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The changes promoted in the dairy sector from the industrial restructuring process, which began decades ago, as well as the most recent governance systems and policies of the European Union in the matter, are fully related to the vast abandonment that a large number of dairy farms, both in Spain and Catalonia since years ago. This process is experienced in a special way by those smaller and family-type farms. Therefore, the consequences that this evolution of the sector may have in the medium and long term are not negligible from the perspective of the future of the agricultural world. For this reason, it is of great interest for the social sciences to know the socioeconomic conditions that currently characterize the evolution of dairy farms, as well as the social representations that farmers build on them. These will be the main objectives of the article. We therefore try to analyze the socio-economic conditions of the farms and the way in which they are conceived and valued by farmers, as well as exploring how they face their future. The empirical work has combined a quantitative analysis with a qualitative analysis through focus groups and interviews with dairy farmers. The results suggest the existence of fear of the end of the small family farm, as well as the disappointment of the ranchers in a crisis situation that they are not capable of reversing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Recerca is the property of Universitat Jaume I and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista CEA is the property of Revista CEA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Technical efficiency (TE) refers to the ability of obtaining the highest possible amount of products, depending on production and technology factors. Aim: The aim of this paper was to review the effect of factors like labor, geographical location, and farm size on the TE of dairy systems. Development: Document review was conducted to study factors such as labor, geographical location, and farm dimensions, and the influence of these factors on technical efficiency (TE) in dairy systems. An evolution in the increase of total cows and the number of TE in dairy systems has been reported, regarding the existing relation with location, labor, and herd size. Studies of farm size and total cows showed a positive relation with ET, which suggested that large dairy farms have higher TE than smaller farms; however, the size-efficiency ratio does not look very strong. Conclusions: The relation of technical efficiency with labor, technical training, and rural extension in differential mode, were observed. However, no significantly sustained relation was observed between farm dimensions and technical efficiency in several countries and by different kinds of farmers, showing a negative relation with efficiency and farm size in some. This might also reflect the additional complexity of allocating more resources and accomplishing technical efficiency at different scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cuban dairy sector is working to reach higher production yields; however, the milking and preservation segments of the milk continue to be the weakest in the chain, as they determine the quality and safety of the milk. Due to production constraints and penalties for poor quality milk, dairy farmers are significantly affected, both productively and economically. Due to the productive limitations and the penalties for the poor quality of the milk, the dairy farmers are significantly affected, both productively and economically. In this regard, a panel of experts conducted a semi-structured survey at 100% of the dairy farmers in the municipality of Jagüey Grande. The aspects evaluated were the location of the farm, its organizational and productive characteristics, the personal data and experience of each interviewee, as well as the knowledge of the current conditions of milk handling from milking to its delivery to the refrigerated collection center. In this way, the farmers themselves identified the difficulties affecting the handling of the milk and the aspects affecting its quality. The main limitations affecting the quality of the milk obtained were the inadequate conditions for milking, the limited quality of animal feed, the incorrect milking routine, the poor conservation of the milk on the farm, and the long distances in the transport, among others. It is concluded that there is a low perception, on the part of producers, of the fundamental aspects that limit them to reach better milk quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decrease of bonus due to quantity and quality of milk remitted to the dairy industry affect significantly the income of an important number of dairy farmers. The objective of the project was to assess the economic losses of the final price of milk as a consequence of a reduced bonus because of compositional, hygiene and sanitary quality as well volume of milk, remitted to the dairy industry, in La Pampa province. Records of volume, quality, hygiene and sanitary quality of 59 dairy farmers of La Pampa were analysed. The basic value of protein without of bonus was obtained through the mean monthly kilogram of protein magnified by the market value of protein. To this value, it was added bonus for colony formed units (CFU), somatic cell counts (SCC), temperature and cryoscopy, and it was compared with the maximum value to obtain in order to determine the losses. The losses in bonus occurred for high SCC and CFU, representing 67 and 33% respectively. Temperature and cryoscopy were not responsible for losses, and temporally the worst months were January, February, June, November and December. The dairy farmers mean monthly losses was 158.252$ equivalent to 2,05% of the income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Cientifica de la Facultade de Veterinaria is the property of Universidad del Zulia, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ager: Journal of Depopulation & Rural Development Studies / Revista de Estudios sobre Despoblación y Desarrollo Rural is the property of Rolde de Estudios Aragoneses and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Argentinian central milk basin host small and medium producers dedicated to the dairy farm, supplemented by agriculture and livestock. These activities require large amounts of machinery, impossible to acquire in an individual way, so a group of shared tools was formed and named as The Three Colonies. Created after a year of diagramming, it began in 1991. Seventeen producers of varying sizes joined together to buy and share capacious tillage equipment, which the investment and operating cost was more convenient to do in group than individually. Organized through a circuit of work according to the proximity of fields with a quota of hectares, all used the equipment in time and form. A tractor driver leads, repairs, maintains the equipment, orders and manages shift work. It was named "The Three Colonies" from the villages where their members live (Ramona, Marini and Coronel Fraga). As the Group took hold, the buys and fieldwork were done cooperatively, which allowed them to acquire more tools and add staff. In 1993 the Group officially joined the Rural Change Program, thus strengthening and improving it technically and personally. This group practice generated the formation of other similar groups; the experience was presented at various symposia, conferences and events, at home and abroad. The essence of this work was to change the mentality of its members in many ways, working grouped together without losing their identity, surviving the neoliberal stage and allowing their permanence but, more importantly, building in their growth as humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Spanish Journal of Rural Development is the property of Spanish Journal of Rural Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estudos Sociedade e Agricultura is the property of Revista Estudos Sociedade e Agricultura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article analyzes one of the most important events in the development of the dairy industry in the department of Antioquia: the Holstein Exhibition of La Ceja (1949-1959). We argue that exhibitions became the means through which the genetic improvements of local farms and the managerial techniques needed for their reproduction of said improvements were disseminated. Also, exhibitions affectively articulated the genetic level reached by the farms with those of the market, i.e. the needs of individual landowners, rural producers, suppliers and union entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Spanish Journal of Rural Development is the property of Spanish Journal of Rural Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Spanish Journal of Rural Development is the property of Spanish Journal of Rural Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Good Agricultural Practices are documents that have arisen in the last decade and gather the recommendations of the conditions that must be created for the production of qualit food and safety. Inside them the Good Cattle Practices and especially the directed ones the production of milk have been increasing his aims and in these moments they gather requirements to achieve productions that do not harm the environment, take care of the health of the workers and contribute to the animal welfare. The application of Good Practices is a way that it propitiates to obtain efficiently milk of quality and his requirements are related to the quality requisites of this product. In general, these guides have many requirements and the small producers may be having difficult for their application. It is preferable to select the own guides of every country or but elaborated by the International Federation of Dairy with Food Agriculture Organization. The designed ones on private initiatives are imposed often by specific markets and in the main they establish the need of certifications as way of demonstrating his fulfillment. In this moment, the Commission of the Codex Alimentarius carries out studies to achieve a harmonization between them and the procedure of this organism. The Codes of Hygiene are documents elaborated by the Technical Committee of Hygiene of the Commission of the Codex and have been established to guarantee the safety of the food across measures of cleanliness, disinfection and hygiene. These documents are indispensable for guarantee the production of the milk with the current requirements, but they are more limited than the Good Practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to produce a structural model including lag variables for a better decision-making that improves reproduction organization and control in dairy cattle systems from Camagüey, Cuba. To this end, data from six dairy livestock centers were monthly collected through January 1982 until December 2005. An analytical sequence comprising all dairy cows, no matter their reproductive status, was used. This sequence not only allowed to determine the most outstanding elements within the reproduction organization and control system (experts survey), but also the female decreasing trends in reproduction and birth rates, and the seasonal performance for all the analyzed variables, with concentration patterns in the first semester, the second semester, and both. Reproductive categories priority order in relation to birth rate (time series analysis) was partially confirmed. A marked contrast between first breeding cows and culled cows due to severe problems in herd reproduction organization and management was found out. Females detected in oestrus nine to ten months prior births have a higher effect on the birth forecast model (lag analysis) and on the structural model for the reproduction organization and control system, too. This model quantifies the preceding levels direct impact upon birth rate and, therefore, it will enable the decisions improving the reproduction organization and control in dairy cattle systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]