Produção intensiva de leite em Compost Barn: uma avaliação técnica e econômica sobre a sua viabilidade

Abstract

In a global context, the productive milk chain sector is undergoing changes that indicate an accelerated technological modernization in terms of production processes. There is a constantly increase of milk production in most of the countries with growth in quality and quantity of the global milk supply. However, some global trends are observed, particularly in the last ten years, as, for instance: reduction of the total quantity of milked cows; increase in farm area, in quantity of cows and in production volume; decrease in the number of dairy farms; and increase of herd genetic potential and improvement of milk productivity per cow. In this sense, a production system called Compost Barn, which is about a covered area, where animals are stabled on a generally sawdust bed, has been deployed in several countries, and more recently in Brazil. The objective of this study is to evaluate the Compost Barn management system deployment costs in two milk production commercial farms located in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil, and compare some zootechnical and economic indicators before and after system deployment. The average investment for farms in order to house the animals was of R$ 4,276 per cow. The Compost Barn system proved to be a good technic and economic alternative for dairy farms seeking to intensify production.