Modern Machinery for Dairy Farming:
1. Fodder Harvesting and Chopping Machines:
Nowadays such machines are available in Pakistan, which not only cut the fodder in the field, but also chop and put it in the trolleys at the same time. Then these trolleys put the chopped fodder in the feeding mangers automatically. Moreover, these machines are used for silage making on a large scale. One machine works as much as 25 to 30 men in a day.
2. TMR Wagon:
Fodders of different kinds, concentrates and other ingredients of feed are put into the TMR wagon to make balanced feed for animals. This machine then makes a sort of mixture of all these ingredients. This way the animals get all the nutrients in their feed. As all the ingredients are mixed well in this feed, it becomes easily digestible. The animals eat it with good appetite and their production increases.
3. Instruments to save the animals from heat stress:
As high yielding animals are kept in modern dairy farms, arrangements are also made for their comfort and to save them from scorching heat. Special equipment is used for that purpose.
They include strong fountains, ventilators and water-sprinkling equipment. They cause a considerable decrease in the intensity of heat. Nowadays all this equipment is controlled through an automatic system which controls the temperature of the sheds.
4. Milking machines:
Milking machines are being abundantly used in modern dairy farms. These days most modern milking parlors have been fixed there, which milk about 50 animals simultaneously. Medium scale farmers can decrease their expenses as well as increase milk production by using mobile milking machines or the bucket milking system
Selection of animals for modern dairy farming:
It is very important to choose the best breed of dairy animals for successful dairy farming. Forty percent profit depends on the breed of the animals. Animals with less potential cannot give the highest production even if you give them the best feed and other comforts. The below-mentioned points must be taken care of when buying animals for a successful dairy farm:
1. An authentic record of the animals milk production 2. Ability to get pregnant soon after giving birth to a calf 3. Minimum calving interval 4. Long lactation length 5. Early puberty 6. Animals must be disease free, especially udder structure should be balanced
Protection against diseases:
A good dairy farm is recognized by minimum number of sick animals. The animals should be neat and clean. Their sheds are regularly cleaned, and they should be vaccinated and de-wormed regularly. As many diseases spread when enough feed is not given to animals, it is important to give full attention to the quality of their feed. By safeguarding animals against diseases we can increase their milk production and also save a huge amount of money that we might have to spend on the treatment of these diseases.
Record Keeping of the Dairy Farm:
A modern successful dairy farming is possible only if we keep an up-to-date record of its expenses and income. Unfortunately in Pakistan there is no trend of keeping a record of dairy farms. This is the reason that dairy farming has not become a success story so far. We cannot know our losses if we do not maintain a record of our expenses and income. Recording keeping tells us which of the animals are giving more production and profit and which of them are giving less production and profit. That is why the animals are tagged, which bears the animals identity number. The entire record of that animal is then maintained in a register or in a computer software. This way, we know the production of every animal. Moreover, a record of all the expenses on the machinery and the feed in the farm is easily maintained.
Better Management:
It is important to rear the animals well and to provide them a clean and comfortable shelter, where they can eat and drink well and walk and ruminate freely. It is observed that the milk-giving ability of the animals decreases considerably when many animals are kept in a congested place. But if a better environment is provided, their production increases. It is also necessary to make proper arrangements to protect the animals from heat and cold. It is observed that milk production decreases by 20-30% during the very hot season. Similarly, if the building of the farm is not comfortable, the animal eats less and becomes a prey to different diseases easily. In a modern dairy farm, the animals are untied, so they not only move freely but they are also provided clean and fresh water all the time. Being untied, they eat according to their need , which positively affects their health and production.
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Name a variety of different dishes and meals which contain dairy products.
Milk
Milk and dairy foods can play an important part of a healthy diet and are very popular in the United Kingdom (UK). British dairy farmers produce 11 billion litres of milk each year, enough to fill around 4,500 Olympic size swimming pools.
Five billion litres are sold for drinking and six billion litres go into dairy products such as cheese, butter and dried milk power, which is an important part of many other food products.
Dairy farms are all different shapes and sizes, with small herds of 50 cows to farms with more than 1000+ cows
How does a cow produce milk?
A dairy cow needs to give birth to a calf in order to produce milk. This chart represents a one year period. The ‘dry’ period is similar to an adult going on maternity leave, where the cow will rest and prepare for the birth of her calf.
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Question
What do the you think the number one priority for a dairy farmer?
A. The management of cow manure. B. The amount of water used on the farm.
C. The health and welfare of the dairy cows. D. The quality of fences around the fields.
Answer. C
Dairy farmers’ top priority
A dairy farmer’s main concern is the health and welfare of their cows. The Freedoms below ensure that farmers keep their cows healthy on the dairy farms.
The Farm Animal Welfare Council's 'Five Freedoms’ are:
•Freedom from hunger and thirst;
•Freedom from discomfort;
•Freedom from pain, injury or disease;
•Freedom to express normal behaviour;
•Freedom from fear and distress.
Where do cows live?
Most dairy cows are housed during the winter and bad weather. The cows can move freely, socialise and eat and drink when they want in sheds that have natural light.
Dairy cows mostly graze outdoors during the summer, moving from indoor housing. Outside they can easily graze at their own leisure, exercise, get fresh air and natural light.
What if the weather turns bad?
In the winter and during bad weather, most dairy cows are housed.
Sheds are designed to be extremely spacious and airy, allowing the cows to rest, stand and move around freely to exercise and socialise.
Sheds are carefully designed to ensure that the 'Five Freedoms' are met, and to maintain the health and welfare of the cows.
Who helps the famer look after
the health and welfare of cows?
Herd health checks are carried out regularly. The farmer works closely with a veterinarian and animal nutritionist to ensure the highest quality of health and welfare for the dairy cows.
Each dairy cow has an animal passport showing where the cow was born and any other places it has been moved to.
What do dairy cows eat?
Most British dairy cows eat grass during the summer and silage (dried grass or maize) in the winter.
This is usually supplemented with dry feeds such as cereals and protein feeds with added vitamins and minerals to ensure the cows have a nutritionally balanced diet.
Question
How much do dairy cows eat each day?
A. Between 0 – 10 kg. B. Between 10 – 25 kg C. Between 25 – 50 kg. D. Over 75kg.
Answer: C
The diet of a dairy cow
Each dairy cow eats between 25 and 50 kilograms of feed each day.
A dairy cow drinks around 60 litres of water per day.
Some cows may need up to drink 100 litres, or more, depending on how much milk they produce.
Milking is not a painful process for the cows and is not uncomfortable.
How often are cows milked?
Milking is very similar to a calf suckling. Dairy cows would feed their calves naturally, at four to six hourly intervals.
Cows are milked at different times depending on the farm and the type of parlour used.
Here are three examples of different ways in which cows are milked:
In a herringbone parlour, the cows line up beside each other at an angle. The farmer accesses the udders from a sunken pit.
Milking
In a rotary parlour the cow stands on a circular raised platform which rotates slowly.
The farmer attaches the milking machine from below.
Milking
In a robotic milking parlour, the cows choose when to be milked.
The milking machine automatically connects to the cow’s udders and turns off when the milking is complete.
Different farming systems
Throughout the UK, there are a number of differences between dairy farms. No matter which farming system is used, the health of the dairy cows, remain a priority. Cows could be housed in loose housing or the free stall system, where they have individual beds.
Some dairy cows will graze on fields with an extensive system. They may also be fed a diet of organic feed.
Some famers follow an organic farming system.
Methane and greenhouse gases
When cows chew and digest food they burp and emit methane(CH4). This gas also exists naturally in the atmosphere and helps regulate the Earth's temperature.
Dairy cow farming can have an impact on the environment due to methane production contributing to global warming.
There are a range of measures being used by dairy farmers to reduce the impact on the environment, as well as to enhance the environment.
Farmers look after the environment
There are many ways in which dairy farmers are working to improve and sustain the environment.
Some farmers will plant clover in fields. This promotes nitrogen in the soil to reduce the use of artificial fertilisers.
Managing manure is an important aspect of dairy farming. It is important to reduce the odour and the risk of water pollution. Manure can be used as a natural fertiliser on the farm. Some dairy farmers, particularly those with larger farms, use anaerobic digesters to turn cows' manure into electrical energy.
Water conservation
Water is essential for dairy farming. Cows must drink and the farmer needs to clean the milking parlour and other equipment.
British dairy farmers are constantly looking at ways to conserve water and reduce costs without compromising either animal welfare or dairy hygiene.
Water is often recycled on farms.
Summary
Farming techniques and the size of dairy farms differ around world.
Although different feed, housing and milking parlours may be used, the health and welfare of the dairy cows remains the highest priority for farmers.
Farmers work hard to improve and sustain the natural environment.
