Productive and economic responses in grazing dairy cows to grain supplementation on family farms in the south of Brazil

Summary

This crossover field trial on ten grazing Holstein cows in southern Brazil compared two grain supplementation strategies: commercial concentrate (21% CP) versus ground corn (9.5% CP). Commercial concentrate increased milk yield (13.19 vs. 11.59 kg/day), but ground corn supplementation improved daily profitability (US$4.83 vs. US$4.39/cow/day), demonstrating that higher productivity does not necessarily enhance economic return on family farms. Cows receiving lower-protein supplement adjusted grazing behaviour to meet protein needs, maintaining milk composition without compromise.

Regional applicability

Findings are specific to southern Brazilian family farm conditions and Holstein dairy systems with year-round pasture grazing. Applicability to United Kingdom systems is limited, as UK dairy farms typically operate in cooler climates with different forage quality and seasonality patterns; however, the economic efficiency principles regarding supplementation strategy may inform UK integrated farm management decisions on lower-input systems.

Key measures

Milk production (kg/day), milk composition (fat, protein, lactose, carotenoids, vitamin A, N-urea), herbage crude protein intake, grazing behaviour observations, daily profitability (US$/cow/day)

Outcomes reported

The study compared commercial concentrate (CC) versus ground corn (GC) supplementation in grazing Holstein cows, measuring milk production, composition (fat, protein, lactose, carotenoids, vitamin A, N-urea), grazing behaviour, and economic return. Higher milk production occurred with CC supplementation, but GC supplementation resulted in greater profitability despite lower yield.

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