On-Farm Comparison of Feeding Strategies Based on Forages for Small-Scale Dairy Production Systems in the Highlands of Central Mexico

Abstract

The on-farm evaluation of three feeding strategies for smallholder campesino dairy herds was undertaken in the highlands of Central Mexico with cooperating farmers: traditional, alternative and intermediate feeding strategies. All three incorporated grazing of cultivated pastures, but concentrate use was 4.0 and 7.0 kg per cow per day in the rainy and dry seasons respectively for the traditional feeding strategy, 3.3 for the alternative feeding strategy in both rainy and dry seasons and 5.0 and 9.0 kg per cow per day in the rainy and dry seasons respectively for the intermediate feeding strategy. Feeding during the dry season was based on maize straw in the traditional strategy, on pasture complemented with maize silage in the alternative feeding strategy, and with some maize silage but mostly maize straw in the intermediate feeding strategy. The trial ran between 25 September 1996 and 24 September 1997, divided by season into four, thirteen-week periods. Milk yields were recorded once per week, and live weight and body-condition score, every 28 days. Three cows per strategy that completed each period were blocked according to stage of lactation and used for the statistical analysis of a split-plot design with feeding strategies as main plots and weeks as split-plots. Overall mean milk yields were 15.5±2.05, 13.4±2.43 and 12.4±2.37 kg milk per cow per day for alternative, intermediate and traditional feeding strategies respectively, with significant interactions (P<0.05) for autumn, winter and summer. The alternative feeding strategy (with over 50% less concentrate) produced milk yields 0.24 and 0.38 higher than the intermediate and traditional feeding strategies in the dry season. In the rainy season, milk yields with the alternative feeding strategy (30% less concentrates) were 0.09 and 0.16 higher than the other two strategies. Margins per day of family labour were: alternative feeding strategy US$36.48 per day, intermediate feeding strategy US$9.22 per day and the traditional feeding strategy US$9.11 per day, although in the case of the last two there were two family members in charge of the dairy herds. Results demonstrate the successful integration of grazed pasture and maize silage for the efficient production of milk, and provide evidence on the productive use of limited campesino land resources in the face of unviable economic conditions for maize grain production.

Silage from maize (Zea mays), annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) or their mixture in the dry season feeding of grazing dairy cows in small-scale dairy production systems in the Highlands of Mexico

“…Milk yields were on the upper range of yields in these small-scale dairy systems (Arriaga-Jordán et al 2002), and are higher than yields reported by Woodward et al (2006) from work in New Zealand with no concentrate supplementation; reporting no differences in yields between cows with restricted grazing and supplemented with 5 kg DM of either maize or pasture grass silage; which were significantly higher than the cows on restricted grazing but without silage supplementation. MY were also comparable to those reported by Morrison and Patterson (2007) who reported slightly higher yields for cows receiving supplementary maize silage compared with cows on a grass silage treatment, similar to the results observed in the work herein reported where cows on the MS treatment had MY 0.06 higher than for the MIX treatment, in which the inclusion of herbage from the third cut after 73 days regrowth of the annual ryegrass resulted in lower digestibility and intakes; with no difference between the MS and ARG treatments.…”

Urea treated maize straw for small-scale dairy systems in the highlands of Central Mexico

“…They feed lactating cows during the dry season (November to June) on stacked maize straw fed in the barns, plus grazing of the harvested maize fields, to collect any weeds, fallen straw and the odd maize cob. Commercial concentrates (18% crude protein) are supplemented at a rate of 3 to 5 kg/cow/day in these farms, with some farmers offering much larger amounts (Arriaga-Jordán et al 2002). Farmers sometimes also prepare mixtures of broiler litter, ground maize grain, and wheat bran plus ground maize straw (at a proportion of 25:60:5:10) to supplement the basal maize straw for dry cows, heifers and bulls, instead of using the commercial concentrates.…”

Feeding strategies for small-scale dairy systems based on perennial (Lolium perenne) or annual (Lolium multiflorum) ryegrass in the central highlands of Mexico

“…Small-scale dairy farming, representing small farms and herds of less than 20 cows plus replacements, may be a rural development option for smallholder campesino farmers in the highlands of Central Mexico, comprising the region between 18°and 22°N at altitudes above 1500 m, given its capacity to generate daily incomes and provide employment opportunities for farming families, reducing poverty and the need to migrate to cities (Arriaga-Jordán et al, 2002).…”