Classification of Dairy Farms from Cooperatives of Credit and Services.

Dairy farms from Cooperatives of credits and services in the province of Ciego de Avila, Cuba were classified. A matrix with physical, productive and efficiency variables was designed for 372 cases, which were divided into three scales, according to cow possession: less than 11; between 11 and 25; and more than 25 . The animals were grouped in each scale, following the hierarchic cluster analysis. Three groups were made up in the dairy units of less than 11 cows (the first one with 57.5 % of the cases, accounting for 1.7% of the total forage areas). In the 11-25 cow scale, five groups were made up (in the first and second, with 93.6% of the cases, the forage areas were 1.7 and 2.28 % of the total area, respectively). In the farms with over 25 animals, three groups were set up (the first and second ones had 75.5 and 23.4 % of the cases, with forage areas covering 0.76 and 2.94 % of the total areas, respectively). The best results were achieved in the groups with more advanced technological conditions, greater enclosing areas, and forage proportion