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The aim of this work is to confirm whether the lunar phase and the frequency of bovine births are correlated in extensive cattle systems in Extremadura rangelands. This study examined the temporal distribution of 13,206 calf births from 48 farms through 71 consecutive lunar cycles. Four different scenarios were designed (FASES4R, FASES4A, FASES2R, FASES2A), each with different lunar stages distributions. The analysis was performed using non-parametric tests by selecting three different groups of data: all births, only male births and only female births. The distribution of frequency with respect to calf births was similar during the main lunar stages. Thus, there is no evidence in this study that supports the popular belief that the lunar phase influences the timing of calf births. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Profitability of beef cattle farms of the Asturiana de los Valles and Asturiana de la Montaña breeds, in the types of organic and conventional production systems were compared for the years 2011 (n= 51), 2012 (n= 63) and 2013 (n= 68). The effects of breed, production type, year and their interactions were studied. Grants are crucial to the profitability of all farms. Differences between breeds in net margin/cow were not statistically different. The organic farming system has a higher dependence for grants and a lower net margin without subsidies/cow, than de conventional ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]