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Factors that influence market participation among traditional beef cattle farmers in the Meatu District of Simiyu Region, Tanzania.

ABSTRACT: Market participation among beef cattle farmers is key to ensuring better income, food security, and sustainable beef supply. Farmers in the traditional beef cattle sector, nevertheless, are well known for their low market participation. This study, thus, sought to examine factors that influenced market participation among beef cattle farmers in the Meatu district of Simiyu region, Tanzania. The study randomly selected a sample size of 393 farmers. The cross-sectional data collected through interviews and questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. The descriptive analyses showed that the average age of the interviewees was 53.73 years with a family size of 13.11. On average, the respondents had about 24.14 years of farming experience. Most of the respondents (67.9%) had primary education. Among the respondents, about 61.3%, 4.6%, and 32.6% had access to market information, farm credits, and veterinary services, respectively. The average cattle herd size was 53.46 heads. About 90.1% of farmers had participated in the markets by selling an average of 5 heads each, per year. This study has revealed low volume of sales, low education levels, and poor access to credits and veterinary services as the major factors that limit market participation. Furthermore, econometric results show that the key factors that significantly influenced farmers to increase the volume of beef cattle sales in the market at P < 0.05 included price, herd size, off-farm income, distance to market, age of the farmer, and cattle fattening. Moreover, membership in cooperatives, access to market information, and farming experience also had significant influence at P < 0.05. This study recommends establishment of strategic cooperatives to function not only as a communication channel for farm credits, price, market information, and training on commercial farming, but also to assist farmers in selection of profitable markets.

SUBMITTER: Kibona CA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8016299 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:In Tajikistan, owning beef cattle is an important survival mechanism for smallholder farmers to alleviate poverty. Therefore, beef cattle farming enterprises should indeed strive to maximize profit to excel and flourish in a free economy. Nevertheless, smallholder beef cattle farmers are known for making little profit. Thus, this study was set to evaluate the profitability of beef cattle farming and its determinants to enhance profit maximization among smallholder beef cattle farmers in the Baljovan District of Khatlon region, Tajikistan. A total of 388 farming households were chosen at random and purposive for the study. The cross-sectional data collected using questionnaires was analyzed by using descriptive, gross margin (GM), and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. Based on the descriptive analyses, the mean age of beef cattle farmers was 52.73 years, with a household size of 7.07 members. The beef cattle farmers had an average of 18.23 cattle herd size with 8.54 years of farming experience. The average land area possessed by farmers was 10.59 hectares. Among farmers, men (98.2%) dominated beef cattle farming activities. Around 83.8% of farmers had a college grade (higher literacy). Besides, around 89.4% of farmers had access to farm credits. However, only 71.4% of farmers used farm credit points to produce beef cattle. Most of the farmers (89.7%) had access to accurate market information. Such market information enabled 75.8% of farmers to sell their beef cattle to open market (profitable) outlets rather than middlemen. About 89.4% had access to veterinary services. Additionally, about 82.7% of farmers acknowledged the availability of pasture for grazing, which motivated 87.6% of farmers to be involved in selling contracts. Furthermore, economic investigation results revealed that on average, farmers had a gross margin (GM-profit) of 353.77 US$ per cattle, with feed costs (58.6%) and medications costs (26.1%) accounting for the largest share of total variable costs. Meanwhile, the profitability of beef cattle farming among farmers was significantly influenced by education level, family size, farming experience, pasture availability, land size owned, selling contract, feed costs, medications expenses, access to credits, and sales costs (P < 0.05). This study concluded that beef cattle production is a feasible business. However, the potential for increased profitability is significant if existing resources are efficiently coordinated and production expenses, notably feed and healthcare costs, are minimized. Thus, the government should develop additional measures for addressing concerns such as capacity building, suitable and freely available pasture as well as health management, to boost beef cattle profitability among farmers in Tajikistan.

Project description:Lameness in the beef industry has received little attention in the UK, despite the fact that it is a well-recognised problem in the dairy industry. The aims of this study were to (i) compare UK beef farmers' estimates of lameness prevalence to that of researchers, (ii) explore beef farmers' attitudes towards lameness, and (iii) help identify farmer reported barriers to lameness control and treatment. Beef farmers (11 finishing units and 10 suckler farms) were recruited from England and Wales. Farmers were asked to estimate their lameness prevalence, before a researcher conducted locomotion scoring using a five point scale, and a Bland Altman analysis performed. Face to face interviews were also conducted using a semi structured interview script aimed at capturing information such as current approaches and protocols as well as their views of lameness importance. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. An inductive thematic analysis was performed. All but two farmers underestimated lameness prevalence on their farms when compared to the researcher. Farmers initially underestimated lameness prevalence compared to the researchers estimates, with a mean underestimate of 7% (95% CI 5-9%). This is an important barrier to lameness detection and treatment. Thematic analysis identified four major themes: (1). Perception of lameness prevalence, (2). Technical knowledge and skills, (3). Perception of the impact of lameness, and (4). Barriers to the treatment and control of lameness. This study highlights that some approaches to lameness treatment are likely to be causing harm, despite being done with the intention to help the animal. There were four key areas of concern identified: recognition of lameness, treatment approaches, the training provided to farmers and confusion over transport and slaughter options available to farmers. This suggests an urgent need for future work to quantify and address the problem, and to provide evidence to justify the role of prevention and potentially start to break down barriers to control and treatment of lameness.

Project description:Background: There has been very little previous research in Ireland on the opinions of farmers regarding dairy beef integration. The need for increased dairy beef integration has assumed a greater importance in Ireland in recent years due to a rapid expansion in dairy production, and associated increase in numbers of male dairy calves born on Irish farms. The objective of this study was to explore beef farmers' views on a broad range of issues related to dairy beef integration, using a survey methodology. The survey was distributed to approximately 4,250 beef farmers via email and 1,203 participated in the study. Results: The sample was composed almost entirely of beef farmers, although a very small proportion also had a dairy enterprise on their farm. Eighty percent of the farmers were concerned with the increase in the number of male dairy calves in recent years. Fifty seven percent of farmers responded that they were not willing to rear dairy bred calves for beef. Limousin, Aberdeen Angus and Hereford were the breeds farmers would be most willing to rear for beef. Good health, breed, and conformation were ranked as the main factors calf rearers consider when buying calves. Expectation of poor profit margin, expectation of poor-quality calves, and price volatility/market uncertainty were the top ranked factors dissuading farmers from rearing dairy calves for beef. The main themes arising from the qualitative question related to beef price/ability to make a profit, breed, and calf quality. Conclusions: While it is concerning that the majority of respondents expressed an unwillingness to rear dairy bred calves for beef, approximately a quarter of beef farmers indicated a willingness to rear beef-sired dairy calves for beef. In the qualitative responses, farmers described how their concerns about calf quality and their ability to make a profit from dairy bred calves would make it difficult for them to rear these calves for beef. Future strategy will have to consider how these challenges can be overcome and the issues of who bears the risks and costs associated with greater integration will have to be carefully considered.

Project description:BackgroundBovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a significant health problem in beef cattle production, resulting in considerable economic losses due to mortalities, cost of treatment, and reduced feed efficiency. The onset of BRD is multifactorial, with numerous stressors being implicated, including transportation from farms to feedlots. In relation to animal welfare, regulations or practices may require mandatory rest times during transportation. Despite this, there is limited information on how transportation and rest stops affect the respiratory microbiota.ResultsThis study evaluated the effect of cattle source (ranch-direct or auction market-derived) and rest stop duration (0 or 8 h of rest) on the upper respiratory tract microbiota and its relationship to stress response indicators (blood cortisol and haptoglobin) of recently weaned cattle transported for 36 h. The community structure of bacteria was altered by feedlot placement. When cattle were off-loaded for a rest, several key bacterial genera associated with BRD (Mannheimia, Histophilus, Pasteurella) were increased for most sampling times after feedlot placement for the ranch-direct cattle group, compared to animals given no rest stop. Similarly, more sampling time points had elevated levels of BRD-associated genera when auction market cattle were compared to ranch-direct. When evaluated across time and treatments several genera including Mannheimia, Moraxella, Streptococcus and Corynebacterium were positively correlated with blood cortisol concentrations.ConclusionThis is the first study to assess the effect of rest during transportation and cattle source on the respiratory microbiota in weaned beef calves. The results suggest that rest stops and auction market placement may be risk factors for BRD, based solely on increased abundance of BRD-associated genera in the upper respiratory tract. However, it was not possible to link these microbiota to disease outcome, due to low incidence of BRD in the study populations. Larger scale studies are needed to further define how transportation variables impact cattle health.

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Factors that influence market participation among traditional beef cattle farmers in the Meatu District of Simiyu Region, Tanzania.

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