Constraints to milk production in grazing dairy cows in Brazil and management strategies for improving their productivity

Abdalla, Adibe Luiz; Louvandini, Hélder; Bueno, Ives Cláudio da Silva; Vitti, Dorinha Miriam Silber Schmidt; Meirelles, Cyro Ferreira; Gennari, Solange Maria

doi:10.1016/s0167-5877(98)00127-5

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The long calving intervals reported here are in agreement with data reported by Abdalla et al (1999); the major causes of infertility among the animals were difficulties in heat detection and the unreliability of AI/bull services, poor semen-handling and semen-deposition techniques. Alejandrino et al (1999) indicated that poor breeding management, the availability of a bull of proven fertility, good quality semen for AI, and nutritional stress, particularly during critical periods of the cow's reproductive life, were the most important factors influencing smallholder dairy cattle productivity.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Prospects and Constraints of Smallholder Dairy Husbandry in the Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania

Kivaria¹,

Noordhuizen²,

Kapaga³

2006

Outlook Agric

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An in-depth field survey was conducted on 125 randomly selected urban-based and peri-urban smallholder dairy herds in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania. The primary objective was to define the sector in terms of its productivity, constraints and relevance to urban dwellers. Information on such variables as animal management, feeding, housing, prophylaxis and disease history was obtained by means of a standardized interview questionnaire and by cross-sectional inspection of the available farm records. Results show that dairying has led to improvements in dairymen's general welfare: 78% of the respondents indicated that dairying had increased their ability to meet medical and school expenses for their children, while 6% of respondents had used dairy income to invest in more capitalintensive off-farm activities. It was also learnt that the sector had opened up a number of supporting businesses, creating employment for the people engaged in it. However, the dairy sector's potential is limited by a number of shortcomings and specific constraints, which include (among many others) poor nutrition, poor animal health and diseases, lack of finance, transport, skilled labour, processing facilities, storage, marketing and the delivery of advisory and health services. It is suggested that the system would have a more secure future if these technical and socioeconomic constraints were removed through research and technology transfer with appropriate policy support.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Prospects and Constraints of Smallholder Dairy Husbandry in the Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania

Kivaria¹,

Noordhuizen²,

Kapaga³

2006

Outlook Agric

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“…In line with our prediction two, stocking density had a negative effect on milk yield, which is in accordance with previous findings (Macdonald et al, 2008). The negative correlation between pasture shade and stocking density may show that the farmers are adjusting stocking density in order to maintain milk production and body condition as found by Abdalla et al (1999). There was an interactive effect between pasture shade and stocking density on both average daily milk yield and body condition score.…”

Section: Pasture Shade and Stocking Density Effects On Productionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Pasture shade and farm management effects on cow productivity in the tropics

Ainsworth

Moe

Skarpe³

2012

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

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Shade, provided by trees within pastures, can affect cattle productivity through mitigating heat stress and by altering understorey pasture growth and cattle behaviour. Models for daily milk yield and body condition were used to evaluate the effect of pasture shade on dual purpose cow productivity within a silvopastoral system in a dry tropical province of Nicaragua. Daily milk yield and body condition were both negatively affected by pasture shade. Stocking density and age also had negative effects on daily milk yield, whilst night grazing had a positive effect. In addition, body condition was negatively affected by average daily milk yield and was positively affected by feed supplementation. There was a correlation between pasture shade and stocking density in both production models suggesting farmers compensated for decreased cow productivity, associated with increased pasture shade, by reducing stocking density. It is proposed that the positive effect of shade mitigating heat stress was likely present but its effect did not compensate for the decreased nutrient intake by the cows caused by either negative behavioural effects or reduced pasture productivity, or both.

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“…Lowest yields were at the end of lactation in May and June, which was similar to other reports for Brazil based on Brizantha spp. without supplementation (Abdalla et al, 1999;Euclides et al, 1993;. Mean milk yield in October was 7.0 ± 0.26 kg/d, indicating similar forage and body tissue support of milk production at the end of the dry season compared to months with rainfall.…”

Section: Observed Animal Responsesmentioning

confidence: 95%

Production and economic potentials of cattle in pasture-based systems of the western Amazon region of Brazil1

Rueda

Blake

Nicholson

et al. 2003

Journal of Animal Science

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Our objectives were to evaluate strategies to improve productivity and economic returns from beef and dual-purpose cattle systems based on data collected on one dual-purpose (Bos taurus x Bos indicus) and two beef (Nellore) cattle farms in the western Amazon region of Brazil. Forage chemical composition and digestion rates of carbohydrate fractions of grazed Brachiaria decumbens and Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu grasses and Pueraria phaseoloides (tropical kudzu) legume were measured monthly during a 9-mo period from the end of one dry season to the end of the subsequent rainy season. Measurements of milk and growth responses to grazing these forages were used to predict animal productivity responses to dietary nutrient availability throughout an annual cycle. The ME available for gain in our simulations was always more limiting than metabolizable protein. The predicted ME available for gain was 0.50 kg/d for steers grazing B. brizantha and 0.40 kg/d for finishing steers grazing B. decumbens. Grasses contained more NDF and neutral detergent insoluble protein and less ME (P < 0.05) in the rainiest months than in the less rainy season, which resulted in 20% less predicted weight gain by growing steers (P < 0.05). Supplementation with sorghum grain was required to increase milk production and growth by 25 or 50% per animal, respectively, but this strategy was less profitable than current forage-only diets. Greater productivity of land and labor from higher stocking indicated greater net margins for beef production, but not for milk. This study suggested that more intensive beef production by judicious fertilization of grass-legume pastures and greater stocking density is the preferable strategy for owners of these cattle systems to improve economic returns under current conditions. It also might help decrease the motivation for additional forest clearing.

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Constraints to milk production in grazing dairy cows in Brazil and management strategies for improving their productivity

Cited by 15 publications

References 4 publications

Prospects and Constraints of Smallholder Dairy Husbandry in the Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania

Prospects and Constraints of Smallholder Dairy Husbandry in the Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania

Pasture shade and farm management effects on cow productivity in the tropics

Production and economic potentials of cattle in pasture-based systems of the western Amazon region of Brazil1

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