Improve the Efficiency of Dairy Farms through a Typology Based on Dietary Management, in Central Macedonia Region, Greece

The purpose of this study was to examine and classify dairy farms in Central Macedonia, Greece, in terms of the applied feeding strategy as well as their main characteristics. The data used in the case study was obtained from 123 dairy cow farms in the area. The data analysis included the categorization of the variables with Categorical Principal Component Analysis (CatPCA) and the clustering of farms by taking into account their dimensions with Two-Step Cluster Analysis (TSCA). Multinomial Logit (MNL) was used to examine the main characteristics of the emerged types of farms. The average Central Macedonian cow farms and the majority of farms have a 46.5% chance of being in the efficient cluster, 37.1% in the inefficient cluster, and 15.4% chance of being in the semi-efficient cluster. The results of the analysis indicated that the majority of farmers provide rational diets. However, in some cases where management practices (such as groupings, etc.) are not applied according to the nutritional requirements of cows, mainly metabolic diseases but also reproductive problems occur, which have a direct impact on the productivity of the farms.