Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
animals are able to subsist on a diet of relatively poor-quality forage compared to cattle.
Buffaloes are typically very docile animals, often being led around by small children
in villages.
7.5.2 Feeding Requirements
Ruminants occupy a complementary place in the human food production system. They
produce food for human consumption, utilizing many materials that are not usable as
food by humans. In contrast, chickens and pigs require many grains that could be
eaten by humans. Most grasses and forage plants grow quite well on land that is too
hilly for mechanized farming. The only alternative use would be forestry. Some
areas of Africa are too dry to produce crops, but the small amount of green plants
that grow there are sufficient to nourish hardy breeds of cattle.
The best diet for cattle depends on the specific breed, the production system, and
the end product desired. Cattle for milk production are fed a ration of forage and con-
centrates rather than letting them graze pastures. Generally, cattle trample as much as
30 percent of the lush forage in alfalfa or clover pastures while searching for green
leaves and stems to eat. They also use valuable energy walking over hectares of
pasture searching for food. The most efficient dairy herds keep cows in small fields
or lots and bring the feed to them. This may be in the form of dry hay, moist silage,
compressed pellets of alfalfa, or freshly cut maize plants. A part of the feed ration is
also composed of ground grains, such as maize, barley, or rice.
A major objective of high-production diary herds is to provide high-quality forage
so that each cow will produce 1 kg of milk for each 1.4 kg of dry matter fed.
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A lactat-
ing cow will consume 16 to 22 kg of dry matter each day depending on the stage of
lactation. Under proper management, a single cow will produce about 25 kg of milk
each day.
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This varies widely for different breeds and management systems. Inten-
sively managed Holstein dairy cows will produce milk up to 300 days after giving
birth to a calf. Their gestation period is about 9 months. Before breeding the cow
again, it goes through a 60 day “dry,” or rest, period. Intensive management systems
try to have cows produce one calf each year.
Dairy cows in other parts of the world often produce less milk but on less expensive
feed rations. Tropical areas account for only 36 percent of global milk production. In
India, cows will produce 8 to 10 kg milk per day. In Brazil, cows in different regions
of the country produce 12 to 22 kg milk per day. Regional differences can be seen in
Figure 7.17, where the average cow in Europe produces 5100 kg of milk each year,
and in sub-Saharan Africa where an average cow produces only 340 kg milk each
year. Asia is slightly better, producing 900 kg milk per year, and Central and South
America are a bit higher with each cow producing 1100 kg of milk each year.
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These figures are for tropical lowland areas. In temperate, upland areas milk production
is higher. Attempts have been made to introduce the Holstein breed into these countries,
but production often declines because they are not adapted to the adverse temperatures,
diseases, insects, and poor quality of forage.
Buffalo are significant milk producers for the small farmer in Asia. The fact that a
buffalo cow can be used for light field work and give milk is a crucial factor for a small
