Fig 1.
Flow diagram illustrating the survey process, from initial invitation and eligibility screening to the final analytical dataset, which included 82 completed responses.
Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of dairy farms according to the three groups of herd milk production level and the number of respondents within category in parenthesis.
Fig 2.
Odds ratios for total mixed ration preparation and feed evaluation practices reported by Brazilian dairy producers.
Herds were categorized based on 305-day milk yield as follows: high production (HP; > 10,000 L/cow), medium production (MP; 7,000–10,000 L/cow), and low production (LP; < 7,000 L/cow). Comparisons were made using LP herds as the reference group for HP (pink dots) and MP (blue dots) herds, and MP herds as the reference group for comparisons with HP herds (yellow dots). Each dot represents the odds ratio, and gray bars indicate the 95% confidence interval. The dashed line denotes the reference group (odds ratio = 1). peNDF = physically effective neutral detergent fiber.
Table 2.
Descriptive characteristics of feed practices of dairy farms according to the three groups of herd milk production level and the number of respondents within category in parentheses.
Fig 3.
Frequency of feeding management practices reported by Brazilian dairy producers.
Herds were categorized based on 305-day milk yield as follows: high milk production (HP; > 10,000 L/cow), medium milk production (MP; 7,000–10,000 L/cow), and low milk production (LP; < 7,000 L/cow). Panels show the reported frequency of the following practices: cow feeding (A), feed push-up (B), feed refusal targets (C), monitoring of feed efficiency (D), feed bunk cleaning (E), and water trough cleaning (F). Percentages displayed above the bars represent the proportion of respondents selecting each option.
Fig 4.
Odds ratios for feeding and management practices reported by Brazilian dairy producers.
Herds were categorized based on 305-day milk yield as follows: high production (HP; > 10,000 L/cow), medium production (MP; 7,000–10,000 L/cow), and low production (LP; < 7,000 L/cow). LP herds served as the reference group for comparisons with HP (pink dots) and MP (blue dots) herds, while MP herds were the reference group for comparisons with HP herds (yellow dots). Dots represent odds ratios, gray bars indicate 95% confidence intervals, and the dashed line denotes the reference level (odds ratio = 1).
Fig 5.
Frequency of selected management practices reported by Brazilian dairy producers, categorized by 305-day milk yield: high production (HP; > 10,000 L/cow), medium production (MP; 7,000–10,000 L/cow), and low production (LP; < 7,000 L/cow).
Panels show reported feed bunk space (A), stocking density for high-producing cows (B), and use of dedicated pens for primiparous cows (C). Percentages displayed above the bars represent the proportion of respondents selecting each option.
Fig 6.
Frequency of feeding practices reported by Brazilian dairy producers.
Herds were categorized based on 305-day milk yield: high milk production (HP; > 10,000 L/cow), medium milk production (MP; 7,000–10,000 L/cow), and low milk production (LP; < 7,000 L/cow). Panels represent the frequency of cow feeding (A), feed push-up (B), feed refusal targets (C), monitoring of feed efficiency (D), feed bunk cleaning (E), and water trough cleaning (F). Percentages above the bars indicate the proportion of respondents selecting each option.