Caracterización de factores productivos y de manejo en granjas lecheras de pastizales en la provincia de Pichincha, Ecuador.

We performed a survey in 42 dairy farms located in the province of Pichincha in the Ecuadorian Sierra to characterize their diversity through a face-to-face questionnaire divided into subsystems: characterization of the structure of the farm and the herd, grassland management and human resources. In addition, the average slope of the pastures of the farms were classified in 6 possible categories. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation and variance analysis of class and quantitative variables were performed on the collected data.
The size of the farms had a median value of 40 ha with 70% of the areas dedicated to pastures. The herds were composed of 60 ± 63 cows in milk, predominantly Holstein (65%) with a limited proportion of adult cows (<60%). The daily individual milk production reached 15.1 ± 3.4 l. Expressed per available land area, milk yields were 26.6 ± 16.6 l/ha of pasture. The high SD value indicates a high variability in pasture area use efficiency. Higher productivity was found in farms with the highest stocking rates using use of rotational grazing with high instantaneous grazing intensity with very short occupation times (<12 h) in the most productive farms and the topography of the pastures (P<0.05). The daily production of individual cows was negatively correlated (p=-0.323, P=0.037) to the average slope on the farms.
It is concluded that the use of rotational grazing with very short occupation times seems relevant to maximize individual performances. Further research will have to clarify if specific pastures layout and rotation system can contribute to reduce the observed negative impact of high slopes on individual milk production.