Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used to analyze the efficiency of a beef production system in which technologies were adopted during eight years (1995 to 2002). Ten inputs and one output were used to evaluate the production system efficiency applying principal component analysis. The inputs "mineral salt/vaccine/medication", "workforce and social security" and "investment" were significantly correlated with the first three components that explained 91.6% of the total variance. The efficiencies calculated by DEA for 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 were respectively 0.8290, 0.6571, 1, 0.5390, 0.7990, 0.8010, 1 and 0.9291 for constant returns to the scale (CCR) models and 0.8841, 0.7460, 1, 0.6350, 0.8530, 0.9342, 1 and 1 for variable returns to scale (BCC) models. The inefficient years were due to increasing returns or decreasing returns to scale suggesting that the rancher did not spend on inputs efficiently. The input "investment" needed to be more adjusted to the other inputs.
beef cattle; data envelopment analysis (DEA); production system
