Technical and economic management of sheep: development of a tool as a result of interaction with the productive sector

Abstract

Sheep production in central Argentina has shown sustained growth with increased application of technology. The main production objective is meat, which is obtained from light and heavy lambs. Part of this growth was facilitated by the Sheep Law (Law 25.422 of 2001). However, this growth was not accompanied by appropriate technical and economic management, where activity is monitored through the use of production and economic indicators that allow for diagnosing the progress of sheep business. This situation was identified through the active participation of our team in the Provincial and National Sheep Roundtables. Currently, there is no modeling system in the country that allows for this systematization, as is the case with cattle and pig systems. The objective of the research team from three universities in the province of Buenos Aires linked to the field of small ruminants and the economy, members of the Sheep Roundtables, was to develop, test, and make available to sheep producers a technical and economic self-management tool that would allow for business management and generate a set of technical and economic indicators that facilitate diagnoses for sheep-based companies and the sector. Workshops were held in sequential virtual meetings with producers and advisors, who provided suggestions for the development of the tool. It is concluded that the prototype constitutes a useful tool for the sheep sector since it facilitates access to information for both producers and technical advisors, collaborates with the diagnosis of establishments on objective bases, facilitates decision-making, and allows for an integrated description of the situation of the sheep sector to define public policies.