In Cajamarca, Perú, the base feeding for milking cows is grass and forages. Therefore the first step to obtain a good milk production is to have a good management of pastures to produce the maximum amount of grass and forages with good quality. Dairy farming in this region is developed by small scale farmers located between 2300 and 3700 meters above the sea level. In this conditions, several challenges are faced by the grass production system:
- over pasturing,
- erosion,
- soil compaction, and
- weeds invasion.
These are the causes of a low grass production at present time with a low quality in terms of nutrition, which is of course translated into a low milk yield per cow per day. In order to improve this, Nestlé Agriservices team in Peru started up a Technical Assistance program for farmers.
As a first step, farmers with high potential and leadership skills were chosen to be trained about suitable technologies to improve pastures production. Today 58 farms are involved in this Technical Assistance program, where good production practices are now established mainly related to suitable management of pasturing including re sowing and soil fertilization, as well as an integrated weeds control program.
The yields obtained in those farms went up from 4 MT to 18 MT of forage per hectare. As a rsult, a the milk yield increased from 7 lts to 11 lts per cow per day.
The second step was to conduct several meetings with third party input suppliers to spread the knowledge and success of the program in these farms. Nestlé Peru is currently supporting through these inputs suppliers those farmers that have decided to be part of the “Improving Milking Cows
Feeding” program through a seeds sales program and through certified quality fertilizers distribution in order to also improve their farm income.
In 2010, 569 suppliers have been beneficiated from the program - increasing their milk production by 25 %.
