Dairy cattle genetics and its applications in Brazil

Abstract

The Brazilian dairy industry is based mainly on pasture-oriented, dual purpose systems in the tropical part of the Country, utilizing 'B. taurus' x 'B. indicus' hybrid animals, mostly Holstein/Gir, milked with restricted suckling of calves, which was shown to be more economical than artificial rearing in most circumstances. The Brazilian farmers have maintained for decades the dairy herd intermediate between B. taurus and B. indicus. Results of surveys and census data reveal a wide variation in dairy farm size, which is associated with different genotype use; low-input, smaller farms use a higher proportion of the more resilient, low B. taurus grade cows, while larger farms use more of the higher yielding, higher 'B. taurus' grades.