Programs for best dairy management practice in Brazil and their applications

A national milk productivity index was defined and then used to direct the suitability of best management practices programs using milk production (i.e., milk production, value of milk and cow numbers by municipality, productivity per cow per municipality and value of milk per cow) as well as socioeconomic and environmental data for Brazilian municipalities. Production data were analyzed using SAS®v.9.3, generating clusters (high, medium, low and no milk productivity) which were then subjected to spatial analysis using ArcGIS 10 software. Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of production clusters were also statistically discriminated using SAS®v.9.3. Eleven general characteristics of six best management programs available to the Brazilian farmer were classified by experts to ascertain where they should be applied and where government should focus its resources. The six programs studied included: Safe food Program (SFP); Good Practices for Sustainability Program (GPSP); Good Practices on the Farm Program (GPFP); Quality Milk Production Program (QMPP); Educampo Project (EP); and Full Bucket Project (FBP). The eleven general characteristics of these programs included: ease of implementation, time required for implementation, cost of implementation and monthly maintenance, evaluation by milk producers, evaluation by dairy industries, stimulation of additional payment for milk quality, adhesion to best management practices of milk and dairy products, producer-dairy integration, practical application and target audience priority, and adaptability to the FAO & IDF Guide (2013). SFP is more suitable for farms with higher productivity due to difficult implementation, medium cost of monthly maintenance, in municipalities with a high milk productivity index. QMPP could be used to improve milk quality, especially in small and medium dairy farms in locations with low or medium milk productivity indices.