Technical and environmental characterization of very small, small, medium and large cow-calf operations in Colombia

Abstract

In Colombia, cow-calf operations account for 18.5% of the national livestock inventory and are a vital link in the national beef production chain. A lack of information has limited adequate technical and environmental planning of cow-calf systems. Based on technical and environmental parameters, a characterization of cow-calf operations was done for very small, small, medium and large producers in Colombia. Analyses were done using data from the Ganadería Colombiana Sostenible (GCS) and LivestockPlus (L+) projects, encompassing information for 2,618 farms classified by production emphasis. A total of 251 cow-calf operations were selected from this total and classified based on herd size into very small (1 to 30 head), small (31 to 50 head), medium (51 to 250 head), and large producers (≥251 head). Numerical and categorical variables were grouped within five components: (1) general information; (2) herd composition and management; (3) pasture management; (4) productive and reproductive information; and (5) environmental information. Each component was analyzed by Factorial Analysis for Mixed Data (FAMD), which showed that in the first four components variable distribution was spatially separated from the centroid in each producer category. Medium and large producers were associated with better infrastructure, machinery, equipment, reproductive and productive practices and parameters. No separation from the centroid was present for variables in the environmental information component highlighting a lack of difference in environmental practices among the producer categories. The present characterization can be used to design and implement public policy aimed at technological development and environmental management in Colombia’s livestock sector.