ABSTRACT Sesamum indicum L. has the potential to be cultivated as a forage plant in hot and dry climate regions, and it can be used to increase the food security of a herd. The objective of this study was to evaluate growth, production, and chemical composition of S. indicum compared with conventional forages used for silage production. The experiment used a randomized complete block design with split-plots related to time and four replicates per treatment. The plots consisted of four treatments (Zea mays L., Helianthus annuus L., Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Br., and S. indicum), and the subplots were two evaluation periods (2014 and 2016 harvests). Dry forage biomass production differed among the species in the 2014 harvest with values of 25 530, 12 190, 9408, and 9250 kg ha-1 for Z. mays, S. indicum, H. annuus, and P. glaucum, respectively. Maize had a greater variation in forage production between the 2 yr, followed by S. indicum. There were higher dry matter (DM) contents (P < 0.0001) for Z. mays and S. indicum (404.5 and 251.7 g kg-1, respectively). Regarding crude protein, H. annuus and S. indicum had levels of 167.2 and 117.7 g kg-1, respectively. According to the results, it can be inferred that sesame, like millet, provides greater feeding security for ruminant herds in regions with irregular rainfall.

ABSTRACT This research was conducted to investigate the effect of live and inactive sugarcane yeast on beef cattle voluntary intake, apparent digestibility of nutrients, ruminal pH, volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentrations, and ruminal ammonia. Five rumen-cannulated Nellore heifers were distributed in a 5×5 Latin square design, with five experimental periods of 15 days, with seven days for adaptation to the additives and the remaining days for data records and sampling. Total mixed ration (TMR) was composed by corn silage (20%) and concentrate (80%) based on corn and soybean meal. Five treatments were evaluated: without additive use (negative control; NC); chemical buffer addition – 0.71% in concentrate DM of sodium bicarbonate and 0.18% of magnesium oxide (positive control, PC); 10 g/day live yeast (LY); 15 g/day of inactive yeast (IY15); and 30 g/day of inactive yeast (IY30). Sugarcane yeasts were directly infused in rumen immediately after morning and afternoon feed supply. Feed additives did not affect voluntary intake, nutrient digestibility, and sorting behavior of animals. However, heifers from all treatments presented preferential intake of fibrous fraction of diet, especially those from NC and IY15. Nitrogen balance, VFA concentrations, and blood parameters were not influenced as well. Sodium bicarbonate and magnesium oxide led to greater ruminal pH than yeast, and IY15 presented greater pH than IY30. Ruminal ammonia was increased by the use of additives. Active and inactive yeasts are not recommended as feed additives for bovines fed diets with 80% of concentrate since it allows animals to select fibrous particles from TMR, and no representative gain in ruminal parameters and digestibilities are guaranteed.

RESUMO: O leite produzido no Brasil é visto como tendo má qualidade e associado a grande número de pequenas propriedades. No entanto, não há estudos que demonstram menor qualidade do leite dessas pequenas propriedades. Assim, este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a relação entre a escala de produção e qualidade do leite, como é o comportamento ao longo do ano, e definir metas para melhorar a qualidade de acordo com cada estrato. Utilizou-se um total de 21.917 análises de 409 agricultores realizadas de Janeiro/2005 a Dezembro/2014. As propriedades foram divididas de acordo a produção de leite: 10 a 100; 100 a 200; 200 a 500; 500 a 1000; e 1000 a 5000L de leite dia-1. Os dados mostraram que a produção leiteira é predominantemente realizada em pequenas propriedades; no entanto, os volumes mais elevados são produzidos por um pequeno número de produtores. Dados adicionais revelam que a qualidade do leite pode variar devido a fatores como condição nutricional e alimentos para animais. Concluiu-se que a qualidade do leite deve ser um motivo de preocupação para toda a cadeia de produção de leite, porque ainda tem problemas tais como elevada contagem bacteriana total e contagem celular somática e baixo teor de sólidos.

ABSTRACT: Milk produced in Brazil has been seen as having poor quality and is associated with a large number of small farms. However, there are few studies demonstrating lower quality of milk of small properties. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between production scale on dairy farms and milk quality, how it behaviors throughout the year and set goals to improve quality according to each strata. A total of 21,917 analysis of 409 farmers conducted from January 2005 to December 2014 were used. To study the database, the properties were divided according to monthly average daily milk yield: 10 to 100; 100 to 200; 200 to 500; 500 to 1,000; and 1,000 to 5,000L of milk day-1. The data showed that dairy farming is predominantly carried out on small-scale production properties; however, the highest volumes are produced by a small number of producers. Additional data reveals that milk quality can vary because of distinct factors as nutritional condition and feed supply. Quality of the milk produced should be a matter of concern for the entire milk-production chain, because it still has problems such as high total bacterial count, high somatic cell count and low solids.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of raw milk in different production systems and its variation throughout the year. The data were collected from 943 dairy farms in the South, Central-West and Central regions of the state of Minas Gerais, and in Vale do Paraíba, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The data were collected in the period from January 2009 to September 2011, in a total of 18,206 samples. The properties were divided into confinement, semi-confinement and extensive production systems. The evaluated factors were somatic cell count (SCC), total bacterial count (TBC) and protein and fat contents. There was no effect of production system on the contents of protein, fat and SCC. Total bacterial count, however, was affected by production. Seasonal variations were found for SCC, TBC, protein and fat; the highest protein values were found from March to June; the highest fat contents were obtained from May to August; and TBC and SCC, from December to March. The production system does not interfere with the percentage of fat and protein and SCC of the milk. However, confinement systems present a better TBC content. Both month and year are factors that interfere with TBC, SCC, protein and milk fat, and the best patterns are found in the coldest periods of the year.