Important Contributors of Successful Dairy Farming
Dairy farming is a part of agriculture and has been practiced for thousands of years. Like other developing countries, dairy farming has grown as a compelling and profitable business in Pakistan to meet the huge demand for milk, which is an essential part of human food and has a great market globally.
With the onset of mechanization, dairy farming is now changing from traditional to commercial dairy farming in Pakistan. Dairy farming is a long term business which needs proper management like other businesses. Small to medium dairy farms take about 3 to 4 years to establish, sustain and expand it.
Unfortunately, many people do not grow as per their potential in the dairy farming business due to lack of proper information and poor management skills. Here we will discuss the main contributors of successful dairy farming that are very common but most important and play a critical role in maintaining a profitable and sustainable dairy farm. The basic principles are the same but implementation may differ as per requirement.
Animal Selection
Feed better, achieve better. Selection of top quality, high yielding, and environment friendly animals is the most challenging and important part of establishing a sustainable and profitable dairy farm. Mostly, people give preference to imported cows as they are the best choice because of their milk yield compared to local breeds despite being expensive and poor resistance to extreme weather conditions.
However, if you cannot afford imported animals, select the best cattle breed available that has a minimum milk production of 12 to 14 liters per day and is not older than three lactation.
Attaining maturity and first lactation at an early age, high milk production per lactation, short calling interval and dry period and more production on less feed intake are characteristics of a profitable dairy animal and make sure the animal is not the carrier of viral or infelicitous disease.
Animal Nutrition
Providing a nutritious balanced diet is very important as animals need a standard balanced cattle feed that supplies proteins, amino acids, vitamins, carbohydrates and essential minerals required for metabolic activities, health, production and reproduction. Animal feed includes fodder, concentrate, mineral mixture and water.
The availability of best cattle feed/best dairy feed and free-choice water must be 24/7. Always feed animals according to their needs as feed requirements change at different stages of life. Animal diets must be nutritionally balanced, cost effective and palatable.
Dasan feeds developed a wide range of best dairy feeds in Pakistan as per nutritional requirements for all life stages of a dairy cattle from 1st week after birth to a mature lactating cattle. Products of Dasan feeds are nutritionally well- balanced, palatable and cost effective, that’s why Dasan Dairy Feeds are among top ranked dairy feeds in Pakistan. Dasan is also delivering top quality silage in Pakistan to the dairy farmers.
Animal Housing
Comfort and happy animals give more milk. Animal housing depends upon the number of animals, animal breeds and environmental conditions. It should be more comfortable (providing adequate space, bedding and resting area), well ventilated, have sufficient sun exposure, easy to clean and ultimately less expensive.
Proper animal housing leads to best farm practices, protects from extreme weather conditions and ultimately optimum cattle performance. Keeping in view the future requirements, a good shed should be expandable.
Animal Health
Optimum cattle health is a very important part of sustainable dairy farming as happy and healthy cattle mean higher milk production, optimum fertility, low medical treatment costs. Proper preventive measures, monitoring and identification of certain health conditions and diseases can reduce animal culling rate caused by ailment.
Again health and fertility have direct link with cattle feed and Dasan is taking care of it by provision of best dairy feeds in Pakistan.
Mastitis, Tuberculosis, Hemorrhagic Septicemia (HS), Black Quarter, Enterotoxaemia, Foot and Mouth Disease, Babesiosis, Ketosis and milk Fever are common cattle diseases.
“Prevention is better than cure”. Vaccination is the best solid defense against viral diseases and animal nutrition, housing and other environmental factors play a critical role in effective disease control.
If proper vaccinations and possible prevention measures against diseases are not carried out timely, it may severely affect cattle performance in terms of milk production, milk quality, reproduction and body condition score and may raise the mortality rate to extreme level.
Milk Quality
Quality and quantity of the milk produced at the farm are driving factors in a profitable and sustained dairy farm. Quality dairy products can be produced only from good-quality milk. Milk must be free from contamination of dirt, dust, foreign particles, high bacterial count and chemicals (antibiotics, detergents etc.). Udder, animal body, milking area, milkers, utensils, milking method, flies and other vermins are different sources of milk contamination.
To ensure standard milk quality at farm level, all milking equipment, milking procedures, and sheds must be kept clean and hygienically well maintained. Milking area should be well ventilated and flies free. Milk should be kept in cool place to maintain the quality. Anti-biotic treated animal should be milked separately and milk disposed of safely.
Skilled Workforce
Successful dairy farming is not possible without acute record keeping. Record keeping is the key activity not only from a financial point of view, but it also describes the overall performance of a dairy farming, including breeding, production, feeding, health and the status of all the best farm practices applied.
To improve any practice on the farm, records are very important. Without a proper record we cannot move forward. The record-keeping can be simple or complicated as per requirements. Registers for manual record keeping. There should be some software (automated) or registers (Manual) or both together for successful record keeping. Record keeping helps in decision making to take necessary steps on daily basis for better management.
Record Keeping
Despite the age of modern mechanization, no one can deny the importance of a workforce. Availability of skilled workers is an issue for many dairy farmers. Farm workers need more hands on experience in animal handling, feeding, milking and calf management. May maintain animal housing and milking areas clean and hygienic. Farm workers must be good observers and have monitoring skills to identify heat deduction and potential disease attacks.
It is also very important to care about the workers and their families. Employee welfare has benefits for both the employer and the employee. During employment, the offered salary and benefits will determine whether an employee works at a farm or not. If you care for them, they will care for you.