Abstract
Abstract In this study, we investigated the principal transformations in dairy farming among Brazilian federative units in the period from 2006 to 2017. Data were drawn from the Agricultural Censuses from 2006 and 2017. In order to compare the variations between the states and macroregions, descriptive analyses were performed. Pearson correlation was used to test the correlation among the variables. A 4.63% decrease was observed in the number of establishments supporting cattle, notably in the states of PE (-23.02%), RS (-20.67%) and PR (-19.65%). Some states showed greater participation in terms of increase in number of cattle, particularly in the Northern region. No significant change in pasture area was observed. A decrease of 12.92% in number of milk producers was observed, mainly in the traditional dairy basins, such as RS (-36.62%), PR (-27.33%), SP (-24.67%) and SC (-20.21%). Producers who continued in the activity had a rise in the scale of their daily production. Although there was a 9.47% reduction in the number of cows milked, the herd productivity showed a 61.96% surge, particularly in the Southern (72.98%) and South-eastern (62.31%) areas. Milk production revealed higher correlation with number of cows milked (P<0.05; r=0.97) and productivity per cow (P<0.05; r=0.63), than with area of the rural establishments (P<0.05; r=0.38). In conclusion, there were significant changes in dairy farming over an eleven-year period, including changes in the geography of production, greater concentration and professionalization of the activity, as well as the expressive growth of milk production in almost every state, which is reflective of higher productivity of the national herd.
Highlights
Agribusiness in Brazil, from an economic standpoint, is a vital activity that plays a significant role in providing employment and generating income, helping to maintain the trade balance
All the Brazilian states are involved in raising beef cattle, defined by a strong dependence on pastures, and ensuring that the zebu genotypes are predominant in the cattle herd[1]
The data were compiled from the IBGE Automatic Recovery System (SIDRA), a database of statistical tables, which include aggregated data collected from the IBGE surveys
Summary
Agribusiness in Brazil, from an economic standpoint, is a vital activity that plays a significant role in providing employment and generating income, helping to maintain the trade balance. In agribusiness, raising cattle ranks high among the most critical pursuits. All the Brazilian states are involved in raising beef cattle, defined by a strong dependence on pastures, and ensuring that the zebu genotypes are predominant in the cattle herd[1]. Apart from this, dairy farming is practiced across the national territory, with remarkable heterogeneity in the production techniques, herds and kinds of producers[2]. Huge and heterogeneous transformations have occurred in the livestock, in all the sectors, reflective of the technological advancements made in the production systems and organization of the production chain[3,4]. Brazilian cattle raising continues to require enhancement, from the managerial and productivity angles, to ensure higher levels of competitiveness
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