Good Management Practices for Successful Dairy Farming- Challenges and way forward in Indian perspective
“LAND OF MILK AND HONEY” –India as described by various Portuguese, French, British and Dutch explorers who voyaged India during their exploration. Since time immemorial, dairy has always been an integral part of Indian culture, religion and even Indian traditional medicines (Ayurveda). History suggests, around 8000 yrs. ago, Zebu cattle (Indigenous/desi cattle) was first domesticated during Indus Valley Civilization, showing India’s profound expertise in animal husbandry since centuries. After all this time, India still triumphs the dairy industry field as the largest producer as well as consumer of milk with over 300 million bovines and 148 million goats present.
India certainly was impeded in the dairy field during the British colonization but after independence it picked up pace by successfully implementing “Operation Flood” model all over the country in various phases(1970-1996) under the eminent supervision of Verghese Kurien, Father of White Revolution in India. The milk production increased about four folds in over 30 years and the per capita milk availability boosted to 394gram/day (2018-19) from 178gram/day (1991-1992).
Dairy Industry contributes to about 4-5% in Indian GDP and is one of the strongest pillar of this agrarian economy. Today India houses over 100 million dairy farmers. Milk is the most valuable farm product generating over 100 billion US dollars revenue per year. According to the data by USDA, Economic Research Service, National Dairy Developmental Board (2012), Indians consumed drinking milk in highest amounts with about 46% consumption. It was followed by ghee at 28%, butter, curd, khoya all at 7% illustrating their good market value. The small scale operators or the unorganized sector comprises for over 80% of India’s milk supply and are backbones of Indian dairy industry.
Need for dairy management
Despite India topping among the list of milk producers in the world, there are certain grey areas which cannot be neglected. According to the reports of International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN- a global network), India produces around 137.5 million tonnes of milk with over 300 million of cattle population. While USA, produces around 84.3 million tonnes of milk with almost one third cattle population. This shows that India is lacking scientific and technical skills and also the infrastructure required for optimum results. The average milk production per animal is as low as 3 litres per animal/day compared to 30 litres per animal/day in developed nations.
Due to unplanned breeding and selection processes, India has not been able to utilise and harness the productivity traits of its Indigenous breeds. Rather we have recasted the nature of these breeds from being milch to draught purpose breeds. Following are some very common malpractices pertaining to dairy industry in India-
- Calves are weaned forcefully within just few days.
- Cattles are seen getting tortured and not given optimum living standards.
- Cows and buffaloes are pumped with hormones in an unscientific manner for increasing production.
- Diseased dairy animals are medicated on their own without proper veterinary assistance or left untreated to save the business running costs.
- Milk processing companies are mostly benefited by the rules and regulations and dairy farmers have least hand in milk pricing and earn very low profits.
- Feed, fodder and water scarcity in some parts of year.
- Lack of education and technical knowledge in unorganised sector farmers.
These points clearly reveal that there is a problem at management level but also these ways are unethical and pertain under the section of animal cruelty.
Planning/Marketing the dairy business
People before starting their dairy business need to have a lot of planning and research before implementing their ideas. There should be a clarity on type of business plan(number of animals –large or small), location(village, town, city),household type ,investment and the customers.
- It is important to study the market and the products that are in demand in that area. e.g. Buffalo milk, cow milk, fat free milk etc.
- Fresh farm milk should be sold directly to consumers everyday at village/town level.
- At city level, fresh milk should be supplied by establishing milk ATM machines in different part of cities or by setting a mobile van system.
- Focus on marketing the products at both online and offline platforms.
- If in a village area, one can join Dairy Cooperative Societies and supply them extra milk to them to earn profits. E.g.) AMUL- Anand Milk Union Limited, a cooperative venture started in Gujarat is jointly owned by around 3.6 million milk producers.
- Try to expand horizon of the dairy business by investing in manufacturing the by-products of milk like ghee, butter, khoya, curd etc.
Government Schemes, Loans and policies
- Dairy Entrepreneurship Developmental Scheme(DEDS): This scheme is implemented by National Bank for Agriculture provides capital subsidy @25% of the project cost for general category and @33% for SC/ST farmers.
- Kisan Credit Card(KCC): This scheme allows dairy farmers to get a short term credit at reasonable rate of interest for their requirements.
- Rashtriya Gokul Mission: Launched in December 2014, this scheme promotes indigenous cattle breeds with genetic up gradation of non descript cattle with door to door Artificial Insemination facilities.
- Foot and Mouth Disease Control Programme: This scheme was launched for subsequent eradication of F.M.D. implementing biosecurity measures and providing free vaccination drives.
- National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development(NPBBDD): Under this scheme, establishment of milk storage facilities, bulk milk coolers, milk processing units, milk testing laboratories was done for dairy farmers.
Dairy Animals, Breeds and Buying of Cattles
World milk Production mostly relies on prolificacy of cattle, buffaloes and goats. Other animals contributing to milk production are sheep, yaks, camels, horses etc. but they are constricted to specific zones of the world. In India, the charts show that buffaloes and cows primarily contribute to nation’s milk yield.
| SPECIES | PERCENTAGE WISE
MILK PRODUCTION |
| · Buffalo Indigenous
|
35%
|
| · Cow non-descript
|
11%
|
| · Buffalo non-descript
|
14%
|
| · Cow cross-bred
|
26% |
| · Cow Indigenous
|
10%
|
| · Cow exotic | 1% |
- Milch variety of Indigenous/zebu cattle have enormous genetic potential for higher milk productivity and better disease resistance.
- The milk quality of zebu is much more superior with higher fat content and A2 variant of beta casein protein than exotic breeds. Examples of Indian breeds are Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Hariana, Gir etc.
- Drawback of zebu cattle is their low yield when compared with exotic breeds. In order to improve the milk yielding capacity of the indigenous cows, exotic cattle breeds were introduced.
- Exotic breeds like Jersey, Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss have been used in the cross breeding programmes for improvement of local non-descript cattle in various parts of country.
- Jersey breed with small size and high yield has acclimatized well and is widely used in cross breeding with indigenous cows.
India is also home to variety of Buffalo breeds and buffaloes are the highest contributors in milk yield of the country. India is a home for over 50% of the world’s buffaloes. Buffalo milk has more fat content than cow’s milk. Murrah, Neeli Ravi, Bhadawari are some notable breeds.
The goat is a versatile daily animal producing meat, milk, hide, fibre and manure. It is known as the ‘poor man’s cow’ in India. Changthangi, Chegu, Beetal are some notable Indian goat breeds.
Buying Cattles: Before starting a dairy farm, it is crucial to select the right cattle and their breeds according to your climatic zone, marketing zone and finances.
- Make a detailed business and Investment plan with knowledge of all breeds and then try to select the best with help of some expert.
- Cattle that are being bought should be thoroughly inspected and given a clear certificate from qualified Veterinary practitioner.
- Try milking the cattle 3-5 times atleast before buying it.
- Note the feeding pattern of the cattle (stall feeder or grazer) and then buy accordingly.
- New cattle should be given sufficient time to acclimatize with new climate and feed.
- Get the whole herd completely insured in case of any mishappening.
Housing the cattle, Cleanliness, Waste Management
A proper system of housing the cattle is an essential step in dairy farm planning, responsible for good health of animal, providing it comfort and protection from all kind of stresses. There must be provisions of desirable working conditions for the labour and supervisory staff and integration of housing with feeding, watering, milking and waste handling systems.
- Construction cost should be economical and future expansion of building should be possible.
- Animal can feel free, comfortable and can be kept clean and hygienic.
- Foundation of the building should be strong and the soil for building must be chosen wisely.
- Good ventilation and proper drainage system must be present to drain out excess water at all times.
- Proper electricity and water connections should be present.
- For small holding dairy farms, cattle sheds adjacent to the farmer’s house, or small animal sheds made out of locally available building materials are usually constructed.
- Farm should be distant from areas of disturbances like industries but in close proximity with the market.
Waste Management
A successful dairy enterprise must have an advanced, economical and efficient methods of waste disposal for not only cleanliness and hygienic purposes but for managing the running costs of dairy business. Cattle Dung, urine, feed leftovers, bedding materials are some common types of dairy farm waste.
- Vermicomposting 2) Biogas production 3) Direct application in fields
- Bio-methanol production 5) As fish feed
Feeding and Watering
Feed constitutes about 60% of milk production cost. Based on nutrient requirements of dairy animals a well balanced ration should be computed with both concentrates and roughages.
- Crude fibres and forages have a crucial role in improving milk fat concentration.
- Excess concentrates in diet can lead to acidosis and damage to animals.
- Cattles can be fed individually or in groups.
- During early lactation, concept of “Challenge feeding” should be adopted.
- To avoid problems arising due to poor/imbalanced diet, cattle supplements can be used.
- Lucerne(queen of fodder), a protein rich crop and Sorghum, drought resistant nature are some good options for feeding cattle.
- Storage: For dry preservation of fodder, Hay making is preferred while Silage is fermented feed preserving the nutrients and moisture more efficiently.
Water: Milk contains about 87% of water. Water is required in a sufficient amount for maintaining the proper metabolism, ion balance, body temperature and excretion. Lactating cows require 30-50 gallons of clean water per day.
Health Management
- Health management programme is established by the collaborative efforts of farm manager and veterinary specialist.
- Maintain a complete health and breeding records of herd.
- Monitor general cattle behaviour. Healthy animals have bright eyes, stay alert, active with smooth skin.
- Maintain a surveillance of infectious diseases like FMD (foot, mouth disease), rinderpest, anthrax as may spread to whole herd and arrange vaccination drives.
- Mastitis may be attributed to poor management, improper milking procedures and faulty farm equipments.
- Assign a qualified veterinarian for your dairy farm, with scheduled farm visits depending on herd size.
- Calf mortality is high among the new born herd. Gastroenteritis and pneumonia is common at this age.
- Promotion and use of traditional Indian herbal medicines backed by research for cattle, which are in use since decades in the country.
Veterinary Healthcare in India:
India has a mammoth veterinary taskforce that supports the dairy sector of the country. There are 25571 veterinary dispensaries and around 12076 veterinary hospitals in the country. Farmers are provided with these facilities at subsidised rates in government institutes. There are about 57200 AI Centres, 132 governmental cattle breeding farms and 23 buffalo breeding farms in India.
Milking
- Milking is a key operation at a dairy farm which requires trained and skilled staff.
- In large dairy farms, machine milking should be preferred to improve the efficiency and reduce labour cost of production.
- Milking barn should be dust free, disease free and with no bad odour so that the product quality is not degraded.
- Milking pails and equipments should be washed and dried everyday before and after milking.
- A good cooling storage facility should be available for milk.
Breeding
For achieving best results and economic efficiency, it is crucial that cattle breeding is done by scientific selection of genetically superior mating partners. Improving the genetic structure of herd is important for future growth.
- Maintenance of complete breeding, phenotypic and milking records of dairy stock.
- For selection of best cattle for breeding, milk production and performance should be of utmost importance.
- Non descript cattle should be mated with high producing exotic breeds, to improve their genotype.
- Cattles with underdeveloped udder, teats and hoof problems should be culled from stock.
- Artificial Insemination should be promoted as it prevents spread of diseases, promotes superior quality semen with high conception rate.
- Use of sexed semen of superior indigenous breeds like Gir, Sahiwal, Tharparkar, Murrah which are readily available by Government of India at Veterinary hospitals and dispensaries.
Basic tips for managing a Dairy farm
Management is the most crucial ingredient of a successful dairy business. It involves planning, decision making, organizing, leading and instructing the human resources to lead to optimum results. Farm Manager should have complete scientific knowledge of the dairy farm business with good leadership and labour management qualities.
- The operations performed at a dairy should be properly scheduled.
- Animals are creatures of habit, so they should be fed, groomed, milked in an organized manner daily for best results.
- Individual care of all stocks of animals should be taken.
- Workers should be properly managed by the farm manager and work should be distributed according to the skills and knowledge of labour.
- For skilled operations like milking and milk handing, the labour should be trained properly and periodical refreshment of information is needed.
- Dairy farm should be provided with technologies like cameras for security and solar panels for energy needs.
Advancements in Dairy industries
- Robotic Cow Milking equipment like Automated Milking systems (AMS) allow cattle to be milked together in large numbers without any manpower requirement.
- RFID Tags, Collar technology, Fitbits are some examples of technologies that allow to monitor stress, behaviour, health and location of cattle.
- Karnataka government had implanted GPS enabled chips in ears of 56 lakh animals for monitoring and managing them.
- For preventing the animals from getting lost, stolen or attacked, cattle monitoring drones with thermal sensing technologies have been developed.
- IIT Guwahati scientists prepared a smartphone application aided paper sensor kit for testing milk freshness.
- An e-platform has been setup for farmers for buying farm equipment and services like Agrostar and Gold farm.
Other Scopes
Apart from cattle, dairy products of goat are in huge demand for biomedical research and in pharmaceutical companies and demand is expected to increase enormously. Government of India provides a subsidy of about 25% to 33% on total purchase costs of goat. Integrated Organic Farming is used for maintaining a dynamic balance in your farm. Also, Ayurveda, medicine uses various cow products to produce Panchgavya, Gou arka etc. for treating various ailments.
Conclusion
India has emerged as the protagonist of the dairy sector in the world. By following scientifically approved management techniques, the dairy industry of India can achieve tremendous boost and uplift country’s economy. Selection of the perfect breed with comfortable housing, balanced and nutritious ration, good health management and scientific breeding techniques are required overcome the hurdles faced by this sector.
Yashovardhan Misra
B.V.Sc. and A.H. Scholar (IInd Year), College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry (DUVASU), Mathura
