At the heart of Kiplombe in Baringo County sits the 40-acre farm of Jackson Keitany a dairy farmer who has now mastered the secrets to high earnings in dairy farming.
The farmer is now making a profit of Sh19,000 a month from milk sales, compared to a Sh27,000 loss per month a few years ago when he relied on commercial feeds.
In May 2017, the farmer sold 1081 litres of milk, earning Sh58,416 from an average selling price of Sh54 a litre. However, drought affected the revival of grass, forcing him to rely on hay bought from the market.
Keitany first bought 59 bales costing him Sh10 per litre of milk produced, and later 30 and 40 bales, costing him an additional Sh12.56 Â and Sh14.77 per litre respectively.
In the same month, he used 465 kilos of concentrate, costing him Sh19.06 per litre of milk produced. Throughout the month, he had spent Sh86,400, meaning he spent Sh80.37 producing one litre of milk he sold for Sh54.
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Through training by an NGO and the Ministry of Agriculture, he learned he could cut production costs by cutting reliance on commercial feeds.
Last year Jackson Keitany started planting his own Bhoma Rhodes grass on an acre piece of land, a move that has boosted his monthly earnings.
The grass is considered one of the best fodder to grow for cows for high milk production. To achieve good results, a farmer should sow it at the onset of the rainy season.
The grass has a strong root system which helps it get water during the dry season. It spreads quickly, forming a good ground cover, and can grow up to 1.5m in height.
The Bhoma Rhodes grass can grow almost anywhere in Kenya on well-drained soil. The seeds are quite vigorous, and a small amount of seed can give an impressive yield.
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The recommended amount of seed to sow on an acre farm is 5kg. Experts advise farmers to sow by hand using rows to achieve good results.
On his one-acre farm, Keitany applies 14 bags of CAN fertilizer. The grass turns around in less than 20 days from the day of fertilizer application, meaning he doesn’t need to buy roughage.
He uses 231 bales, 102 bales more than the hay he used to consume. The hay produced from his own farm costs him Sh8.46 per litre of milk produced, with the total production now at 1583 litres per month.
Jackson Keitany has also cut the quantity of concentrates by 15 kilos, bringing down the cost per liter from Sh19 to Sh10. He gets profits of Sh12.06 for every litre sold.
