Importância da qualidade e acesso à fonte de água para a produção à pasto

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the importance and impact of water quality and assess in the production of animals on pasture. The location of the water source is one of the main factors for animal performance in pasture production, seeking to avoid overgrazing and undergrazing in paddocks. The animals prefer to graze in areas close to the water source, and when they need to move over a long area, in addition to energy expenditure, forage consumption will be reduced. Therefore, cattle prefer to consume forage within a radius of 200 meters from the water source. This factor changes when the herd consumes 50% of the available forage, resulting in a need to expand the grazing area. In addition to the increase in animal production and yield, water quality should be a key factor, adopted by ranchers when subdividing the pasture areas on the property. It is essential to pay attention to animals that consume water from contaminated reservoirs, as they are less in weight compared to animals that consume drinking water directly in the trough. Furthermore, animal welfare is synonymous with increased herd productivity, and by treating availability and quality as key points within production, animals will have an ideal basis to express the best levels of productivity.