Cattle Farming in Slovenia: A Look at Profits and Emissions

In recent years, cattle farming in Slovenia, a pre-Alpine region, has faced numerous challenges. Prices for agricultural inputs and outputs have become quite unpredictable, and the global meat industry is grappling with sustainability issues. The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have further affected cattle fattening farms' economic stability. To navigate these conditions, there's a growing need for tools that can analyze how these factors impact farm operations. Let's consider Slovenia as a case study. Cattle farms here are significant for their social and environmental sustainability. A recent model, SiTFarm, shows that between 2018 and 2022, the average gross margin for these farms was around €9. 57 per head of cattle. However, the profits varied greatly, with some farms earning as much as €17. 15 per head and others only €4. 46.

At the sector level, the gross margin dropped by 12% in 2020 but jumped by 99% in 2022 compared to 2018, indicating substantial price swings in a short time. The model also found that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from these farms ranged from 5. 01 to 7. 77 kg CO2 equivalent per kg of daily body weight gain. About half of the farms exceeded 6. 1 kg CO2 equivalent, with only 10% achieving a sustainability goal of approximately 5 kg CO2 equivalent per kg of daily body weight gain.

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