Good Management Practices for Successful Dairy farming in India

 

Introduction

The production of milk on dairy farms and the processing of milk and milk products at dairy plants make up the dairy industry. Along with producing many kinds of milk, the industry makes butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. In the United States the dairy industry produced about 80 million tons of cow’s milk annually. Dairy sector is developing as the greatest provider to the agricultural riches of India, exceeding even cereal. India ranks top among the world’s milk producing Nations since 1998 and has the largest bovine population in the World thanks to unceasing efforts of the late Dr. Varghese Kurien, the father of the white revolution and milk man of India. Dairy farming is only for the people who are passionate about it demands time and plenty of patience to be successful in dairy farming. For good Dairy farming we start with the modest scale, in village level farmer should have its own area and minimum 4- 5 cows. From this we generated milk and milk product. Dairy formation is not easy it need more time, patience’s. During small scale dairy forming any circumstance handling capability we learn. In small scale 5-10 year experience we know something about dairy and handling the situation. And slowly yearly one animal should increase in shed from this dairy form is developing strength and growing the yield. for effective dairy farming good management should be there for excellent management good experience should be present . For good experience start with tiny, implies lower step and accomplish the higher by increasing the step by step. Every step is fresh learning way in dairy farming.

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What is Dairy Management

All of us consume dairy products of all kinds every day, but isn’t it odd that we don’t know much about the industry or the individuals that make the whole process of Dairy Management run so flawlessly and without glitches? Dairy Management enables specialists to persistently work towards getting dairy products reach practically each and every family of India, effortlessly and like clockwork. Today, we have various Dairy Centers of national importance like Amul in Anand, Gujarat, and Mother Dairy, in New Delhi to supply the expanding demand of milk and milk products. Dairy business is part of Agriculture and in academia it comes under the category of agricultural sciences and engineering. In industry it comes under Agriculture bracket.

The following are  detail in Dairy management programs:

• Milking Management
• Feeding Management
• Calf Management
• Cooling Management
• Cleaning Management
• Milk filtration Management
• Hoof management
• Manure handling
• Record keeping
• Bio-security
• Disease management

 

1. Milking Management

In dairy farming it is important to note the direct link between the well-being of the cows and the profitability of the dairy farm. Among others, a good milking technique is of utmost importance. No single duty in the dairy operation carries as much responsibility as does the actual job of cow milking. The continuous use of a proper milking routine results in higher milk yields of good quality, fewer problems with udder health, longer cow life expectancy and reduced milking time. All these factors contribute to a higher profit margin per cow. Good milking is a skill that can be learned through practical experience. Harmonious interaction between milker and cow is of utmost importance with regard to the amount of milk a cow produces and hence to the farm’s profitability. A good milker develops a routine that is followed during each milking. It cannot be stressed enough that if milking habits are good, results will be good. The conditions at the dairy farm in question determine the choice of hand or machine milking. Whichever system in use, the milker should be familiar with basic milk secretion and udder conformation of the dairy cow. Mostly in other countries where milk production from animals are good they give preference to machine milking.

2. Feeding Management

A normal adult animal should be fed 6 Kg dry and 15-20 Kg green fodder per day.Green fodder should be harvested at 50% flowering stage. Surplus green fodder should be conserved in the form of ‘hay’ or ‘silage’. Conserved fodder becomes useful during summers or when green fodder is scarce. zebu cattle require Dry matter intake 2-2.5 kg/100kg body weight and buffalo and cross breeds requires 2.5 to 3kg/100kg body weight. An Adult 400kg Animal require 5.5 kg Dry feed ,250g DCP,10MCAL energy,3kg TDN,17 g Calcium and 13 g phosphorus.

 

• To optimize milk production and to meet the nutrient requirement of animals, balanced feeding used.
• Animals fed only on dry fodder may be provided Urea Molasses Mineral Block as a supplement to the diet, depending upon its availability.
• For body maintenance and higher efficiency of milk production, ‘compound cattle feed’ / ‘bypass protein feed’ should also be given.
• Minerals are essential for all metabolic functions of the body – animals’ ration should be supplemented with area specific mineral mixture.
• Changing from one feed to another should not be sudden but in a gradual manner.
• Fodder should be chaffed before feeding, to avoid wastage and increase digestibility.
• Various feed ingredients including the additives, should be mixed to make Sani or Total Mixed Ration (TMR). It would be more appropriate to feed this ration in 3-4 equally divided parts in a day. This would reduce spoilage and increases the digestibility.

3. Calf Management

• Calves represent increase of the herd as well as considerable source of income. Rearing of calf most challenging since young animals are subject to environmental variance, yet, the future of every herd depends on how calves are nurtured. It is said that “good animals are raised not purchased”. It is impossible to purchase quality animal consistently, thus one has to rear its own calves to make a:-
• Reduction in milk yield
• Shortening of lactation length
• Not getting proper replacement from own high genetic merit.

System of Calf rearing: 

• Suckling system – In this a calf is allowed to suckle milk directly from its mother’s udder a little before and after milking.
• Weaning system–  In this system, the calf is kept away from its mother and fed artificially. There are two types of practices of removing calf from dam.
• Weaned immediately after birth
• Calf remains with dam from 2-3 days and removed to calf pen.

Colostrum feeding: The new born should nurse and thus get the colostrums within half to one hour of birth. In sow this may slightly be delayed, piglets are removed as they succumb to injury by mother and return after parturition is completed. Calf should be fed at the rate 1/10^th of its body weight, 4-5 times in 24 hours. Colostrum is rich in immunoglobulin and intestine remains permeable up to 24-36 hrs of life. It has laxative properties.

The calf should be dewormed and vaccinated periodically. The calf should be raises with minimum expenditure and put the identification marks of each calves for record keeping.

 

4. Cooling Management

Heat Stress indicates all high temperature related stress, which induces thermoregulatory changes in cattle. During the extreme hot humid or hot dry weather, this thermoregulatory capability of cattle to dissipate heat by sweating and panting is compromised and heat stress occurs. Severe heat stress can further lead to rise in body temperature, increased pulse rate, increased peripheral blood flow, reduced feed intake, and increased water intake. When the environmental temperature goes beyond Upper critical temperature (24°-26°C for Exotic and crossbred cattle and 33°C for Zebu cattle and 36°C for buffaloes), body is unable to maintain the core body temperature through sweating and panting (evaporative heat loss mechanism). This when coupled with rising body heat production rate lead to hyperthermia in the animal.

• Susceptible animals:

Though indigenous breeds of cattle are more thermo-tolerant, crossbred and exotic breeds of cattle are highly sensitive to heat stress.  Buffaloes are more prone to this owing to their black skin that absorbs more solar radiations and fewer sweat glands (only 1/6th that of cattle), compromising heat dissipation through evaporative heat loss.

• Detecting Heat stress through symptoms:

In case of heat stress, the following symptoms are se

• Rapid and weak pulse
• Rapid but shallow breathing
• Abnormal vital parameters: Elevated heart rate, respiration rate, rectal temperature etc.
• Unusual salivation
• Dizziness / unconsciousness
• Skin becomes dull and may be cold too
• In case of heat stroke, body temperature is very high– sometimes as high as 106 – 108°F.

5. Cleaning Management

Majority of livestock is managed by illiterate and uninformed rural people, who ignore the basic concepts of cleanliness and sanitation. Animal house and surrounds. Hygiene implies to make premises tidy and tidy while Sanitation is the process of adopting hygienic measures which nullifies the elements which deteriorate health and create condition to secure health and ensure creation of good quality products. The farm premises should also be neat and clean, there should be daily sweeping in the farm areas and washing of utensils. The cleaning of manger and water trough should be practiced regularly besides the livestock management we should also emphasize and gives due weight age to improve milk production of India.

6. Milk filtration Management

Milk is one of the most nutrient-rich consumables. It’s an essential source of proteins and calcium, which is why it’s so important that it goes through the proper filtration process. Filtering milk correctly ensures that it’s of the highest quality and helps dairy farmers detect health problems like mastitis in their cattle. The filtration process for milk is made up of four filter membranes to remove various particle sizes. These membranes include reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, and microfiltration.

• How to processed milk

Raw milk is filtered using a pump that forces it across the porous surface of a filter. The pressure on either side of the filter is different, which forces any particles that are smaller than the pore size of the filter to pass through. These particles might include water, fat, protein, minerals, bacteria, somatic cells, and other tiny elements. Larger particles, like flakes, straw, hair, insects, or clots, are not able to pass through, so they are prevented from passing into the bulk tank.

The filters that are used in milk filtration are most commonly in-line filters that may be made of different types of fiber, paper, or cloth that are fitted over a perforated metal support inside a cylindrical tube. When in-line filters are used, the milk should be filtered before it’s cooled. This allows more sediment to be removed and protects the cooling plates from becoming damaged later.

              Fileration process

There are a variety of methods that are used for milk filtration. The common goal of all methods is to separate various substances from one another. In the dairy industry, that means separating unwanted particulates from the milk. There are four different membrane filtration processes that are typically used to filter milk. The processes are:

• Reverse Osmosis– This process provides the tightest membrane possible in liquid separation. That means that only water can pass through the membrane while all other material (dissolved and suspended) is removed.
• Nanofiltration– This process removes a range of different minerals from liquid, letting only the liquid and specific monovalent ions to pass through the membrane.
• Ultrafiltration – This process separates skim milk (also called the feed) into two different streams, which allows water, salts, lactose, and acids to pass through the membrane in either direction while keeping (and concentrating) proteins and fat.
• Microfiltration – This process uses the most open kind of membrane. It’s used to remove spores, bacteria, and fat globules from the liquid and also for fractionation of skim milk.

Milk filtration that is done on-farm may also use a mechanical filter to remove any solid particles from the raw milk. These solid particles may include manure, dirt, straw, hair, insect, and clots, and they are filtered out before the milk reaches the bulk milk tank.

 

Benefits of Filtration in the Dairy Industry

Proper filtration is essential in the dairy industry to ensure the highest quality milk makes it to milk-drinkers all over the country. It not only ensures a superior product, but milk filtration can also help identify health concerns in cattle, which can greatly help dairy farms act promptly for the benefit of their animals and their bottom line. Effective filtration is also beneficial because it will help save money on milking equipment by protecting it from harmful particulates.

7. Hoof management

Hoof problem is disease Hoof health and lameness in dairy cows and heifers remains a challenge for the dairy industry. Preventing and treating lameness is a never-ending task for dairy farmers. Rarely do we find a dairy farm that doesn’t have a cow or two favoring a foot that needs attention. It may be due to neglected hoof trimming, injury, digital dermatitis or laminitis. Some lameness in dairy cattle can be congenital or the result of injury to the hip and pelvis. By far the majority of lameness in dairy cows, however, is the result of poor hoof care and from pathogenic bacterial challenges. Lameness can also originate from inside the foot as a result of inflammation from laminitis. Copper sulfate foot baths have been demonstrated to reduce prevalence of heel wart by firming up hoof material and killing bacteria. It is highly recommended that all dairy farms, especially those with free stall housing and milking parlors, install a footbath for all cows to walk through at least several days per week. Foot baths can be installed permanently in concrete alleyways or can also be a moveable plastic tub placed in an alleyway.

8. Manure handling

Dairy cattle manure contains significant amounts of the primary nutrients (N, P, and K) as well as other essential plant nutrients and hence is an excellent nutrient source for crop growth. However, if excess amounts of manure are applied beyond the use capacity of the crops and soil or if manure is improperly applied, losses by surface runoff and leaching can contribute to eutrophication of surface water bodies or contamination of groundwater. Methods of collection, storage, and disposal of dairy cattle manure have received increased scrutiny during the last two decades (Morgan and Keller 1987). The nutrients contained in dairy cattle manure are not immediately available to crops but are released over time. The rate of release depends upon the amount of organic matter applied along with nutrient content, climate, and soil type.

Two other alternative uses for dairy cattle manure are composting and refeeding. Composting is a process in which the volatile solids are digested by aerobic microorganisms. Because the process is aerobic, it is relatively free of offensive odors. Application of dairy cattle manure to land affects both the physical and chemical properties of the soil. Manure application, regardless of form, improves tilth, increases water-holding capacity, lessens wind and water erosion, improves aeration, and promotes beneficial organisms.

 

9. Record keeping

In India, to be successful in dairy farming record keeping plays a vital role. The major element cannot be disregarded is Record keeping. Conventionally records were maintained in registers but now-a-days even computers can be used for the same. The absence of records creates problems for the owners to schedule future management programmes, which would impair the production levels further resulting in severe losses. Hence, it is most important to maintain records in a dairy farm.

            Types of dairy farm records:

• Animal Identification Record
• Breeding Record
• Feeding Record
• Milk Production Record
• Animal Health and Treatment Record
• Deworming and Vaccination Record
• Young-stock Record
• Financial Record

              Reasons for dairy farm recording:

• To obtain the performance of animals and their evaluation\
• For better herd supervision and their management
• Helps in precise decision making regarding the farm at various stages
• Assists in estimation of milk production quantity and its economic impact
• Helps to inform owners about the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities in their farm operations
• Helps the farmers to set future goals to succeed
• Helps to determine the input and output expenditure of the farm
• To compare herd performances of previous years

10. Biosecurity

Biosecurity refers to strategies and management practices that lessen biological risk. On a farm, attention to biosecurity is the most important measure to reduce and prevent the introduction of diseases or pests of animals and plants. Biosecurity practices also minimize the spread of diseases or pests within a farm system. Biosecurity practices on livestock farms and ranches include sanitation, animal management, feed management, facility maintenance,  manure handling, and disposal of dead animals.

            Animal Management

Keep animals that are new to the farm in a separate holding area. A quarantine period should be established to facilitate monitoring and testing the health status of new animals. This will also help to prevent the spread of diseases to the existing herd from animals that might be harboring a disease without exhibiting any clinical signs.

• Young animals should be kept in a separate area from more mature animals to minimize the exposure of more susceptible animals.
• Keep an isolation area that is intended for only sick animals.
• Meet the standards for pen, stall, or bedded area space per animal in your care.
• Always handle sick animals last.

11. Disease management

The established herd of the animal should be resistance to diseases. For this kind of herd one have to choose the breeds and animals those are well adapted to the local climatic condition and the farming system employed in the area. Herd size and stocking capacity based on management skills should be decided after examining the , local conditions together with the availability of land, water, infrastructure, feed, and other essential inputs. Timely vaccination of all the animals should be done under observation of veterinary officers. These techniques will boost the disease resistance capacity of the herd animals and further lessen the stress.

For preventing or emergence of any disease onto the farm, farmer should purchase animals of known health status both herd along with individual animals by reviewing the record keeping register thoroughly. It is the most effective technique to avoid the spread of infectious diseases. Before introduction of the animal to the farm , all dairy herds and animals should be checked for diseases which are prevalent to their area of origin and further changed location.  Quarantine facility should also be provided for   the newly entered animal to the herd  if indicated.

Conclusion

For running any kind of like dairy farming business one should have to consider technically performing the work in right and scientifically manner with effective business strategy which ultimately leads to success. Here the set of appropriate management practises must be followed in dairy farming to increase the economic standing of the farmer, acquire safe and quality milk from healthy animals by emphasising management approaches those are sustainable from an animal welfare, social, economic and environmental viewpoint. The effective execution of given set of principles by the dairy industry leads to run the business successfully in the country.

https://extension.psu.edu/8-things-you-need-to-know-before-starting-your-own-dairy-farm

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Shivangi Singh¹, Mohit Bharadwaj² and  B.C Mondal³

¹M.Vsc Scholar Department of Animal Nutrition,College of Veterinary science and Animal Husbandry Rewa,NDVSU,Jabalpur M.P, India

²Ph.D Scholar, Depatment of Animal Nutrition,College of Veterinary science and Animal Sciences, GBPUAT,pantnagar,Uttarakhand,India

³Professor, Depatment of Animal Nutrition,College of Veterinary science and Animal Sciences, GBPUAT,pantnagar,Uttarakhand,India

Corresponding Author mail id- shivangisingh16000@gmail.com