This research determines which factors most influence the purchase price of bulls in livestock auctions in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Hence, 760 beef bulls sold in eleven different auctions between August and November 2013 were analysed. The data consists of: breed, muscularity (MUSC), frame (FRAME), body condition score (BCS), scrotal circumference (SC) and body weight (BW). Other data such as the animal entry order and the purchase price of the bulls was collected during the auction. A linear generalized model was used to evaluate the interaction of each variable with the purchase price of the bulls. An ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc was used to compare the differences between the categories that influenced the purchase price of bulls and were realized in the software SPSS 20.0. All breeds presented declining prices

The demand for beef cattle with specific traits is evident from sales in auctions. While purchasing, buyers consider individual traits (e.g., muscularity, frame, racial composition, and weight) as predictors of quality, and adjust their bids according to their preferences. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of phenotypic and racial characteristics in determining the final sale price of calves of beef cattle in official auctions at the western border of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Five-hundred and seven lots of calves sold in calf auctions from five cities on the western border of Rio Grande do Sul were evaluated. The assignment of visual scores was based on their genetic group, frame, muscularity, and coat. Analysis of variance and the Tukey test at 5% significance level were performed for comparing the final average prices. Variables with the greatest impact on price were the genetic group and the size of the animals. Animals of synthetic breeds obtained higher value in the three years studied and animals without racial definition showed considerable devaluation and a decrease in supply. Larger animals had less value.

This study evaluated the effect of different supplements during winter on the performance of heifers in a native Pampa biome field using deferred grazing and evaluated the economic viability of each treatment. A total of 124 heifers from Brangus and Angus breeds, 18 months old, and with an average weight of 301.6 kg were included in this experiment. The treatments applied were: control with only native grassland, native grassland + 80P mineral salt treatment (MS), native grassland + protein salt treatment (PS), and native grassland + protein/energy salt treatment (PES). Besides the productive, botanical, and bromatological characteristics of the pasture, the average daily gain and the live weight gain per hectare were evaluated. The economic viability of the treatments was evaluated through partial budgeting. Weight loss was observed in all treatments. However, only the PES treatment differed from the others, with an average daily gain of -0.046 kg dia-1 (p value 0.005). The MS treatment was the best regarding economic viability. Despite that, the smallest weight loss was observed in the PES treatment, which may be a determinant in the development and future performance of heifers. Despite the small net margin, this treatment did not incur additional costs to the system.

Livestock systems require a thorough analysis of zootechnical and financial indicators. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the bioeconomic performance of feedlot bulls with different genetic groups in 2012 and 2013. The experiment was carried out on a farm in Paragominas, State of Pará. The confined animals belonged to the Nellore (NE), ½ Angus ½ Nellore (AN) and ½ Charolais ½ Nellore (CH) breeds. The indicators analyzed were the cost of production and economic indicators. Additionally, zootechnical indicators were evaluated, being considered NE, AN, and CH as treatments in a completely randomized design. The financial results of the total production cost were R$ 118,493.21 in 2012, and R$ 111,166.35 in 2013, and the profitability obtained was 11% in 2012 and 8% in 2013. Regarding the zootechnical indicators, the CH genetic group showed superiority (P 0.01) compared to the NE genetic group for the variables initial weight (IW), final weight (FW), weight gain (WG), average daily weight gain (DWG), and carcass yield (CY). The confinement proved to be economically viable, with positive margins and satisfactory profitability, and the CH genetic group had the best indicators and the highest increase in the final revenue of the activity.