Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar
Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar
Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar
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used in Level 1, but also the adoption of improved grasses such as<br />
Brachiaria spp.<br />
In the case of Costa Rica, this level of adoption required, in addition <strong>to</strong><br />
the investment of Level 1 and the 7.2 ha of improved grasses already<br />
existing, that another 19.3 ha of Brachiaria spp. be established. This<br />
investment cost US$5,730/farm (US$249/cow) and allowed up <strong>to</strong> 18.8 ha of<br />
land, equivalent <strong>to</strong> 39.2% of the area allocated <strong>to</strong> lives<strong>to</strong>ck production, <strong>to</strong> be<br />
released for alternative uses. As a result, the s<strong>to</strong>cking rate was increased<br />
from 0.75 AU/ha <strong>to</strong> 1.23 AU/ha. The adoption of improved forages reduced<br />
milk production costs even more than in Level 1 and increased net income<br />
(Table 5).<br />
The additional investment <strong>to</strong> reach this level of adoption in Honduras<br />
was lower than that required in Costa Rica: US$1,830/farm (US$44/cow)<br />
because the farms surveyed reported, on average, the existence of 27.1 ha of<br />
improved grasses. Thus, <strong>to</strong> achieve the objectives of this level of adoption,<br />
an investment similar <strong>to</strong> that of Level 1 was required, and producers also<br />
had <strong>to</strong> invest in the establishment of an additional 6.2 ha of Brachiaria spp.<br />
Because the s<strong>to</strong>cking rate in Honduras was relatively high<br />
(approximately 1.44 AU/ha) as a result of the adoption of improved grasses<br />
and cut-and-carry forages, the area that could be released <strong>with</strong>out affecting<br />
herd size and production/farm was low compared <strong>with</strong> Costa Rica and<br />
Nicaragua. The area that could have been released in Honduras was about<br />
4.1 ha, which represented 9.3% of the <strong>to</strong>tal farm area allocated <strong>to</strong> lives<strong>to</strong>ck<br />
production (Table 6). This level of adoption led <strong>to</strong> additional reduction in<br />
production cost/kg milk (US$0.11/kg) and an increase in net income/cow<br />
per year.<br />
Level 2 required a higher level of investment in Nicaragua than in Costa<br />
Rica and Nicaragua because the areas <strong>to</strong> be established <strong>with</strong> improved<br />
forages were larger in view of the precarious situation of farms at that time.<br />
To achieve Level 2 of adoption, an investment of US$7,410/farm, equivalent<br />
<strong>to</strong> US$168/cow, was necessary <strong>to</strong> establish 4.4 ha of sugarcane, 2.2 ha of<br />
Cratylia, and 37.3 ha of Brachiaria spp. (Table 7). This investment<br />
increased the s<strong>to</strong>cking rate from 1 AU/ha <strong>to</strong> 1.80 AU/ha, and released<br />
about 35.8 ha of land for other alternative uses (44.8% of area allocated <strong>to</strong><br />
lives<strong>to</strong>ck production). With this level of adoption, it was possible <strong>to</strong> reduce<br />
even more the milk production costs and increase net income/cow per year.<br />
Level 3. This level attempts <strong>to</strong> show the potential of adopting new<br />
forage germplasm in the entire farm area allocated <strong>to</strong> lives<strong>to</strong>ck production.<br />
This level of adoption required the largest amount of capital investment<br />
because not only were improved forages established in larger areas, but also<br />
more animals had <strong>to</strong> be purchased a result of increased s<strong>to</strong>cking rate. This<br />
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