Management of Bovine Waste From Dairy Farming Conducted in a Free Stall System on a Family Property in Southern Brazil

Abstract

The activity of dairy cattle farming has been considered an important generator of income for the economy of the country, having the state of Rio Grande do Sul producing about 4.5 billion liters of milk/year, positioning the state as the third largest milk producer in Brazil. The Free Stall System has been adopted by some family properties in the state, which, although advantageous, requires adequate management of residues in order to avoid contamination of water and soil. The objective of this study was to describe the conduction of FSS carried out in a family property of Rio Grande do Sul, regarding management of solid waste generated by the process, as well as to quantify the demand for water and energy consumption in the activity. The property defined for the study was located in the interior of the municipality of Soledade/RS. The dairy cattle farm was monitored during April and May 2019 for its physical, economic and environmental properties, with emphasis on dairy production. In order to quantify the demand for water and energy in the activity, daily readings were performed during 60 days, with the help of a Unimag-type hydrometer and a Landis + Gyr light meter respectively. With an area of 20 ha designated for cattle farming and a herd of 45 cattle confined in lactation, the current average productivity was 21.6 L/head/day with a consumption of 88.9 L/head/day of water and 57.3 kWh/day of energy. The solid waste generated in the property was classified as domestic residues, pesticide packaging, detergent packaging, bovine waste, and residual water from cleaning purposes. The property has been in an adapting period in order to completely meet the requirements of the environmental legislation.