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The objective of this study was to examine the impact of specialization on technical efficiency of beef cattle farms in Samsun province, Turkey. Farm-level cross-sectional data was collected from randomly selected 171 beef cattle farms. Stochastic frontier analysis was used to determine technical efficiency of beef farming and to identify inefficiency determinants. The model results revealed that mean technical efficiency of specialized and combined cattle farms was 0.66 and 0.55, respectively, whereas it was 0.61 on average. Besides, mean technical efficiency of 29.76% of combined cattle farms were lower than 0.50 whereas this rate was solely 5.74% for specialized cattle farms. The results of the study highlighted that specialization increased technical efficiency in beef production. Efficiency model revealed that an increase in use of all inputs except for roughage increases the amount of beef. The higher elasticity of concentrate feed, capital expense and other expense relative to other inputs indicated that these inputs are more effective on beef production. On the other hand, the variable of labor had no significant effect and indicated that beef production was not labor-intensive. The sum of input elasticity was 0.52 and highlighted that cattle farms operated under decreasing return to scale. Inefficiency model revealed that record keeping and herd size reduced the level of inefficiency, whereas non-agricultural income, fodder crop area and external input rate increased. Cattle farms should be encouraged to improve farm size and keep farm record with specialization, and the government should direct a large part of its support to specialized cattle farms to improve beef farming with technical efficiency., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Zeolites are crystalline hydrated aluminosilicates with remarkable physical and chemical properties, which include losing and receiving water in a reverse way, adsorbing molecules that act as molecular sieves, and replacing their constituent cations without structural change. The commercial production of natural zeolites has accelerated during the last 50 years. The Structure Commission of the International Zeolite Association recorded more than 200 zeolites, which currently include more than 40 naturally occurring zeolites. Recent findings have supported their role in stored-pest management as inert dust applications, pesticide and fertilizer carriers, soil amendments, animal feed additives, mycotoxin binders and food packaging materials. There are many advantages of inert dust application, including low cost, non-neurotoxic action, low mammalian toxicity and safety for human consumption. The latest consumer trends and government protocols have shifted toward organic origin materials to replace synthetic chemical products. In the present review, we summarize most of the main uses of zeolites in food and agruculture, along with the with specific paradigms that illustrate their important role. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.)