Table 5 Total beef cattle numbers during the confinement phase for each year, along with initial and final live weights, live weight gain per animal, total live weight gain per farm, and the amount of potassium exported in the live weight gained by the animals over the two years of confinement for farm 1 and farm 2.

From: Adoption of circular agriculture increases potassium recovery in tropical farms

Confinement phase

Farm 1

Farm 2

Animal

Live weight

Gain/ farm

K exported1

Number of animals

Live weight

Gain/ farm

K exported1

Initial

Final

Gain

Initial

Final

Gain

unit

kg/animal

kg

 

kg/animal

kg

January to December 2020

Growing Phase

686

335

415

80

54,857

91

148

344

393

48

7,148

12

Fattening Phase

774

410

518

108

83,882

140

88

385

509

124

10,930

18

Total 2020

1,460

   

138,739

231

236

   

18,078

30

January to December 2021

Growing phase (lot 1)

585

320

410

90

52,686

88

274

374

422

49

13,361

22

Growing phase (lot 2)

629

275

352

77

48,742

81

218

270

376

106

23,159

39

Fattening Phase (lot 1)

688

410

540

130

89,114

148

400

435

553

118

47,244

79

Fattening Phase (lot 2)

342

424

573

150

51,130

85

109

415

551

136

14,776

24

Total 2021

2,244

   

241,672

402

1,001

   

98,539

164

Total

3,704

    

633

1,237

    

194

  1. 1Quantities of K exported in the live weight of the animals, calculated according to the live weight gain of the animals during confinement and the average K content of the animals according to59.