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Planning the use of feed on farms requires the temporal relationship between feed supply and demand to be described by a budgeting process. This can be achieved using spreadsheets, but input data on pasture growth, supplements and animal feed requirements must be provided. Feed requirements can be derived from published tables but interpolation between data points is necessary (Townsley 1986). Computer models can provide estimates of requirements for any specified liveweight and production level. These can then be used as sub-routines to provide inputs to a feed budget (Brookes et al. 1991). This paper describes the main features of a number of feed requirement models and their use in feed planning. Keywords: beef cows, dairy cows, ewes, feed budgets, feed requirements, spreadsheets, heifers

New Zealand sheep farmers were surveyed and invited to rank the importance of research areas with a score of 1 being not important and 4 being very important. Mean scores (95% CI) were greatest for lamb survival, 3.47 (3.35-3.59), followed by soils/fertiliser, 3.43 (3.32-3.55); health/disease, 3.39 (3.28-3.51); live-weight gain in young stock, 3.39 (3.28-3.51); nutrition, 3.31 (3.20-3.43); reproduction, 3.25 (3.14-3.37); meat yield and quality, 3.23 (3.11-3.34); genetics and gene technologies, 2.96 (2.86-3.08); animal welfare/behaviour, 2.83 (2.73-2.94); forages/agronomy, 2.81 (2.71-2.92); environmental/sustainability, 2.79 (2.69-2.90); wool, 2.63 (2.53-2.73); and economic and systems modelling, 2.47 (2.37-2.57). Research areas directly associated with meat production and also soils/ fertilisers were of a high perceived importance, presumably reflecting the contribution of meat to farm income in addition to the importance of soils and soil fertility in enabling pasture production and maintaining asset value.

Research SummaryAlthough entrepreneurship training programs are designed to help necessity entrepreneurs acquire skills and capabilities to take entrepreneurial action, participants in these programs often fail to do so. In partnership with a local government agency, we conducted a randomized field experiment involving 165 entrepreneurs in rural Tanzania where in addition to providing technical‐skills training, approximately half of the participants also received “growth mindset” psychological training. Those who received the growth mindset training displayed more entrepreneurial action in their business than those in the control group. Importantly, higher levels of entrepreneurial self‐efficacy mediated the positive impact on entrepreneurial action displayed by participants who received the growth mindset training. We discuss how complementing traditional technical‐based training with growth mindset training can improve the efficacy of entrepreneurship training programs.Managerial SummaryEntrepreneurship training programs often fall short in translating knowledge into action. To address this issue, we conducted an experiment with 165 entrepreneurs in rural Tanzania. All participants received technical‐skills training, but half were also exposed to “growth mindset” training. Those who received the growth mindset training displayed greater initiative in business growth. The newfound confidence and grit they gained empowered them to apply learned principles effectively, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of entrepreneurship training programs.

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