Good Management Practices for Successful Dairy Farming in India

Good Management Practices for Successful Dairy Farming in India

India is the world’s largest producer of dairy products by volume and has the world’s largest dairy herd. Dairying has been regarded as one of the activities that could contribute to alleviating the poverty and unemployment especially in the drought‐prone and rain‐fed areas. In India, about three‐fourth of the population live in rural areas and about 38% of them are poor. Therefore among these people, as well as the large vegetarian segment of the country’s population, dairy products provide a critical source of nutrition and animal protein to millions of people in India. Prior to year 2000, India was not noticed by most international dairy companies, as the country was neither an active importer nor an exporter of dairy products. Although India has imported some milk powder and butter oils as aid between 1970 and 1990, exports from India were insignificantly small and it was not until 2000 onwards, when Indian dairy products started having more presence in global markets.  Milk production in India has developed significantly in the past few decades from a low volume of 17 million tons in 1951 to 198.4 million tons in 2019-20.

Dairy production in India runs on a low input‐low output system, in which individual producers typically own less than five cattle or buffalo and use locally available feeds. This has resulted in yield levels that are below international averages but also the world’s lowest production costs. As dairy product prices and income from milk collection continue to increase, farmers are slowly growing herd sizes and increasing their specialization. In addition, interests from private sector investors have also facilitated construction of larger dairies through partnering with dairy processors. Through implementing various incentive schemes like Ministry of Agriculture’s research programs, imports of bovine semen and embryos, the National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding Indian policy makers are aiming to increase the country’s dairy output. Beside this private sector also providing different activities such as artificial insemination services, training for veterinary care and other livestock management skills etc. Milk based dairy products like ghee, paneer, cheese etc are all staples of daily life, making our country both largest consumer and the largest producer of dairy in world. But a combination of low genetic potential, poor nutritional management keeping the country’s milk yield significantly below global standards.  These can be overcome by focusing on several areas like farmers training, farm management, forage production management, nutrition management, housing management,  fertility management, young stock management, cross breeding, hygienic milk production, dairy farm recording etc.

Farmers training

Most of the dairy farmers utilize home-made feed ingredients as concentrate along with bhusa or chaffed paddy straw and green fodder to some extent to feed their cattle. To improve milk production, Indian dairy farmers should be trained about better feeding methods to improve milk production. The main purpose of the training to create awareness among milk producing communities about the importance of a balanced ration feeding to dairy cattle, nutritive quality of locally available feeds and fodders and the proper utilization to improve the production of dairy cattle. The objectives of farmers training should be adaptation of production and post-harvest technologies to increase cereal production and raise incomes; crop and resource management practices for sustainable future cereal-based systems and introduction of high-yielding, abiotic stress-tolerant, and disease- and insect-resistant rice and wheat varieties and hybrids for current and future cereal and mixed crop-livestock systems.

Farm Management

A farm is an economic unit where inputs are transformed into outputs through an interaction between natural and man-made factors. Farm management is defined as ”a decision-making process in which the available but limited production resources are allocated to selected production alternatives, so as to operate the farm business in such a way as to attain some set objectives’’. Planning is the basic function of dairy farm management which includes assessing internal and external situation of dairy farm, setting objectives, strategy design and activity design.

Forage Production Management

The main objective of forage production management is ensuring year round forage supply for the farm.  It is important to choose forages which are adapted to local soils and climate. The optimum time to harvest forages should be based on their nutritive value rather than their total forage yield.

Nutrition Management

Nutrition management is the process of understanding the nutrient requirement of dairy cattle at different growth and lactation stage and combining various feed ingredients to meet these needs in a cost effective manner.  Feed is a big part of the cost to produce milk, nearly 60-70%. Since feed is major variable cost that has direct influence on the amount of milk and cost of milk production, it needs a careful management from farmer’s side.  Dairy animals should be provided with sufficient feed and water daily, according to their physiological needs. New feed stuff or ration should always be introduced gradually. The quality and quantity of the feed, including appropriate fibre, should reflect the animal’s age, body weight, stage of lactation, production level, growth, pregnancy, activity and climate. Dairy farmers should ensure that the feed fed to dairy livestock does not contain chemical residues, toxins or other contaminants that pose a risk to animal health or the safety or quality of milk derived from these animals. This can be achieved by carefully following the label directions of agricultural chemicals used on pastures and crops being grown for stock feed on the farm. Sufficient space and time needs to be given for each animal to get access to feed and water. Good feeding management will reduce competitive pressure and diminish aggressive behaviors between individual animals. A nutritious diet for dairy animals is one of the most important factors in herd health. Each life stage of animals requires different nutrients, so they should be provided with proper diet in combination with vitamins and minerals.

Water supplies should be of suitable quality and free of excrement. Many toxic chemicals such as pesticides, petroleum can enter water supplies and threaten the health or safety of people, livestock and the milking equipment rinsed with the contaminated water. All reasonable steps should be taken to minimize the risks of the water supply freezing or overheating, as appropriate.

Housing Management

Houses of animals should be with adequate space for resting on comfortable bedding and protected from hard surfaces such as concrete. These areas should be kept clean by replacing the bedding frequently. Grazing areas are usually suitable for resting, provided that they are rotated frequently and have adequate drainage. Animals should be protected from adverse weather conditions and the consequences thereof. Some of stressors like heat stress, poor ventilation, improper stall and not having adequate access to water are not only stressful to the cows, but also greatly affect their physiology and productivity. During summer, shade or alternative means of cooling such as misters and sprays should be arranged. All animal housing should be adequately ventilated allowing sufficient supply of fresh air to remove humidity, allow heat dissipation and prevent build-up of gases such as carbon dioxide, ammonia or slurry gases. Objective of good housing management is to improve productivity of dairy animals by reducing different kinds of stress.

 Fertility Management

Good fertility management means cows must calve at the right time of the year, must be seen in heat, served efficiently and got in-calf as quickly as possible. To improve dairy herd productivity, farmers need to develop the skills to identify when cows are on heat. The nutritive requirement for reproduction should be adequately supplied. Accurate record on the reproductive status of each cow is essential for efficient fertility management. Milking cows need to be well fed to rebreed. If cows are too thin or over fat, they will have poorer fertility.  Periodically the status of the herd should be evaluated. It is important to keep good records of insemination and natural mating to ensure good herd reproductive performance and to know when to seek veterinary advice. In artificial insemination, it is important to use insemination technicians with reliable good inseminating skills and use semen which has been tested as good quality. Disease prevention plan should be developed which includes good hygiene, isolation of stock and regular vaccination programme. . Regular vaccination programme and deworming schedule are crucial for healthy dairy farm management.

Young Stock Management

Sufficient young stock reared will mean that no animals need to be bought from outside the farm. This will reduce the risk of bringing diseases to the farm and also increased the farm profitability and sustainability. Calves must be born under hygienic conditions. Calving cows must be provided with a clean dry area and must be given colostrum early in their lives. Each calf should receive 4 L of colostrum within 6 h of birth. Calves must be always provided with adequate clean drinking water.  Calf should have separate pens and should construct with good natural ventilation against heat stress and also protection from any severe cold weather conditions.

Cross-breeding

The technical programme for cross breeding prescribed by the government of India targeted the nondescript cattle as the foundation stock, to breed them with exotic donor breeds once, to produce half bred: with equal inheritance from the two widely different parents, one contributing endurance and the other, the much needed higher productivity. The crossbreeding of non-descript zebu cows with semen of exotic dairy cattle breeds has resulted in enhancing milk production by 5 to 8 times to that of nondescript cows, reducing age at first calving and shortening calving intervals in first generation crossbred progenies.

Hygienic Milk Production

Maintaining a high standard of hygiene is one of today’s most important milk production objectives. Milk has the potential to cause food borne illness. Raw milk is also known to be associated with pathogenic bacteria which cause milk-borne diseases such as tuberculosis, brucellosis or typhoid fever, etc. Hygienic milk production, proper handling and storage of milk, and appropriate heat treatment can reduce or eliminate pathogens in milk. Processed milk must be handled hygienically to avoid post-processing contamination. So whether one is selling milk directly to consumers or to a processing factory, it must be handled hygienically so that it remains fresh and capable of being heated without curdling. Hygienic milk handling includes using clean equipment, maintaining a clean milking environment, observing good personal hygiene and preserving the quality of milk during storage and transportation to the consumer or processing plant.

Dairy Farm Recording

Record keeping (Animal Identification record, breeding Record, milk Production record, feeding record etc ) is a necessary element of good dairy management. Dairy farm records provide the basis for tracking & evaluating performance, provide up to date information for decision making at different level and aspects of the farm, helps in overall better supervision and management of herd, determining the income and expenditure of dairy farm, helps in estimating the cost of milk production, helps to compare the herd performances in different years and to inform farmers about strengths and weaknesses in their farm operation.

Insuring animals

For insuring animals, farmers and animal owners should contact their nearest government veterinary doctors/ animal husbandry department. The general Insurance corporation of India (GIC), New India insurance are major insurance companies providing cattle insurance. The main objective of insurance scheme is to provide protection to farmers as well as cattle rearers against any eventual loss of animals  due to  accident, flood, cyclone, earthquake or any diseases.

Conclusion

Good dairy farming management practices based on animal health, good nutritional supply, milk hygiene, welfare, environment and socio-economic management. When these practices will be adopted safe and quality milk can be produced from healthy animals.

1. Dalai¹*, S. Shekhar² & R. Dalai³

¹Department of Veterinary Physiology, C.V.Sc & A.H., O.U.A.T, Bhubaneswar-751003, India.

³Computer science & Engg, BIT Mesra, Ranchi, India

²Technical Service Officer, Venky’s India Ltd, Bhubaneswar, India.

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