In Mexico, small-scale dairy systems (SSDS) represent over 78 % of dairy farms and contribute with 37 % of national milk production; however, they face high feeding costs. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of SSDS during the dry season in terms of milk yields, milk composition and feeding costs under traditional feeding strategies, to identify areas of opportunity for improving their profitability. The information was collected from 22 SSDS every month during dry season. Feeds were classified in quality forages (QF), supplements (SU) and straws (ST). Two factors were identified: factor 1-a positive relationship among QF, SU, milk yield and ration cost and factor 2-represented straw usage. Four feeding strategies were identified: (1) low-cost feeding strategy; (2) home-grown feeding strategy; (3) high-cost feeding strategy; and (4) straw-based feeding strategy. There were differences (P < 0.001) among feeding strategies for QF, SU, ST, total dry matter offered (TDMO), ration cost (RC), external inputs, home-grown inputs and milk yield. There were no significant (P > 0.05) differences among feeding strategies for fat and protein contents in milk. It is concluded that to improve performance and profitability and enhance sustainability in SSDS, farmers should base feeding strategies on home-grown quality forages, as it was the case in group 2 which showed lower feeding cost and better milk yield. It is also recommended to increase the inclusion of quality forages like grazing pastures and maize silages during the dry season and to avoid the inclusion of straws.

The objective of this work was to determine the effect of family labour on the profitability and competitiveness of small-scale dairy farms in the highlands of Central Mexico. Economic data from 37 farms were analysed from a stratified statistical sampling with a Neyman assignment. Three strata were defined taking herd size as criterion. Stratum 1: herds from 3 to 9 cows plus replacements, Stratum 2: herds from 10 to 19 cows and Stratum 3: herds from 20 to 30 cows. The policy analysis matrix was used as the method to determine profitability and competitiveness. The coefficient of private profitability (CPP) when the economic cost of family labour is included in the cost structure was 8.0 %, 31.0 % and 46.0 %. When the economic cost of family labour is not included, CPP increase to 47.0 %, 57.0 % and 66.0 % for each strata, respectively. The private cost ratio (PCR) when family labour is included was 0.79, 0.51 and 0.42 for strata 1, 2 and 3, respectively. When family labour is not included, the PCR was 0.07, 0.25 and 0.26. Net profit per litre of milk including family labour was US$0.03 l(-1) for Stratum 1, US$0.09 for Stratum 2 and US$0.12 l(-1) for Stratum 3; but increased to $0.12, 0.14 and 0.15, respectively, when the economic cost of family labour is not included. It is concluded that family labour is a crucial factor in the profitability and competitiveness of small-scale dairy production.

RESUMENLa economía mexicana ha impulsado su crecimiento principalmente por las actividades terciarias, relegando a las actividades primarias a un último lugar de importancia. A pesar de esto, la producción primaria continua siendo muy importante para el desarrollo de otros sectores, ya que es un fuerte impulsor de la actividad económica; por ello, este trabajo se enfoca en analizar la contribución del sector pecuario en la economía, destacando sus aportes a la producción nacional y su relevancia en la demanda intermedia. Este aporte se analizó mediante la Matriz Insumo Producto, la cual permitió conocer la oferta y demanda intersectorial, identificando los sectores más importantes en la economía. Se identificó que los principales encadenamientos productivos de las actividades pecuarias se encuentran en su interior, con una demanda de insumos del 69 % para los sistemas ovino-caprino, 52 % para el bovino, 46 % para el porcino y el 45 % para el avícola. Las ramas como el cultivo de oleaginosas y cereales siguen representando una proporción importante en su esquema de insumos. En lo que se refiere al multiplicador del producto, la explotación avícola (2.28) y la explotación porcina (2.24) fueron impulsores del desarrollo económico, debido al apalancamiento que representan para otros sectores de la economía, como oleaginosas, cereales y elaboración de alimentos para animales como los principales.PALABRAS CLAVE: Ganadería, Política económica, Encadenamientos productivos, Leontief. ABSTRACTThe Mexican economy had boosted its growth primarily by tertiary activities, relegating the primary activities to the last place of importance. Despite this, primary production continues being very important for the development of other sectors, since it is a strong driver of economic activity; for this reason, this work focuses on analyzing the contribution of the livestock sector in the economy, highlighting their contributions to the national production and its relevance in the intermediate demand. This contribution was analyzed using the input output matrix, which allows to knowing the offer and demand cross-sector, identifying the most important sectors in the economy. Productive linkages were identified with inner livestock production activities and the input demand, ovine-caprine systems used 69 %, bovine used 52 %, swine 46 % and poultry system used 45 %. Branches such as the cultivation of cereals and oilseeds remain a significant proportion in its pattern of inputs. In regards to the multiplier of the product, swine systems (2.28) and poultry (2.24) drove the economic development, because the leverage that represents for other sectors like oilseeds, cereals and animal feed industry.

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Sunflower silage (SS) is being promoted as an efficient forage for feeding dairy cattle in the face of shortages of irrigation and erratic rainfall. The objective was to compare, through the in vitro gas production technique, the kinetics of ruminal fermentation of SS and its mixtures with maize silage (MzS) to know its nutritional characteristics before its inclusion in feeding strategies. Five combinations of SS with MzS were assessed (MzS%: SS%); T1) 100:0, T2) 75:25, T3) 50:50, T4) 25:75 y T5) 0:100. Combining MzS with 25% SS decreased neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber contents (P<0.05), which resulted in a digestibility of dry mather, organic matter, neutral detergent fiber and metabolizable energy similar to MzS (P>0.05), and with a CP content not statistically higher than MzS. The MzS had the highest total gas production (GP) but at a lower fermentation rate (P<0.05) when compared to T2 that had a better fermentation rate of 0.0530 %/h, with Lag time of 3.4 h. Before ensiling, sunflower supplies 31.8 % more CP, 11.8 % less metabolizable energy and 11.9 % less in vitro digestibility of organic matter than maize plant. Compared to T1, the T2 supplied 1.6 % more crude protein, 2 % less metabolizable energy and 4.4 % less of in vitro digestibility of organic matter. Therefore it is concluded that sunflower silage could be an alternative to substitute up to 25 % of maize silage as the crude protein and metabolizable energy supply are similar to maize silage.