AGRICULTURE: The art of breeding is to breed the cow most suitable for your farm. This maximizes your earning in dairy farming, according to Roodbont Agricultural from The Netherlands.
Since 1994 Meru Dairy Co-operative Union Ltd has provided quality Artificial Insemination (AI) services. Through the Extension Services department, the Union has developed a breeding strategy that has immensely supported farmers’ improvement in animal genetics, increased milk production, fastened animal growth, and eradicated poverty.
“The Union’s breading strategy is based on the understanding that we require a clear set of criteria for the right selection and promotion of breeds and bulls for our farmers. The strategy values cow traits in relation to the local context, focusing on agro-ecological conditions, availability, and quality of feed/fodder, cow health and prevalence of critical diseases, current production levels in relation to management skills of farmers, and quality of service provision in the area,” says Dr John Mutua, the Union’s Extension Services/AI/Milk Procurement manager.
According to the Union Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Gitonga, their goal is to ensure that farmers earn higher returns from their dairy farms by assisting them in acquiring affordable technologies to boost returns and minimize production costs.
Dairy farming is a major enterprise in Meru County and in the country at large; hence the Union has encouraged farmers to observe best livestock practices to realize increased milk production.
According to Dr Mutua, the Union sources high-quality semen from all over the world, including places such as the US, Netherlands, Germany, and Canada, among others.
“Our semen comes from bulls that are recruited from reputable breeders with the needs of our smallholder and large-scale farmers in mind.”
The AI service, which is easily accessible, is offered to farmers at subsidized prices within and without the County.
The outcome has been good, with emphasis laid on giving semen from bulls that impact good production, type, functional, health, and longevity traits on their progenies. For instance, from processing 11,000 litres of milk in a day, this has gone up to nearing 300,000 litres every day.
The Union offers AI services for high pedigree breeds such as Friesian, Ayrshire, Jersey, Guernsey, and Brown Swiss, which is a dual-purpose breed.
“We often visit our farmers and educate them on the performance of each breed and their suitability for them to make informed decisions,” Dr Mutua says.
Currently, the Union has eight technicians who work with farmers to provide AI services.
“We have stocked quality AI equipment and livestock extension materials to support our farmers adequately,” he says.
The extensive AI programme has helped improve the dairy breeds, increasing milk production and farmers’ income. Farmers who use the service also incur less cost in managing their farms, acquire early breeds that calve every year, and easily control diseases.
“Most of our dairy farmers have a daily milk production of 20 litres per cow.”
The Union also offers sexed semen with 97 per cent success.
Dairy farmers had been facing numerous challenges, among them inaccessibility of AI services as providers were mostly private inseminators whose charges were high, but the Union has greatly changed this by offering the services at affordable rates even in the remotest of places.
Through the Meru Union efforts, the risk of inbreeding has reduced.
“Through the Union extension services, most of the farmers are now knowledgeable. We have also provided the high-quality genetics that has led to increasing of milk production, and this has empowered many dairy farmers economically,” Dr Mutua says.
Highlights
- The Union started AI service provision in 1993.
- The main goal to date is to improve the genetic potential to increase milk production.
- The region has good genetics due to continued breed development, with over 70% of improved dairy cattle.
