Milk production characteristics in Southern Brazil

摘要: This paper aimed to describe milk production in Southern Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, and identify factors that affect quality at this region. The average age of regional dairy farmers is 49, 67.9% has not concluded elementary school. Dairy farming carried out on properties with an 26.06 hectares 8.4 lactating cows. Most them (32.83%) yield 50 100 L/day. Among the properties, 13.21% up 30 L/day, only 1.89% produces over 500 liters a day. Average was 6.8 Regarding milking procedure, 39.3% manually animals, 14.2% performed pre-milking teat disinfection, 53.9% uses single cloth dry all animal teats. For infrastructure, 52.8% milks animals wooden cowsheds. We observed somatic cell count (SCC) within legal parameters, presenting negative correlation (r = -0.23) lactose content -0.39). However, total bacterial (TBC) above parameters. Education level seems interfere management quality, because less educated groups are, adequate are management, product quality. Data show there lower where poor techniques adopted owner education affects