Herbaceous legumes for grazing cattle pre-fattening: economic and financial indices
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Abstract
Ten cattle pre-fattening systems were selected and developed by the Institute of Animal Science to study, from the economic point of view,
their productive possibilities. The systems were assessed in lots of 150 animals from genotypes of ? Holstein x ? Zebu and Charolais of Cuba. Supplementation and its absence were evaluated. The rangeland was composed of multiple associations of herbaceous legumes: glycine (Neonotonia wightii), kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides), centro (Centrocema pubescens), siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum), and stylo (Stylosanthes guianensis). Cost records were kept in each system, starting from the fixed and the variables costs, and the main economic indices were calculated (cost/animal, cost/kg of LW, cost/peso invested, and profit/expense ratio). The gross margin/ha, the net income/ha, and the economic profitability were estimated in the financial analysis. The evaluation was conducted in foreign currency (USD) to show the performance of these systems internationally. The outcomes indicated that the use of grazing in legumes produced low values of costs/kg, cost/peso, and profit/expense ratio, indices that were better with no supplementation. The alternatives with beef genotypes had better financial indices, with the highest gross margins, the lowest direct costs/ha, and the highest profitability, being noteworthy their potentials of maximum use of grazing. The analysis showed that the use of legume mixtures in the cattle pre-fattening under grazing without supplementation may be an alternative of interest in the current conditions of Cuban cattle production.
Key words: economy, cattle pre-fattening, beef production, legumes.
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