Efficiency Analysis of Beef Cattle Farms Using Bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis in Izmir/Turkey

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the efficiency levels of beef cattle farms in Izmir Province and identify the factors that affect their efficiency by means of Bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis (BDEA). The study covers 62 farms engaged in beef cattle farming in five different districts of Izmir. The BDEA for beef cattle farming provided the result that the analysis should be conducted with the Constant Return to Scale (CRS) assumption. The average corrected input-oriented CRS efficiency after bootstrapping was found to be 0.90. According to the results of truncated regression analysis, a positive relationship was found between adjusted input-oriented efficiency scores and the number of fattening periods per year. On the other hand, it was determined that union membership had a statistically significant negative effect on efficiency. In addition, big farms had lower efficiency than smaller farms, farms in Buca District had lower efficiency than those in Odemis District, and those who fatten old cattle had lower efficiency than those who fatten young cattle. As a result, farms that fatten cattle for shorter periods of time, farms that do not increase the number of animals much, and farms that fatten young cattle achieve higher output per unit of input used, indicating higher technical efficiency.