Survey of nutritional recommendations and management practices used by dairy cattle nutritionists in Brazil

• Grant number: 12/12255-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2012
• End date: November 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Danilo Domingues Millen
• Grantee: Diego Piovezan da Silva
• Host Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental de Dracena. Dracena , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study is give an overview of management practices and nutritional recommendations used in Brazilian dairy farms, and collaborate and develop new hypothesis for the dairy industry. At least, 40 dairy cattle nutritionists will be invited to participate, who will be contacted either by e-mail or telephone. A form containing 77 questions, open ones and multiple choice, will be sent to the participants. The questions will be divided into several categories, such as: general information (n=6), farms assisted profile (n=17), information on reproductive management (n=3), calves feeding and milking (n=13), feedstuffs used in lactation diets (n=8), Use of by-products in lactation diets (n=3), levels and sources of forages (n=4), mixers (n=5), levels and sources of protein, fat, minerals and additives in lactation diets (n=14), information on sources for nutritional recommendations (n=2), health problems and challenges faced (n=2). Data collection will be performed similarly as Vasconcelos and Galyean (2007), which utilized a web research-based tool: Survey Monkey. Data will tabulated in Excel spreadsheets and for all questions the number of answers, mean, maximum, minimum and mode, will be calculated.