ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to verify the association of improved native grassland and winter and summer pastures on the weaning rate in beef cattle production. Subsequently, we also verified the socioeconomic and productive characteristics related to the adoption of technologies to increase the weaning rate of the farmers. The survey was conducted with 73 producers of Hereford and Braford cattle in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A data analysis was performed using the minimum ordinal squares method and the regression analysis (Tobit). The results showed that cattle farmers who adopt winter pastures have greater weaning rates, and the factors that influence this adoption are related to a greater number of employees on the farm and the use of a crop-livestock production system. In addition, farmers who receive a greater number of technical assistance visits per year are more likely to adopt winter pastures and improved native grassland. This information can be useful in the formulation of technological dissemination programs that aim at a sustainable production of beef cattle.

The objective of this study was to measure and classify the international beef trade. For this, data related to the international chilled boneless beef (CBB) trade, the major and most important market, were analyzed. Producing countries were classified into groups according to their trade relations, and the main factors that influenced one country to prefer to import CBB from a specific exporting country were analyzed. The results revealed four markets related to client demands with regard to the sanitation and traceability of beef products. Furthermore, extrinsic characteristics of the product are discussed, such as a productive system that aims to minimize environmental impacts and to value animal welfare and respect for social demands. The markets that pay highest prices require sanitary quality of suppliers, demanding traceable and process-certified products. Brazil does not access these markets because it does not meet these requirements. To change this scenario it is necessary to eradicate FMD across the Brazilian territory, acquiring a status of a zone with minimal BSE risk, aligning the intrinsic value of the CBB with expectations of consumers and implementing a traceability program that is both feasible and acceptable for clients.

Os objetivos nesta pesquisa foram analisar os dados referentes ao mercado internacional de carne bovina congelada desossada e classificar seus participantes em grupos de acordo com suas relações comerciais elencando os principais fatores que influenciam a preferência de um país pela carne bovina de determinado país fornecedor. O comércio internacional de carne bovina é composto de dois mercados: num deles as relações entre fornecedor e cliente dependem do menor preço e Brasil encontra-se em condições favoráveis; e no outro as relações se dão preferencialmente em razão da qualidade sanitária do rebanho e de sistemas de rastreabilidade reconhecidos pelo comprador, cuja participação do Brasil é pequena.

The objectives of this research were to analyse data on the international market of frozen boneless beef and to classify its participants into groups according to their trade relationships, identifying the main factors that influence the preference of a country to beef from a determined supplier country. International beef trade is composed of two markets: in one of them, the relationships between supplier and client depend on the lowest price, and Brazil is found in favorable conditions; and the other, the relationships are preferably based on the sanitary quality of the herd and traceability systems recognized by the purchaser, to which Brazilian participation is low.