Learn how to start dairy farming in 5 steps

How to start dairy farming? Becoming an entrepreneur in raising dairy cattle is a good business option with profitable potential and low initial investment, as it is possible to start realizing this dream with a small herd, on a small property.

Investing in a new business requires knowledge of the activity, care and research. Talking to those already in the business, assessing the market, trends, seeking help in calculating investment and return, knowing sources of financing are part of the process that will help you make the decision to invest or not.

In the case of dairy farming, the country’s high consumption dairy products encourages those who want to invest and pursue a career as a successful entrepreneur in the field.

5 steps on how to set up a dairy farm

(1. Planning

Starting a new business without planning, talent and knowledge of the subject can be a very big risk for those who want to invest their dreams and resources in this challenge.

Therefore, investing time in researching and carefully defining each step is essential.

As in any industry, logistical and operational planning is essential in the process of setting up a dairy farm. Even if it is a small family business. After all, we are talking about a process with several stages and complex demands, without planning you can compromise important investments.

In this item, it is recommended that you establish all the infrastructure, financial and personnel needs. And our tip is that you already research and document tools for logistics, maintenance, control, etc.

Many breeders also establish a monthly plan to monitor the age, production, health and characteristics of each animal. This process ensures greater control in management and increases the standardization of your production.

(2. Location

In order to start dairy cattle farming, it is necessary to choose an appropriate place that will support this activity.

This place should have enough space to set up a corral, as well as space to let them loose to graze, otherwise the animals may be stressed.

In this case, as we are talking about large animals that produce noise, a strong smell, the ideal is to select a space in a rural area, far from large urban centers and neighbors.

It is also interesting that the property has a good quality pasture, access to water, well fenced to prevent leakage, a place with easy access to manage dairy cattle.

(3. Structure

The professional breeding of dairy cattle requires care in several aspects to obtain a good quality product, especially with regard to the structure in which the animals will be subjected.

If the creation will be pasture, it is essential to guarantee a rural area with quality pasture, in addition to space for the construction of a corral and stable. These must be equipped with troughs and drinking fountains to provide food and water for the animals.

It is also recommended to have these items spread around the field when the cattle are raised loose.

As soon as you are able, purchase equipment to milk the dies, and machines to transport the hay, these utensils are essential to start evolving your milk production.

(4. Milking

The choice of milking dairy cattle is of paramount importance for a good production of dairy cattle. One of the main processes of raising dairy cattle is milking, which makes it possible to extract the liquid.

To do the milking of the cows, it is necessary to gather them in the stable, separating them by rows. Then, the milking machine is attached to the animal’s udder, in order to collect the milk directly in the container.

In order not to compromise the quality of the milk, milking has to be done with the utmost hygiene, so the place must be cleaned daily to avoid the accumulation of bacteria.

The milking machine must also be cleaned immediately after use and the person responsible for milking must keep his hands free of any dirt.

(5. Animal Food and Health

Healthy and well cared for animals guarantee higher milk quality. To ensure good milk production it is important that livestock have an adequate diet, so find out about the best feeding methods, disease prevention, in addition to healthy cows, you need to ensure correct and hygienic milking methods to ensure a healthy milk. competitive quality.H

The basic diet of the animals must start with a quality pasture, free of toxic substances. The troughs need to be cleaned frequently so that the remains of the food do not ferment and harm the animals.

(6. Maintenance

It is important to maintain dairy cattle by submitting them to veterinary consultations monthly. In this way, it is possible to monitor the development of the animals, checking if they are healthy and what can be done to increase the volume of milk production.

Advantages of dairy farming

An advantage of dairy farming is that it can be developed on a small or large scale, being possible to adapt it to the productive and economic profile of the producer.

The creation of dairy cattle is an activity that can be developed at industrial levels or even at a small producer level, because in most countries this business is considered very important in the sustainability of properties run by families in small rural properties, generating a daily income satisfactory for the survival of people and the business itself.

Depending on the level of production chosen, the structure involved in dairy farming is low, so it is considered by many to be a low-cost business and many start with this modality.

Challenges in dairy farming

To start a dairy farming is an activity with a great potential for profit, but in order to make it possible to obtain good results, it is necessary to know some issues that involve the management of this animal.

The sale of milk, in fact, the difficulty is not only to sell the milk produced, since the demand is good, but to produce all the milk potential of the herd, for this, we must keep the animals healthy and well fed to keep the expected product quality. For this, it is good to have veterinary support from a trusted professional to assist in the care of dairy cattle.

An important point that needs to be stressed is the drop in the price of milk, which worried the producers, however, measures taken by the government are already making the price of milk go up and enter normal levels. Dairy cattle will need good quality food, as well as pasture, adequate space to get around, not extremely large, as well as a pen to avoid running away.

If you want to implement a more industrial profile in dairy production and thus obtain better results, it will be necessary to make a higher investment, starting with the choice of animals, which must take into account the most appropriate breed for your farm, in view the management conditions that will be adopted, as well as a more careful investment in infrastructure – Machinery and Software qualified for milk control – detailed care with the maintenance of the property and animals.

One of the expenses pointed out by dairy farmers is the costs of veterinary products and food supplementation products, which are often used in large proportions and which have relatively high prices, which ends up decreasing profit margins.

Conclusion – How to start dairy farming

Working with dairy cattle has great profit potential, but it is necessary to know all the administrative issues and issues related to the management of dairy cows.

For you to be able to measure your results it is very important to record the productive and reproductive histories and also the control of the amounts received and spent, in order to obtain further analysis and obtain the results relevant to the business, it is necessary to store the history of all activities related to the herd. Sounds challenging?

Every project has its facilities and challenges, but as you get to know them, you can take preventive actions to avoid losses and better take advantage of opportunities