Redesign of milk cattle production systems with the use of new forage species

• Grant number: 19/15073-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: March 15, 2020
• End date: January 14, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Pastures and Forage Crops
• Principal Investigator: Jozivaldo Prudêncio Gomes de Morais
• Grantee: Jozivaldo Prudêncio Gomes de Morais
• Host Investigator: Pablo Gregorini
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Agrárias (CCA). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Araras , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Lincoln University, New Zealand

Abstract

Brazilian cattle breeding has great productive capacity and occupies extensive areas throughout the country, with significant economic and social importance. However, as throughout the world, in Brazil there has been increase in total production with decrease in the area used for cattle, thus increasing the intensification of management in productive areas, which necessarily leads to a greater use of external inputs, associated with damaging environmental effects. As cattle production systems can maintain or even increase their production levels, it became a global problem, so mitigating environmental impacts has been the focus of researches worldwide. In New Zealand, the world leader in dairy market, the situation is no different: intensification for high production at the expense of increased environmental impacts. Because of this, Lincoln University has created a Center of Excellence whose main goal is to conceptualize, design, create, implement and test alternative production systems and other landscape systems that improve ecosystem, social and economic conditions. Therefore, the objective of this research will be, linked to the Center of Excellence "Designing Future Productive Landscapes" of Lincoln University, (1) to study the nutritional value of leaves and/or fruits of trees or shrubs that can be used in the redesign of milk properties, (2) a redesign proposition to a dairy farm using them and (3) through modeling, to evaluate the productive, environmental and economic impacts of this new property. (AU)