Lucy Wanjiru, a dairy farmer and the founder of Lucy Farm, can now attest to the profitability of dairy farming after multiplying her production to 6000 litres per month.
Now a senior citizen, Lucy started dairy farming as a business immediately after her retirement. While she had thought of the idea for a long time, it was not until she tuned in to an agribusiness program on a local radio station that her dream became a reality.
Her gut feeling told her that money was in dairy, and with determination intact, she ventured into the business. Wanjiru started with seven cross cows but realized they only gave her 17 litres a day despite feeding them heavily.
Through Mugambo wa Murimi, an agribusiness program that airs on Inooro Fm, Wanjiru learned about a dairy milk production expert identified as Alex Gathii, whom she credits for her success.
”I contacted mr Gathii for help, and when he came, he advised me to change the cow shed and build a spacious one for the cows to be comfortable. He also told me to feed them well, change the breed, and change the aged cows I had,’’ she said.
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With over 50 pedigree Fresians, Wanjiru gets an average of 200 liters per day, with her most productive animal giving her 33 liters per day.
To keep the production cost low, she grows her own fodder and feeds the cows thrice a day. She notes that to make a kill in dairy farming, one should heavily invest in professionalism.
According to Gathii, a lactating dairy cow should take in 3 percent Dry Matter (DM)content of its body weight, e.g. a cow weighing 600kgs takes in 18kgs DM content; Forages and Concentrate ratio of 1:1 should be applied for a cow producing 20lts of milk per day.
To produce milk, a dairy farmer needs to supply the cow with enough protein, energy, mineral supplements, and dietary fibre. The provision of clean water is also key for high milk production, as water accounts for 87.5 percent of the milk produced.
He adds that cows should be sheltered from extreme heat conditions as heat stress reduces milk production by 8 percent.
