Purebred Nellore Prices in Brazil: Morphological, Genetic, Physical, and Market Factors in Auctions

The Nellore breed is the cornerstone of BrazilÕs successful beef production. However, Nellore seedstock pricing has yet to be understood. We performed a hedonic analysis under a hierarchical model to explore how physical, morphological, genetic, and market factors affect the prices of purebred animals sold at auctions. The findings indicated that visual scores, expected progeny differences, farm reputation, and auction type explain variations in prices. In addition, the morphological index brought higher premiums than the genetic index. The results have implications for farmers, genetic improvement programs, and policymakers as they indicate relevant factors in the seedstock cattle price formation process.