The economic viability of milk production in small family farms (SFF) in São Carlos, SP, from 1998 to 2001, after implementation of several technical and management actions in order to increase production was studied. Six SFF with sizes varying from 4.2 to 27.2 hectares and milk production as the main economical activity were selected. The technical actions implemented in each SFF were: agricultural: a) feeding: cropping and feeding sugar-cane + urea in the dry-season, concentrate supplementation according to the cow milk production level and rotational grazing in the rainy-season, b) animal welfare: identification and improvement of animal welfare, c) reproduction: use of artificial insemination and/or bulls and reproductive control of the herd, d) disease control: control of ectoparasites and endoparasites as well as brucellosis and tuberculosis tests, and e) genetic breeding: use of selected bulls, environment: recovery and conservation of natural resources, improvement of water quality and recovery of soil fertility, and administration techniques: culling of low-production animals, herd productivity control, practice of partnership and economical analysis. For statistical analysis was used an ANOVA model that included effects of the six SFF and fixed effects of year and months within year. The year effect was confounded with the technical and management actions and was assessed by orthogonal polynomials in order to estimate the quantitative changes in the response variables related to the year of 1998. The estimated means of the six SFF for annual milk production, milk production/ha/year, milk production/cow, net income and assets increased by 24%, 36%, 38%, 70% and 27%, respectively comparing year 2001 with 1998. Operational and total costs reduced 24.1% and 15.8%, respectively, while profit increased 4%. Two out of six SFF were chosen as extension units and used as models of SFF. It was concluded that implementation of technologies were efficient in all SFF investigated in this study.
dairy cattle; profit; cost; technical actions; small family farms
