Francisco André’s Family Increased Milk Output Tenfold

Until a few years ago, Francisco André’s family produced about 12 litres of milk per cow once a day at the Eldorado settlement in Sidrolândia, in Mato Grosso do Sul. The farm’s total output was 70 litres a day, with milking carried out manually in an earth-floor yard.

The family began receiving technical and management assistance from Senar/MS in 2017. The programme identified production constraints and reorganised the herd’s management around feeding and milking procedures.

For feed, the family started growing its own maize for silage. This provided the herd with a balanced diet throughout the year, including periods when natural pasture was insufficient. The family also changed its milking schedule from once daily to twice daily.

Following those changes, the average output reached 28 litres per cow per day. The farm’s total production rose to 700 litres a day, ten times the level reported before the management changes.

Higher financial returns allowed the family to upgrade the farm’s infrastructure. It bought a mechanised milking system, milk coolers for maintaining product quality until sale, and a tractor and forage harvester to speed the cutting and storage of cattle feed. The equipment also reduced the physical demands of the manual work previously performed in the yard.

Francisco André runs the property with his sons, Ian Mateus and Andrei. They have shared the farm’s tasks since the period when milking was done by hand, and the next generation is already involved in the continuity of the family business. With production established at its new level, the family’s stated target is 1,000 litres of milk per day.