Economic feasibility analysis of a silvipastoral rotational irrigated pasture system applied to milk production

Milk production in Brazil is a very old activity, and involves several producers, each with its own property size and ways of producing. This sector has become increasingly competitive and demanding in terms of organization, product quality, animal welfare, and the labor involved. The irrigation of pasture is an effective methodology to optimize dairy production, because it reduces the expenses with silage or feed in the dry season and ensures a healthy and high quality feed to animals directly to the pasture. The silvipastoral rotational grazing system integrated with irrigation ensures animal welfare, higher production per area, different types of production in the same space and sustainability. The objective of this work is to evaluate the investment of using low-cost irrigation system combined with rotational silvipastoral grazing in milk production in small rural properties and verify the main performance indicators of this system. The results obtained show that it is possible to implement the project with return on investment from the seventh year and that the project is viable.