Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar

Table 5. Profitability of Arachis pintoi mixed with different Brachiaria species
in Caquetá, Colombia, during 1996.
Type of pasture Establishment Milk yield Stocking Internal rate
cost (kg/cow per rate of return
(US$/ha)
day) (AU/ha) (%)
B. decumbens 158 3 1 12.0
B. decumbens +
A pintoi
B. humidicola +
A. pintoi
B. dictyoneura +
A. pintoi
282 3.5 1.5 19.3
337 3.5 2.0 21.8
368 3.5 2.0 21.1
Changing traditional technology to a grass-legume association with
Arachis substantially increases establishment cost from US$157/ha (B.
decumbens alone) to US$368/ha (B. dictyoneura + A. pintoi). In addition to
the substantial increase in establishment cost, the increase in stocking rate
also implies the need to purchase more cattle.
In view of the current situation of Colombia, where high real interest
rates prevail, new, low-cost alternatives must be identified to establish
improved forage alternatives.
Although the quality of commercial seed used in Caquetá is high in
terms of purity and germination, its local price is high compared with
neighboring countries such as Bolivia. The cost/kg of A. pintoi in the region
ranged from US$20 to US$25/kg during the study, while that of Bolivian
seed cost around US$15/kg. Despite the attributes of A. pintoi, its cost is
substantially higher than that of other forage legumes used in the region, for
example Pueraria phaseoloides (kudzu), Centrosema macrocarpum, and
Desmodium ovalifolium, whose costs ranged between US$12 and US$15/kg.
The reduced economic activity in Colombia and the farmers’ scarce
knowledge of this new material affect its rate of adoption. Information on
the use, management, and potential of Arachis should be diffused broadly to
accelerate its adoption rate; seed costs must also be lowered to reduce
establishment costs.
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