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How To Start A Dairy Farm - 15 Steps (With Pictures) - WikiHow
How To Start A Dairy Farm - 15 Steps (With Pictures) - WikiHow
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Dairy farms take a lot of money and capital to start up, way more than a meat operation does. Know what you're getting into
and how you want to get into it before you decide to start a dairy farm. Even if you grew up on a farm, managing your own
means sitting down for long, careful planning sessions. This guide will help you through these, but remember that local
knowledge is invaluable for any farmer.
Part
Planning Your Dairy Farm
1
Research species and breed. The most common dairy animals are cows, goats (good for a small farm),
or water buffalo (in south Asia). Each one has many dairy breeds, and local knowledge is your best way to
choose between them. Contact government institutions, university agricultural extensions, and established dairy
farms and ask for info to help you make the decision:
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Decide on a food source. Concentrated feed requires less labor but more money. New farms often save
on costs by supplementing it with Management Intensive Rotational Grazing (MIRG).[1] Look at land rental
prices in your area and determine how many cattle per acre it can support.
Livestock need about 4% of their weight in forage each day. Ideally, your pasture should produce more
than this at peak season, so you can stockpile the surplus for winter.[2]
Renting land is usually better than purchasing for a new farm. Wait until your farm is well-established
and you no longer need the financial flexibility.
Create a breeding plan. Dairy bulls have a reputation for dangerous behavior, and in any case raising one
year round gets expensive. The safer options are paying for a bull's service at breeding time, or practicing
artificial insemination (AI). AI is almost always the cheapest option, and has equal or higher success rates when
performed correctly (ideally by trained AI techs).[3]
Artificial insemination programs are now widespread in India and many African countries. The savings
are not as significant and the programs vary in quality, but it is still usually worth it.[4]
Male:female herd ratio varies between species and with the male's age. A young bull can typically
service 2025 cows, while a healthy, mature bull may be able to handle up to 40.[5]
Study farming practices. If you don't have dairy farm experience already, take some time to learn about
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breeding, calving, manure management, weaning, milking cows, and crop management. Farming requires
a great deal of time, work, and knowledge, so walk into it with open eyes.
If this is all new to you, try to get some work experience on another dairy farm first.
Invest in capital. A farm requires a large one-time expenditure to get started. Buying an existing dairy
farm makes the task simpler, and can save money if you're willing to do some repairs yourself. Whether
you plan to buy or start it all yourself, make sure you'll have the following facilities:[6][7][8]
A sterile facility for storing milk, and for pasteurizing if required in your area
Dry, sunny sheds or barns protected from weather and temperature changes
Milking parlor with stanchions
Feed storage and manure storage
Separate living space for calves
Equipment (including tractors) and equipment storage area
Well for watering cattle, plus water transport system to tanks in pasture
Irrigation system for pasture (optional)[9]
Note if possible, give yourself room to expand to a larger herd
Find a good source for animals. Inspect all dairy animals personally before buying, including several
milking tests. The animal should be healthy and vaccinated against disease. Ideally, purchase the animals
right after calving, on its second or third lactation (when milk production is highest).[10] Wait to buy the second
half the herd until the first group is about to go dry, so your farm can produce milk year round.[11]
Research the local milk market. If you're starting with just a few animals, talk to nearby dairy farmers for
advice on selling to local stores and individuals. If you have a slightly larger herd, you can get a more
stable income by selling the milk to a company that will handle distribution.
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Contact the government. Your local or regional government may require permits and paperwork to run a
farm, sell milk, irrigate your land, and/or hire staff to help you.
Create a business plan. Put all your financial estimates into a plan that covers the first few years of your
business. In addition to the necessary items above, remember to include the estimated cost of veterinary
care per animal, and the cost of any labor you plan to hire. Also look into an additional source of profit: selling
manure.
Contact government institutions about subsidies and loans for farmers before you take out a loan from a
bank.
Use the average milk prices (or slightly lower) over the past few years when estimating future profits.
You don't want your business to go under if milk prices drop.
As a rule of thumb, you'll need one laborer per 10 milk animals, and one per 20 "dry" animals.[12] This
includes you and your family.
Part
Learning the Basics
2
Mark each individual animal. Assuming you have more than a few animals, you'll need to mark them to
tell them apart. This will help you track individual milk production and illness. Tagging is a common method.
Control the spread of disease. Always buy disease-free animals, and keep them isolated from other
animals during transportation to your farm. Quarantining new arrivals (and animals that fall sick) is
recommended, especially if they do not have trustworthy, recent health records. Your local government or
veterinarian can give you specific advice about diseases in your area.
Equipment shared between farms can spread disease. Try to confirm where the equipment has been
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Give the animals proper nutrition. Feeding cattle and other livestock can be a complicated business.
There are many different kinds of fodder and forage plants, which provide different amounts of energy,
protein, roughage, and various nutrients. A veterinarian or experienced farmer can help you work with the food
you have available.
Mineral licks and/or mineral supplements are an important part of the animal's diet.
Moldy feed or feed stored in the same area as pesticides and other contaminants can transfer
dangerous toxins to the milk.[15]
Dairy animals have high nutrition requirements compared to animals raised for meat. Improper nutrition
can lead to lower milk production or lower quality milk.
Milk the animal frequently. Milk-producing animals typically need milking two or three times a day. Move
the animal to a clean location. Wash and dry your hands and the udder before milking.[16]
If you've never milked an animal before, learn how to milk a cow or goat.
Understand the breeding cycle. You will need to breed your female animals regularly to keep them
lactating as often as possible. The cycle of breeding, calving, and weaning calves has implications for the
animal's nutrition needs, health, and of course milk production. Our guide on cows gives you the basics, but this
will vary based on species and age.
Unlike farms that raise livestock for meat, you will be calving all year round to keep milk production
steady. Keeping track of where each animal is in the cycle is vital so you can stick to a plan that keeps
your income as regular as possible.
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Plan for changes in your herd. Whether to sell, slaughter, or keep an animal is one of the toughest
questions for a dairy farmer. Culling allows you to replace a low-yield animal with a higher-quality
replacement, and to increase the genetic quality of your herd. Both of these factors are important, but
performing them without a plan can add massive costs for replacement animals.[17] Take this into account in
your business plan, and include the cost/profit of producing each male and female calf as well.
Community Q&A
Study business management. If there is another dairy farm around, make a visit there to see how those
wikiHow Contributor business owners operate. Research what is needed to start a dairy farm.
Not Helpful 39 Helpful 212
Yes, but it's not profitable. It's better to start with at least 5-6 cows.
wikiHow Contributor
Not Helpful 4 Helpful 35
In Karnataka, a cow producing 20 ltrs/day that you can breed, with will cost 70 to 80 K. ($1200 U.S. dollars).
wikiHow Contributor
Not Helpful 24 Helpful 129
No less than 20, but depends on how big you want your business to be.
wikiHow Contributor
Not Helpful 23 Helpful 119
How can I start a dairy farm coming from an engineering background, with no farming knowledge?
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How to Start a Dairy Farm: 15 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow https://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Dairy-Farm
Watch videos and read books. Work on some dairy farms for a few months to gain knowledge.
wikiHow Contributor
Not Helpful 31 Helpful 150
What would be cost of 20 cows and a dairy plant with a milking facility?
It's impossible to give an exact number as so many factors would influence the cost.
wikiHow Contributor
Not Helpful 2 Helpful 19
Depends on what your milk is going for. If you are in a fluid market, the best breed hands down is Holstein.
wikiHow Contributor However, if you are going to market cheese, or if you are selling to a cheese processor, jersey cows would be
the most beneficial. Do some online research to find the cow breeds that fit your needs and climate.
Not Helpful 5 Helpful 27
Which one is better, natural breeding or artificial insemination, for yielding more milk?
Maintaining a bull in your farm may cost you more up front than AI but it is a good investment, in my opinion.
wikiHow Contributor The females can breed naturally and comfortably and this causes them to produce more milk.
Not Helpful 29 Helpful 85
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Tips
Herd health is very important for dairy operations. Dairy cows can get sick quite easily, and are more prone to injury
to their feet and udders than beef cows are, and are also prone to milk fever and ketosis after calving. In order to
have a healthy dairy herd, stringent health practices must be in place.
Make sure you have good practices to make your cows as comfortable as possible during the time you're milking
them.
Allow your calves to milk for at least a month to give them enough strength.
Dairy manure stinks. Don't let it accumulate in the barns. Have a system where manure can be easily moved from
the barn into the lagoons, to minimize the smell from the ammonia produced in the urine and feces.
Winter can be a hard time for cattle. They should have a well-sheltered barn or similar building protected from wind
and weather.
Warnings
Don't go in to this operation thinking it's going to be a smooth ride. You will be very busy from before sunrise to past
sunset every day, doing everything from milking cows to red tape to fixing machinery. It helps to have trusty hired
hands, but you will need to supervise them to keep the farm running smoothly.
Starting a dairy farm is very expensive. Going too far into debt can be very risky without a second job to rely on,
since a shift in grain or milk prices could bankrupt you. If you don't have the finances yet, consider raising animals
for meat instead.
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1. http://www.cias.wisc.edu/starting-your-own-dairy-farm/
2. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1097070.pdf
3. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an262
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