Nutrition management, nitrogen efficiency, and income over feed cost on dairy farms in Costa Rica.
Twenty-two dairy farms in two ecologically different zones were visited repeatedly during the dry and wet seasons of 1995 to evaluate nutrition and pasture management, N efficiency on the farm, and income over feed costs with the use of a management support program. Excessive amounts of concentrates were fed, and no differences in amounts were detected between seasons. Utilization of forage was consequently low and even negligible on some farms. The amount of crude protein in the diet was generally too high. The removal of N from the farms via milk and culling represented 27 and 31% of the total N input for the two regions, respectively. The income over feed costs per cow ($3.04 and $1.84/d, respectively) was considered reasonable despite the high amount of concentrates.
Baars
R M
RM
Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.
D000821:Animal Feed / Q000191:economics*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D003364:Costa Rica; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003612:Dairying / Q000191:economics*; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D007182:Income; D007774:Lactation; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*
D004044:Dietary Proteins; D009584:Nitrogen