18:1 cis-9 and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs, p < 0.05). Those results revealed that increasing energy levels of diets could enhance slaughter traits and affect the meat quality and fatty acid composition of different muscle tissues of Honghe yellow cattle. These results contribute to the theoretical foundation to formulate nutritional standards and design feed formulas for the Honghe yellow cattle.

Changing food preferences and choices – A framework for analyzing households food purchases over time

Scientific interest in food consumption has grown significantly in recent decades due to its profound implications for individuals’ and societies’ health and wellbeing and implications for domestic and global systems sustainability. Food purchases can be directly and indirectly related to household and consumer characteristics. While food purchase habits may be dynamic and influenced by changing circumstances over the years, most related research presents a snapshot of the studied issues within a single year or period or focus on a specific social group or food commodity. This paper introduces and illustrates a framework for analyzing household food purchasing clusters over a period of time. It uses data from over 120,000 households in Israel to analyze household food purchases over two decades. The analysis segments the population into clusters and accounts for their food purchases through an extensive bottom-up approach. It identifies several major clusters, including small and large families and young and elderly households, each representing a unique range of food purchase patterns and a different share of the overall society. It analyses different levels of consumption, from broad categories to specific products, and examines the relationships between food purchases and household characteristics. Examining specific food categories and commodities illustrates a complex trend over the research period, including rising demand for beef, poultry, and soft drinks, steady patterns of consumption of frozen and canned vegetables and oils, and a clear decline in demand for dairy, grain, and sugar products.

Time‐varying reaction of U.S. meat demand to animal disease outbreaks

AbstractThis study examined the impact of the mad cow (BSE) and bird flu (HPAI) outbreaks on the demand for beef, pork, and broiler meat in the United States from 1997 to 2022. Using time‐varying elasticities obtained from the Rotterdam model extended to include animal disease outbreaks, we found that the BSE outbreaks significantly reduced beef consumption. These reactions were indeed time‐varying, ranging from 1.312% in 2003 to 1.212% in 2005. HPAI outbreaks had a delayed reaction, with a rebound in broiler meat consumption in the quarter following the start of the outbreak. In general, the magnitude of these reactions was proportional to the severity of an outbreak.

ANALISIS PERMINTAAN DAGING SAPI DI KABUPATEN JEMBER

The beef that consumers want is meat that suits the needs and desires of consumers so that the attributes inherent in beef are important for producers to pay attention to from the supply to the marketing process. This research aims to determine the factors that influence demand for beef in Jember Regency and to calculate the elasticity of beef in Jember Regency due to price, income and cross-elasticity of demand due to the price of chicken meat. This research is descriptive with locations at traditional markets in various sub-districts including Panti, Jelbuk, Silo, Ledokombo, Ambulu, Tempurejo, Sumberbaru, Kencong, Sumbersari, Kaliwates and Patrang sub-districts, Jember Regency, East Java Province. Sampling used the incidental sampling method with a total of 100 respondents. Data collection was carried out through observation, interviews and questionnaires among beef consumers in Jember Regency. Data analysis used multiple linear regression analysis using Eviews 9.0 software. From the research results it can be concluded that the price of beef, income, number of family members, and tastes have a significant influence on demand for beef, while the price of chicken meat and age do not have a significant influence on demand for beef in Jember Regency and the elasticity of demand for beef shows that price elasticity the demand for beef is 6.051298, meaning that the demand for beef is elastic. Meanwhile, the cross elasticity is -0.164605, which shows that chicken meat can be categorized as a substitute for beef.

QUALITY OF BALINESE BEEF PRODUCED BY PESANGGARAN SLAUGHTERHOUSE WITH ABIANSEMAL VILLAGE ABATTOIRS

The increasing demand for beef causes the intensity of cattle slaughter to increase. This makes the existence of slaughterhouses (RPH) and abattoirs (TPH) indispensable in supporting the availability of meat in an area. The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of Balinese beef in terms of subjective and objective tests and to determine the difference in the quality of Balinese beef produced by Pesanggaran slaughterhouses and Abiansemal Village of abattoirs. The samples used in this study were Balinese beef slaughtered at Pesanggaran slaughterhouses and Abiansemal Village abattoirs, at the silver side (M. biceps femoris) as much as 125 grams/head of 16 meat samples. Each sample was subjectively (color test, odor test, consistency test, and texture test) and objectively (pH test, water binding capacity test, and moisture content test) tested for physical quality. Subjective data was analyzed by Mann Whitney test and objective data was tested by T test (Independent). The results of the subjective data research with the Mann Whitney test obtained the results of the color test of Balinese beef produced by RPH Pesanggaran and TPH Abiansemal Village respectively 6.03 and 8.77, the odor test both had a score of 2, the consistency test had a score of 2.6 and 1.8, the texture test had a score of 2.43 and 1.38. While the T Test (Independent) test for objective data obtained the pH test results of 5.48 and 5.6, respectively, the water binding capacity test was 73.29% and 76.07%, and the water content test was 66.42% and 69.36%. It can be concluded that the quality of Balinese beef from Pesanggaran slaughterhouses and Abiansemal Village abattoirs is in good condition and suitable for consumption. In order to obtain ASUH meat products, it is recommended to carry out guidance on abattoirs in accordance with the standards for slaughtering animals at slaughterhouses.

Knowledge mapping analysis of the development of molecular breeding technology for beef cattle in China

Abstract With China’s economic and social development, material living standards have improved, leading to a dramatic increase in the demand for beef and higher requirements for its quality. In this context, molecular breeding technology for beef cattle has gradually become a research hotspot. This paper designs the entire process of knowledge mapping for molecular breeding technology of beef cattle in China, focusing on the molecular breeding knowledge extraction model based on BERT. It also integrates models and algorithms used in knowledge alignment, complementation, and storage to construct the knowledge graph. After testing the performance of the knowledge extraction algorithm, the development history of molecular breeding technology for beef cattle in China was analyzed. The results show that from 2013 to 2023, research related to molecular breeding technology for beef cattle in China exhibited a slow, then rapid growth trend. The terms “molecular breeding” and “beef cattle” appeared most frequently, with 218 and 165 occurrences, respectively, and had the highest centrality. Keywords with high occurrences include “comparative genes” (11.3068), “functional genes” (9.2376), “genome-wide association” (8.3197), and “genome-wide selection” (6.9012), all closely related to the development of molecular breeding technology for beef cattle in China. The prediction of future trends in molecular breeding technology for beef cattle in China is significantly influenced by this study.

Estimating Demand for Lamb, Beef, Pork, and Poultry in Canada

Estimating Demand for Lamb, Beef, Pork, and Poultry in Canada

Породный состав и пространственное размещение мясного скотоводства в России

The intensity of substitution of dairy cattle by beef cattle for the most regions of Russia mainly depended on the achieved productivity level of dairy cattle breeds. The higher the level of intensification at dairy cattle breeding, the lower the meat potential of the industry, because of decreasing of cows’ reproduction ability and the duration of theirs economic use. The problem of beef supply the country’s population is aggravated by the lack of expanded reproduction at the most numerous livestock populations of dairy productivity. In 2022, the natural decline (the excess of retired cows over the number of reared and calved heifers) of Holstein breed (51.3% of cattle livestock at Russia) was - 2.4%. Over the last year, beef production per capita at dairy cattle decreased by 4.6% and amounted to only 9.3 kg and 1.8 kg at beef cattle. Beef consumption reached 12.7 kg per person per year, taking into account the export-import balance, with a rational consumption rate of 20 kg. In order to meet the paid demand for beef and, as a result, to solve the problem of import substitution for this type of meat, it is necessary to increase the number of specialized meat breeds of cattle by 2.1 times, that is, by more than 1.2 million cows. For the fully providing with domestic beef to the population of our country according to nutrition standards, the livestock should increase by 6.7 times (with the existing meat productivity). The results of the latest bonification of beef cattle in Russia demonstrates that this aim will be impossible in the next decade with using only the internal resources of the country.

Analisis Nilai Ekonomi Limbah Rumah Potong Hewan Sapi menjadi Pupuk Organik Cair (Studi Kasus pada RPH Sapi SK Kunak Kota Pontianak)

The increase in population every year has an impact on increasing food demand for beef. The place that plays a role in providing and slaughtering livestock is the slaughterhouse. Pontianak City has one official government-owned cattle slaughterhouse, namely the SK Kunak cattle slaughterhouse. Apart from producing meat, the process also produces by-products, namely waste in the form of rumen, blood, urine, faeces, meat flakes, and fat. However, this slaughterhouse does not have a wastewater treatment plant, so the waste is directly discharged into the environment without further processing. Slaughterhouse waste contains high amounts of organic matter, which can cause air pollution. Cow slaughter waste in the form of rumen and cow blood mainly contains nutrients beneficial for plants, so this waste has economic potential if managed well and appropriately. This research aims to determine the monetary value of slaughterhouse waste in liquid organic fertilizer using a quantitative descriptive approach. The data was analyzed using quantitative descriptive analysis by examining the economic value based on calculating the cost of production (HPP) to determine the selling price of the product. The method used in calculating HPP is variable costing, namely, adding up the production costs of making liquid organic fertilizer in the form of raw material costs, labour, and overhead. The research results show that the production cost of organic fertilizer is IDR. 10,750/litre and the selling price with a 20% profit is Rp. 13,000/litre. As an alternative to liquid fertilizer, the price is lower than the market price, which reaches IDR 75,000/Liter. This liquid organic fertilizer can also be a solution to reduce environmental problems.

Steering the herd or missing the mark? Navigating the role of research for development projects as innovation intermediaries in the Indonesian cattle sector

CONTEXTThe growing demand for beef in Indonesia, driven by population growth, urbanisation, and an emerging middle class, provides a significant opportunity for Indonesian smallholder cattle farmers. Effective innovation in the cattle sector is required to meet this demand and improve the livelihoods of local farmers. OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to understand whether and how Research for Development (R4D) projects can act as innovation intermediaries that enhance the performance of Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) in the Indonesian beef sector. As a case study, we used an R4D project conducted in Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB), Indonesia to explore the best practices and opportunities for improvement. METHODSWe qualitatively analysed data from the R4D project using six innovation intermediary functions. RESULTSThis case study partially succeeded in performing intermediary innovation functions. Strengths were noted in capacity building, provision of problem-solving information, and facilitation of collaborative knowledge generation. However, shortcomings were apparent in stakeholder engagement and in effectively addressing farmers' needs. R4D projects play a complex role as innovation intermediaries. A greater focus on participatory approaches, stakeholder engagement, and tailoring strategies to specific local conditions is required to achieve a significant impact. SIGNIFICANCEThis research highlights the operational intricacies and success determinants of innovation intermediaries in Indonesia's cattle farming sector. By adopting a recognised functional approach, we elucidate the challenges and potential of R4D projects, emphasising the necessity of sustained engagement and diverse stakeholder involvement.