October 30, 2018 A PUBLICATION OF Government Advertising Agency Telposta Towers, Kenyatta Ave/ Koinange Street P.O Box 30025-00100, Nairobi Kenya NAIROBI-KENYA I Issue No. 0092 Telephone: (+254) 4920000 / 1 E-Mail: info@information.go.ke How one farmer has made his urban enterprise a huge success He earns well over Sh1 million gross in returns from his 37 cows, and comfortably pays his eight employees and takes home a handsome return. Stories like these are covered in an upcoming book on Agro-Innovation by the Kenya Yearook Editorial Board. Agro-Innovation Transforming agriculture toward sustainable development BY KYEB A s we drive on the dirt road off Kiminini shopping centre, in Trans Nzoia County, nothing prepares us for the urban farm and the animals we are about to see. We branch off through a small maize plantation and onto a narrower road passing by a mud-walled building before reaching an imposing gate. Nothing spectacular greets you as you enter the farm. However, as you walk further in, you start to understand what it is all about. It is a clean dairy farm with spectacular animals. This is Mr John Mburu’s farm. “Mr Mburu’s cows are really beautiful. Looking at them brings you peace. They are therapeutic,” says a visitor, Mr Paul Moiben. He has brought his wife to see the cows and to also get some training. “Mburu is such an inspiration. If we could get 10 more people like him, dairy farming would not be the same in this country,” says the farmercum-transporter. Located on one acre, Sprout Dairies Farm is one of a kind in this area and the country. There is hardly any odour or flies in the enclosure that houses 80 dairy cows, including calves and heifers; a home, training hall, and stores. The small dairy farm has a loose housing system with fine, dry sawdust mixed with cow manure. This is surprising because I have always thought that manure must be cleared out of the sleeping sheds. But the cows appear comfortable, clean and robust. The sawdust serves as a powerful sink for the nitrogen, a big source of odour. This bedding system, I get to learn, is one of the latest and is beginning to catch. It is known as compost bedded pack barns. The barns, which carry a couple of animals at a time, provide shelter from adverse weather, a comfortable lying area that allows them to sleep and turn as they wish, and access to the food and water in feed alleys and waterers. There are barns for in-calf, those in lactation, dry herd, and calves of different ages. The cows are mostly Ayrshires with brown and white coats and Holstein Fresians By feeding the cows on maize, I earn way more than I ever would from the crop. If I grew 50 acres of maize and harvested 25 bags per acre that would give me 1,250 bags. - John Mburu 900 with black and white. The farm produces an average of 900 litres of milk daily, with an average production of 25 litres per cow. A good number of the animals produce 35 litres, while others yield 40 litres and more. One cow produces 49 litres. According to Mr Mburu, none of the animals weighs less than 500 kilos. He earns well over Sh1 million gross in returns from his 37 cows, and comfortably pays his eight employees and takes home a handsome return. The workers are always up by 3am to do the first round of milking. The second is at 1pm and the last at 6pm daily. “A cow requires a balanced diet to be healthy and productive. It must get the right feeds that contain proteins, energy and vitamins,” he says. “I only use silage, dairy meal and vitamins, which include trace mineral.” Mr Mburu mixes his own feeds in servings that consist of silage from green maize and dairy meal made from grinding dried maize with all its components to provide energy. He gets proteins from cotton seed cake, soya and sunflower. For vitamins and minerals, the farmer provides his cows with lumps of salt to lick. “I feed the calves throughout,” says the farmer who hires 50 acres of land from farms nearby to grow 30 acres of maize, oats, Boma Rhodes grass and sunflower. Once he harvests the green maize, just LAYOUT, DESIGN AND EDITING OF MYGOV WEEKLY BY THE KENYA YEARBOOK EDITORIAL BOARD www.kenyayearbook.co.ke 0202715390 / 0711944538 NHIF Building , 4th Floor @Kenyayearbook Litres of milk that the farm produces daily, with an average production of 25 litres per cow. A good number of the animals produce 35 litres, while others yield 40 litres and more. when it is about ready for boiling or roasting, he crushes and uses it for silage. “We only add molasses to the crushed maize, then silage it,” he says, adding that the feed is ready after 21 days. Some of the maize is left to dry, cut and crushed into dairy meal. “Do not start your dairy business without having planned for the feed months ahead,” he advises. “By feeding the cows on maize, I earn way more than I ever would from the crop. If I grew 50 acres of maize and harvested 25 bags per acre that would give me 1,250 bags. If we sold these at Sh3,000 per bag, that would fetch Sh3.5 million gross. The cows produce 900 litres daily and I sell 800 litres at Sh40, which fetches about Sh32,000 daily. Do the math for the rest of the month,” the farmer challenges. Another aspect that determines the productivity and success of a dairy farm is genetics. A good breed will produce more milk and more returns. Can you trace the heritage of the cow, up to what point, and its characteristics? You must establish where you P.O. Box 34035-00100 Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board get your semen from. Mr Mburu buys sexed semen and has a storage tank in readiness for any animal coming on heat. “I had to buy a tank to store the semen, which I purchase directly from World Wide Sires. It is important to have that supply of semen because you don’t want a situation where your animal comes on heat and you can’t service it on time. The farmer also has a plan B, just in case insemination fails, an award-winning bull that is a product of one of his cows. Comfort and hygiene are also key influencers of productivity. Happy, healthy cows produce more highquality milk. Cows require a lot of time to rest and digest their food. They need to lie down. Blood circulation through the udder increases by up to 30 per cent. This is why Mr Mburu ensures that his cows are comfortable. The farmer ensures hygiene by spraying sheds and the animals twice a week, while the dampened sawdust is replaced and used as manure. Mr Mburu is a foresterturned-dairy farmer. info@kenyayearbook.go.ke
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