Bioproductive and Financial Efficiency of Private Dairy Farms

Abstract

A five-year study (2008-2012) was made to determine the bioproductive and financial behavior derived from struc-tures and resources available on ten private rustic farms, in the province of Ciego de Avila, Cuba. Pasture and forage yields were estimated in order to evaluate contribution and efficiency. Decomposition of seasonal time series was made to determine the annual behavior of births using a multiplicative model. Variance analysis for farm comparison was based on efficiency of dairy production indicators and financial indicators (SPSS, 15.0. 2006). Overall, insufficient availability and quality of pastures and forages was evident, with negative annual forage balances. The farms were characterized by birth seasonality, particularly Farm No. 7 (April-May). However, the general birth rates were very low, as a result of inadequate reproduction management. The best productive and financial results were observed on farm No. 7 (1 061 kg/milk/ha/year, and $ 0.87 CUP/kg of milk produced, respectively).