A linear dynamic system approach for cattle herd optimal shaping

The time evolution of a herd of cattle is modelled as a linear dynamic system with slow time variation in model parameters. From this model, the optimal policy for the herd shaping is established, allowing the minimal initial cost with cattle acquisition and the maximal farm resources utilization in the steady state. The same methodology can be employed in several different production schemes, with different constraints and different objective functions. The optimization problem is formulated as a convex programming one, being solved with efficient algorithms, while keeping guaranteed convergence to the global optimum. This methodology is simpler than the dynamic programming optimization method.