Manejo e práticas de nutrição de gado de leite utilizados em propriedades no município de Ampére, Paraná

Abstract

Brazil was the world's fifth largest milk producer in 2013, with a production of 34.2 million liters of milk, being the milk production the main source of income for many families in rural areas in Brazil. This study evaluated the nutritional management practices in dairy herds’ property in the municipality of Ampere – Parana, Brazil. The data were collected through questionnaires to the producers. The dairy farms in the municipality of Ampere are characterized by small territorial extensions, with a territorial averaging about 16.5 hectares, herd with 18 animals, being 14 animals lactating and with a milk production average of 13.5 liters per day. In the summer the animals are fed with sudangrass and millet, and in the winter with oats and ryegrass. 72% provide silage all year. As the infrastructure, 70% of producers use farm tractors and 42% use shredders of the community associations, and only 2% of producers have no milking machine. 74% produce silage and 90% provide some kind of concentrate. All the producers provide mineral salt daily for lactating animals. In the creation of the heifers, 74% provide concentrated, however, the pasture together with the silage are the feeding base, in the same way that happens to lactating animals. The animal's diet with concentrated is according to the milk price. In this context, the nutritional management is highlighted and this is one of the major costs in dairy farming. This dairy property model based on family labor is a typical model of the Paraná, Southwest region.