Characterization of family-owned dairy farms in the western amazon

Abstract

More than half of the milk in Brazil comes from family-owned dairy farms, which account for 84.4% of all dairy farms. Despite this, little is known about family-owned dairy farms, especially those in the western Amazon. As such, the objective of this study was to analyze and characterize the production, sanitary conditions, reproductive rates, and milk quantities produced on 100 family dairy farms in Vale do Acre, in the western Amazon. The data were collected from March to June 2016, using a semi-structured questionnaire containing 549 questions. The answers given by producers, as well as local observations were registered in SPSS® spreadsheets, and descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Results indicated low rates of productivity, low total milk production, and low quantities of milk/cow/ day. The data also revealed sanitary and productive problems such as inadequate herd composition, lack of grouping of lactating cows, and short duration of lactation. In addition, not all heifers were immunized against brucellosis, and there was often an absence of water troughs. We concluded that it is necessary to improve the management of family-owned farms, and take technical assistance measures to correct weak points in dairy cow health and reproduction. Moreover, it is essential to improve productivity to raise the profitability of rural dairy farms.