## 3 Results
### Characterisation of the Production System
With the surveys, we were also able to evaluate some zootechnic parameters which are presented in Table 2. Farmers scarcely fatten the cattle, for more than 18 months, not only to avoid the competition for food but also due to the need for extra housing for the \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Producer**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Feeds Used**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & **Grazing** & **Hay** & **Straw** & **Commercial Feed** & **Oat/Rye Fodder** & **Herb Fodder** \\ \hline  
\% Usage & 85 & 75 & 70 & 40 & 10 & 5 \\ \hline \end{tabular} Source: authors’ calculations from the structured survey research dataset.  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Matrix of feeds used by the different producers of Jarmelista breed. younger animals, which can be a problem for some producers due to the small areas of the farm. Regarding the reproductive management of the animals, it was possible to observe that, on average, the animals had the 1 st delivery at the age of ca. 38 months. The youngest animal to have at the first delivery had 25 months and the oldest around 70 months. In Table 2 we can, also, see that the mean interval between deliveries is 440 days. The average fertility rate registered was 84%. Cows have an average age between 6 and 7 years. Overall, Jarmelista animals represent ca. 27% of the flock owned by these farmers. Considering just the Jarmelista flock, cows represent 54.2%, while bulls represent 3.4%. Male Jarmelista calves from 6 to 24 months represent 20.2%, while female calves within the same age group represent 18.5%. The remaining animals correspond to female calves within the age group 6-12 months (2.4%) and male calves of the same age group (1.4%). Concerning the total flock owed by the 20 farmers, 161 Jarmelista cows correspond to one-third of the cows in production. Jarmelista bulls correspond to 35.7% of the existing bulls. Jarmelista female calves with 6-24 months correspond to 42.6% of the female calves with the same age, while Jarmelista male calves correspond to 46.5% of total calves of the same age class. Jarmelista female and male calves with 6-12 months correspond to 58.3 and 57.2% of calves' total population with 6-12 months. From the total number of animals sold by the farmers in 2016 (246), ca. 37% corresponded to the Jarmelista breed (91). Of the 157 live animals sold to other producers in 2016, 25.5% were Jarmelista, corresponding to a sales volume of around \(\copyright\)24,000. Besides, it was possible to observe that the sale price of Jarmelista animals was identical to the other breeds. Of the 89 animals sold for slaughter, 57.3% were Jarmelista corresponding to a sales volume of \(\copyright\)30,600, being the price identical to the other animals sold for slaughter. Thus, Jarmelista animals either sold to other producers or for slaughter, were valued equally and at the same price of other breeds. In terms of this breed's economic profitability, it is observed that the production of Jarmelo cattle is not significant in the overall income of farmers due to the lack of valorisation of its contribution to biological and sustainable farming. Furthermore, this lack of valorisation also results from the fact that this breed is not recognised as differentiated in the market. For most farms, Jarmelista breed represents just a complement to the exploitation mainly because of cultural reasons, history, and animals' beauty. Due to the slower development of this breed, exotic breeds or crusades are preferred. In Figure 3, we can observe the weight of Jarmelista cattle's sale in farm income (sales of Jarmelista animals/total sales of animals), noting that there are farms (6 breeders, i.e., 30% of respondents) to whom this breed corresponds to the entire business. In comparison, others have not made any sale of animals (three) or have not sold Jarmelista animals (two) during the inquiry year. For seven farmers, the proportion of Jarmelista cattle sales in the total farm income represented from 5 to 30%, while for two producers it represented ca. 75%.