Bioeconomics considerations on the modal production system of beef cattle in Pantanal / Considerações bioeconômicas sobre o sistema de produção modal do gado de corte no Pantanal

Beef cattle production is one of the main agricultural activities in Brazil accounting for approximately 75% of agricultural properties in the country and significantly impacting gross domestic product (GDP) figures. However, raising beef cattle is a complex activity, with great variability in the combination of production factors. In this study, we assessed scale gains in beef cattle and performed a temporal analysis of the modal system in the Pantanal biome, central-west Brazil. Beef cattle production systems were analyzed for Corumbá, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Typical farms of 3,600 hectares (ha), 9,000 ha, 14,400 ha, and 30,000 ha were determined from primary data from focus group surveys conducted by CEPEA. Results showed that the smallest property was the most efficient in using natural resources and had the highest economic return relative to the effective operational cost (EOC), followed by the largest property. Profitability increased significantly over the years due to record calf prices in 2014 and increased production. Intermediate-sized properties had the worst economic results and negative net margin even when the producer’s pro-labore is not considered

Características de carcaça e qualidade de carne de novilhos superprecoces de três grupos genéticos

The objective of this work was to evaluate carcass parameters, physicochemical characteristics and quality of meat of young bulls. Three genetic groups with 8 Nelore (N), 18 ½ Abeerden Angus ½ Nelore (AN), and 18 ½ Limousin ¼ Abeerden Angus ¼ Nelore (LAN) animals, with ages varying between 7.5 and 11.5 months at the beginning of the experiment, slaughtered after 143 days of confinement, were evaluated. AN animals were heavier at slaughter and showed higher average daily weight gain, higher hot carcass weight and carcass length; LAN animals had higher carcass yield and rib-eye area. LAN animals showed 72% convex carcasses, while 83% of AN and 100% of N carcasses were classified as subconvex. LAN and AN meat showed no significant difference (p>5%) in shear force values, which indicates the possibility of use of 50% of Bos indicus genotypes without loss of meat tenderness. The carcass and meat characteristics of the AN, LAN and N genetic groups comply with market specifications and are adequate for slaughter at 15 months of age, which makes the system for production of young bulls viable.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar parâmetros de carcaça, características físico-químicas e de qualidade de carne de novilhos machos superprecoces. Foram avaliados três grupos raciais com 8 animais Nelore (N), 18 ¼ Abeerden Angus ½ Nelore (AN) e 18 ½ Limousin ¼ Abeerden Angus ¼ Nelore (LAN), com idade entre 7,5 e 11,5 meses no início do experimento, abatidos após 143 dias de confinamento. Os animais AN apresentaram maior peso ao abate, ganho médio diário de peso, peso de carcaça e comprimento de carcaça; os animais LAN apresentaram maior rendimento de carcaça e área de olho de lombo. Os animais LAN apresentaram 72% de carcaças convexas, enquanto 83% das carcaças dos animais AN e 100% das carcaças dos animais N foram classificadas como subconvexas. Os grupos LAN e AN não apresentaram diferença significativa nos valores de força de cisalhamento, o que indica a possibilidade de utilização da proporção de 50% do genótipo Bos indicus sem prejuízo para a maciez da carne. As características de carcaça e carne dos animais dos grupos genéticos NA, LAN e N estão em conformidade com as especificações de consumo e adequadas para abate aos 15 meses de idade, o que viabiliza o sistema de produção de novilhos superprecoces

Efficiency modeling, an important factor in the development of sheep and goat production in a semiarid region / Modelagem da eficiência, fator importante para o desenvolvimento da ovinocaprinocultura, dos produtores do Semiáridoc

The paper aims to use the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach to evaluate the performance of sheep and goat production systems in the semi-arid region in Brazil. By applying a questionnaire with 127 variables, we obtained information from 254 producers in the municipality of Tauá - CE, with the input variables number of sheep and number of cattle, and the output variable of revenues from animal production. The DEA model with constant returns to scale (RCE) and variable returns to scale (RVE) and were used. The average technical efficiency measures of RCE and RVE models were 9.72% and 23.65% for all farmers. Only two and eight producers obtained efficiency equal to one (maximum) in RCE and RVE, respectively. Most producers operate in terms of increasing returns, and are inefficient. That is, the vast majority of producers are working below the optimum scale, which leads to the exclusion of producers

Evaluation of the factors which influence linear measurements of the pantaneiro horse

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos de sexo, sub-região, idade de registro e ano de nascimento sobre 15 medidas lineares (altura da cernelha, altura do dorso, altura da garupa, altura dos costados, comprimento da cabeça, comprimento do pescoço, comprimento dorso-lombar, comprimento da garupa, comprimento da espádua, comprimento do corpo, largura da cabeça, largura do peito, largura da anca, perímetro do tórax e perímetro da canela) do Cavalo Pantaneiro. Foram analisados dados de 1.214 animais coletados pela Associação Brasileira de Criadores do Cavalo Pantaneiro ¾ ABCCP, no período de 1972 a 1991, usando os procedimentos PRINCOMP, CORR e GLM do SAS e o programa GENES. O sexo, a idade do animal na hora do registro, sub-regiões e ano de registro foram fontes significativas de variação. Os animais, em geral, apresentaram tamanhos pequeno a médio, sendo que os animais da sub-região de Corumbá foram, geralmente, maiores que os de outras sub-regiões. A melhor época para avaliar as medidas morfométricas dos animais seria a partir dos 4 anos de idade. As correlações entre altura de cernelha, altura do dorso e altura da garupa foram altas e positivas, porém entre as outras medidas lineares, médias e baixas. No método de agrupamento, também houve variação de tipo de animais.The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of sex, sub-region, age at registration and year of registration, on 15 linear measures (withers height, back height, croup height, midback height, head length, neck length, back-loins length, croup length, shoulder bone length, body length, head width, chest width, hip width, thorax perimeter and shin bone perimeter) of the Pantaneiro horse. Data from 1214 animals were used, registered in the Brazilian Pantaneiro Horse Association, from 1972 to 1991, and analyzed using GLM, PRINCOMP and CORR procedures of SAS and grouping procedures of the GENES program. The sex, animal age at registration, sub-region and year of registration were significant sources of variation for most of the characteristics studied. The animals of the Corumba region were in general larger than the animals from the other regions. Morphological measures should be taken on the animals from 4 years of age. Correlations between hip height, back height and shoulder height were high and positive, but between other measures were medium to low. Using the grouping method there are several grouping of animals by type which need to be further investigated

Factors affecting the performance of Pantaneiro horses

This study aimed to assess the physical performance of Pantaneiro horses with and without equine infectious anemia (EIA) under functional conditions of cattle management. The horses were subjected to a performance test and split into two groups according to a completely randomized design: animals were chosen from populations testing positive and negative for EIA. Performance was measured as a function of a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model considering four outputs and one unitary input. The output measures were the distance achieved in the performance test, hematocrit as a weighted average over the test duration, respiratory rate as weighted average over the test duration, and the level of lactic acid at the test termination. Weights for the hematocrit and the respiratory rate output variables were determined by means of factor analysis. The performance score was a weighted average of the output variables with the weights defined by the averages of the optimum individual multipliers in the DEA analysis. Contextual variables of interest were age, horse weight, room temperature, and corporal temperature. Only groups and room temperature were statistically significant effects, as indicated by a bootstrap analysis. The performance of group positive for EIA is significantly lower than that of the group negative for EIA and room temperature has a negative effect.Instituto de Genética Veterinari

DESEMPENHO DE BEZERROS SUBMETIDOS A DESMAMA PRECOCE NO PANTANAL

A desmama precoce (DP) vem sendo adotada nas fazendas de cria do Pantanal como alternativa para o aumento dos índices de concepção das vacas. A principal receita dessas propriedades são os bezerros (as), sendo o seu valor dependente dos seus respectivos pesos. Assim é necessário que os bezerros submetidos à DP, apresentem pesos semelhantes ou acima dos bezerros desmamados convencionalmente. Desta forma o estudo teve como objetivo, acompanhar o desempenho de bezerros nascidos no Pantanal, submetidos à DP ou a desmama convencional (DC), puros (Nelore) ou Cruzados (Nelore/Angus). Após a DP os animais receberam suplemento específico para bezerros, na quantidade fixa de 1 kg/animal/dia (baixa energia) ou ao nível de 1% do Peso Vivo (alta energia). Os pesos ajustados aos 300 dias de idade foram maiores para os bezerros de DP sob alta energia (P0,01), sendo de 241,17 e 236,27 kg para o grupo de bezerros Cruzados e de 184,44 e 189,78 para o grupo de bezerros Nelore respectivamente. A DP adotada no modelo experimental não prejudicou o desempenho dos bezerros nascidos no Pantanal.Palavras-chave: Nutrição, bezerros de corte, suplementação