Association of the forage management practices, weaning rate, and factors that influence technological adoption in beef cattle production

Abstract

The objective of this study was to verify the association of improved native grassland and winter and summer pastures on the weaning rate in beef cattle production. Subsequently, we also verified the socioeconomic and productive characteristics related to the adoption of technologies to increase the weaning rate of the farmers. The survey was conducted with 73 producers of Hereford and Braford cattle in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A data analysis was performed using the minimum ordinal squares method and the regression analysis (Tobit). The results showed that cattle farmers who adopt winter pastures have greater weaning rates, and the factors that influence this adoption are related to a greater number of employees on the farm and the use of a crop-livestock production system. In addition, farmers who receive a greater number of technical assistance visits per year are more likely to adopt winter pastures and improved native grassland. This information can be useful in the formulation of technological dissemination programs that aim at a sustainable production of beef cattle.

Adoption of improved management practices of livestock: Case of small-scale farmers in rural Bangladesh

“…However, the decision to adopt any farming-related technology is complicated [ 8 ]. A variety of factors, including socio-demographic features, farm characteristics, economic conditions, and institutional factors, may influence decision making [ [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] ]. As a result, identifying the factors' influencing adoption is critical for the livestock sector's development.…”

“…Previous research revealed that communication between farmers and technicians is essential for the adoption of livestock management practices in Brazil [ 9 , 10 ]. Adoption of ILMP is also influenced by education, cattle number, and information source [ 11 , 12 ].…”

“…It is evident that the majority of previous studies were conducted in the Sub-Saharan African context. In addition, several studies analyzed data using a small sample size [ 9 , 10 , 12 ]. Several other studies ignored potential synergies among ILMP and argued that they are mutually exclusive [ 16 , 17 ].…”