Low Cost Feeding Strategies for Dual Purpose Cattle in Venezuela

Abstract

This simulation study was to evaluate low cost feeding strategies in response to higher cost of commercial concentrates to maintain current milk sales from dual purpose cattle herds in the humid lowlands of western Venezuela. Data were from farm surveys in 1987 and 1988. Baseline net margins from milk and beef per cow per year were $132 and $99 for two farm cases with average daily milk of 10 and 7kg/cow and grazing mature forage supplemented with commercial concentrate. Alternative diets were 1) improving forage quality by more intensive grazing; 2) replacing commercial concentrate with a mixture of cassava tuber (Manihol esculenta), urea, and molasses: and 3) supplementing grazing with a mixture of molasses and urea. Alternatively priced feeding strategies were compared by partial budgeting. Using less mature forage was always more profitable than mature grass. Feeding molasses and urea with mature forage increased profits at least $64/cow on the high milk yield farm and $44/cow on the low milk yield farm compared with feeding commercial concentrate. The most costly cassava mixture with mature forage increased annual profit over the baseline diet at least $11/ cow on the high milk yield farm and by $22/cow on the low yield farm. Efficient use of existing feed resources may enhance economical livestock production in the humid lowlands of Venezuela.