The profitability of dairy farming was studied in the region of Lavras, MG by analyzing the influence of technological level on the milk production cost. The components with major influence on the final activity cost were identified, and the break-even was calculated. Monthly data from 17 production systems representing the low, medium and high technological levels were taken from January 2004 to December 2005. Gross margin and net margin (profit or loss) were considered as indicators of economical efficiency. The technological level had impact on the effective operational cost of dairy farming as well as on the total costs of milk production - rentability and profitability. Production systems with medium technological level had the lowest total unitary cost. Positive net margin in the three technological levels shows that the farmers can produce at medium term. Due to the negative results, the farmers who used the medium technological level are losing money at long term.
Break-even; cost production; milk production; profitability analysis; technological level
