Visit to a Dairy Farm Essay Example

baby calves are raised in the darkness in a very confining crate, which allows practically no movements, and are fed an iron-deficient diet. This way the meat stays very tender and properly textured. They slaughter the baby calves after six months. There is enough literature available about the cruelty in the veal industry.

Within two months of delivery, the cows are made pregnant again. I did not have the stamina to watch the process of artificial insemination that the farm was showing off to us. About four to five times a year, this farm would take the cows outside for a walk. Otherwise, the cows are tied in one place and they have no choice but to defecate where they are confined. It badly stunk when I was there; the farm would wash the confinement areas once or sometimes twice a day, and the remaining times the cows would then live in their own waste.

The life expectancy of cows is about 15 years. However, after 10 years, their milk production drops significantly so these cows are sent to the slaughterhouse for meat. Last year (Nov. 1996) I visited India and also visited a dairy farm near Bombay. I observed similar things; overall, things were actually probably worse because there are few enforced regulations. In the past (before the birth of a high-tech dairy farm) in India, cows were treated like a part of the family, and after feeding the baby calf, leftover milk was consumed by humans.

However, as my daughter Shilpa always says, cows' milk is for baby cows and not for humans or their babies; no other animal consumes the milk of another species. We

do not have the right to consume cow's milk for our benefit, and furthermore milk and its products are not essential for our survival. As I learned about cruelty in the dairy industry, I at first found it hard to believe. On a personal level, I feared that it would be impossible for me to become vegan. How could I eliminate milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and cheese from my diet?

To become vegan means that I cannot drink tea, eat any Indian sweets, pizza, milk chocolate, ice cream, eggless but dairy-containing cake, and many other items. Religious view: Nonviolence is the highest principle of our religion. However for our survival, the religion permits certain violence only by the lay people. Our scriptures clearly indicate that: For our survival, the survival of our ascetics, and the survival of our religion (scriptures, temples, libraries, upasrayas etc. ) limited violence to one sensed (Ekendriya) souls such as vegetables, water, fire, earth, and air are allowed only by the Jain lay people (sravaks and sravikas).

However, under any circumstances violence to two to five sensed (Tras) souls such as animals, birds, and humans are not allowed even by the lay people. Ascetics should be totally nonviolent. The cow is a five-sensed (Panchendriya) animal and cruelty to a Panchendriya animal is considered the highest sin and is totally prohibited even by the Jain lay people (Sravak and Sravikas). In today's environment I do not see the difference in cruelty between meat and milk production. In the production of meat, cows are killed instantly. However, during milk roduction the cows are not killed instantly but they are tortured badly during their prime life

and ultimately slaughtered before the end of their natural life. The dairy cows have no chance to escape from this cruelty. Usage of Dairy Products in Jain Temples: Both Swetambar and Digambar sects use milk and its products in temple rituals. This is an old tradition and as I mentioned above that in the past the milk was not produced using the modern day dairy technology which tortures the cows and ultimately slaughters them. One should reevaluate the usage of milk in the temple rituals under the new technological environment.

The tradition should not be followed blindly. The highest Jain principle of nonviolence should not be compromised under any circumstances. With regards to Swetambar tradition I can definitely say that no scriptures support the usage of milk in the temple rituals. When we consume dairy products for our personal use, we are personally responsible for our actions and the resulting karma or sins. However, when we use and allow others to use dairy products in the temple, the entire community is involved in committing the highest sin.

The intention of our rituals is to inspire us to grow spiritually and become more religious. The net outcome of the rituals should result in the reduction of our ego, greed, anger, lust, and attachments. Dairy products are not essential in the rituals to accomplish the above result. We can substitute the regular milk with simple water or soya milk, and sweets with various types of dry nuts and grapes. Our youths will appreciate such changes in our rituals. Religious view: Nonviolence is the highest principle of our religion. However for our survival the religion permits certain minimum violence.

Our scriptures

clearly indicate that: For our survival, the survival of our ascetics, and the survival of our scriptures, temples, libraries, and upasrayas; limited violence to one sensed (Ekendriya) souls such as vegetables, water, fire, earth, and air are allowed only by the Jain lay people (sravaks and sravikas). Under no circumstances violence to two to five sensed (Tras) living beings such as animals, birds, and humans are allowed even by the lay people. Ascetics should be totally nonviolent to all souls including vegetables, water, fire, air, and earth.

A cow is a five-sensed (Panchendriya) animal and cruelty to a five-sensed animal is considered the highest sin and is totally prohibited even by the Jain lay people. In today's high tech environment, there is no difference in cruelty between meat and milk production. In the production of meat, cows are killed instantly. However, during milk production the cows are not killed instantly but they are tortured badly during their prime life and ultimately slaughtered before the end of their natural life. The dairy cows have no chance to escape from this cruelty and death.

Usage of Dairy Products in the Jain Temples: Both Swetambar and Digambar sects use milk and its products in temple rituals. This is an old tradition and as I mentioned above that in the past the milk was not produced using the modern day dairy technology, which tortures the cows and ultimately slaughters them. We should reevaluate the usage of milk in the temple rituals under the new technological environment. The tradition should not be followed blindly. The highest Jain principle of nonviolence should not be compromised under any circumstances.

With regards to Swetambar tradition I

can definitely say that no scriptures support the usage of milk in the temple rituals. When we consume dairy products for our personal use we are personally responsible for our actions and the resulting karma or sins. However when we use and allow others to use dairy products in the temple, it is considered that the entire community is involved in committing the highest sin. Milk and other products represent certain religious symbols in the Jain rituals. However, the product we use in the rituals must be of nonviolent source.

The intention of our rituals is to inspire us to grow spiritually and become more religious. The net outcome of the rituals should result in the reduction of our ego, greed, anger, lust, and attachments. Milk and other dairy products derived using such a violent method can not help us to grow spiritually. In our rituals, we can substitute the regular milk with simple water or soya milk, and other dairy products (sweets etc. ) with various types of dry nuts and grapes. Our youths will appreciate such changes in our rituals. Dairy Industry is one of the largest businesses in India next to Agriculture.

The turnover of “Milk & Milk Products” in the year 2006 was valued @ Rs. 2, 27,000 CRORES in which 55% accounted for liquid milk. This business has been growing @ 4 - 5% every year which is certainly faster than Agriculture. Dairy Industry is one of the most promising businesses in India. This is a business wherein the returns (in terms of money) will be available to the Farmer within one month. Today none other business can guarantee such Payments. Dairy

Business has been going on in the Country for innumerable number of years but is not at all being done scientifically.

The farmers are interested in dairy since it requires no formal education & has been in vogue since times immemorial. At the same time it is imperative that the approach to this farming needs to be changed by way of educating farmers & guide them both practically as well as commercially which will help them to economize their methods enabling them to make better ROI. The dairy businesses done with proper Scientific Management will certainly guarantee returns of 25-32% of the investment. It is also possible to upgrade this business with other businesses viz. urning Dung into Vermicompost, which can be a real value addition, as it will help improving the agricultural output. Major benefits of Dairy Farming : 1. Dairy farming is not at all dependent upon rainfall. Dairy farming is always possible even when there is NO RAINFALL whereas Agriculture is exclusively dependent on rainfall. 2. Selling rate of milk is fixed (has not fallen anytime even if the yield is surplus) even if it is sold to Dairy Cooperatives that exist all over the state. 3. The Payments to the milk producer are assured within 30 days maximum.

Dairy farming is the only industry wherein there is regular income (at the most within 30 days) and a guarantee. 4. In dairy (unlike Agriculture) the Middlemen do NOT control the Sale prices. Constant price of Milk throughout the Year & has remained so for past 50 years. 5. Demand for Milk is increasing day by day. There is a high demand from cities as

well as Industrial zone cities: consumption is on the rise by both vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians. 6. Every byproduct (dung / urine) can be sold. 7. Veterinary Aid available at most of the villages in India. 8. No direct competition from the foreign counterparts. . Incentives available from the Government both Central as well as State. 10. Marketing of the end product i. e. Milk is very easy (as compared to any other business) with no expenses incurred for marketing channels: no shop required. 11. Additional income is possible from byproducts viz. Manure; can be used to produce biogas on which household cooking can run OR dung can be used for Vermicomposting : which is a good source of fertilizer: useful in Agriculture. Possibility of generating Electricity also if the no. of animals is sizeable. 12. Easy availability of Feed & fodder all year round

Why Dairy business goes into losses…. It is commonly seen that most of the Farmers who keep animals for Milk have very little or NO idea about the expenses (per day) involved in raising the animals. It is interesting to note that the farmer is even unaware of the fact that the feeding cost of his animal comprises of more than 80% of the total cost of raising the animals. Perhaps the main reason for this may be that the farmer grows the majority of the green fodder in his own land & has never bothered about its cost. At the same time it is seen that farmers have been following many myths in Dairy farming viz. . The animal has to be given WATER only twice a day. 2.

More the animal eats; more will be the Milk production. 3. Only Green grass feeding is required for Milk production. 4. Natural Service is better than Artificial Insemination 5. The animal does not require mineral Mixture. 6. Feeding of oral Calcium will improve the Milk yield 7. It is necessary to give Jaggery & Colostrums to Cow etc. Unfortunately this is scientifically very wrong. It leads to decreased milk yield making the farmer face more LOSSES. Secondly it is also seen that a Dairy Farmer is not aware of the Economics’ of his day-to-day business.

This is because Dairying has been a traditional form of business, which is being carried on by generations together. The pattern particularly of the feeding & watering has been quite the same for a long time. Whereas in Poultry the improvement has taken place in a short span of time due to help of Science & technology, this is yet to see the light of the day in Dairy farming. A few years ago it was seen that a broiler chicken took 45 days to attain the weight of 1. 5 kg but today only 32 days are more than sufficient to attain the same weight. This has been made possible with the help of scientific knowledge (w. r. Management & Nutrition) being applied to the Poultry to improve its genetic potential. The same unfortunately cannot be said for the Dairy Farming industry. One of the major causes for this is that Dairy Farming is being looked at with a holistic view. The Cow is considered to be sacred with least emphasis being placed upon its productivity. It is seen that

most of the new entrants in the Dairy farming get mislaid by Companies making Milking Machines which give them false economics & by virtue of which the farmer incur losses & close down their farms. These types of examples deter the further entrants in the Dairying.

Lastly it will be ideal for the new entrants into this field to get help from the Consultants who are well versed with all the aspects of Dairy farming viz. 1. Selection of proper (breed) animals for maximum productivity 2. COnstruction of proper Cattle Sheds The costs incurred in 1 & 2 will be one time only & are depreciable. However all the costs (given below in 3 - 7) as given below are Recurring & (do account for more than 80% of the farming costs) have to be controlled from day ONE to see that the farms make profits. 3. Management practices as regards to:- • Economics of Dairy Farming • Importance of balanced Nutrition Importance of growing greens • Reproduction (Reproductive Cycle) Management 4. Nutrition: Feeds & Feeding 5. Preventive health Management: for preventing occurrence of diseases in the farm 6. Optimization of profits by value addition of Milk; making byproducts etc… 7. Productivity Enhancement: This will lead to farmers getting more milk from same Most of the people in INDIA associate Dairy with Milk & Milk Products however to be more precise Dairy business is made up of 3 stages viz. 1. Milk Production : This is where an individual /company keeps animals ( cows or buffaloes) , rears them & produces milk hich is then further sold as liquid milk / given to Procurement people (

as in 2 nd step) or further processed into milk products ( 3rd step) viz. Curd, Lassi, Butter, Paneer, Cheese , Pedha just to name a few. 2. Milk Procurement : In this there are people who are designated to collect milk from Farmers or individuals who do not have their own Marketing setup & after collection the collected milk then will be processed by them or given to others for selling ( as liquid milk) or Processing into products ( as in 3rd step). 3. Milk Processing: This is a step which is concerned with Processing of Milk into various by products.

However to convert the milk into byproducts it is very much vital to have a sufficient quantity as well as quality of milk which can only be obtained if the Dairy farming is being done properly. (A healthy animal will ONLY give good quality milk & not other wise). It will be wiser to first to determine as to what you would like to opt for. In India we have too many people/ Companies (with Tons of money) who are interested in Procuring as well as Processing Milk. It has to be noted that processing of milk will very certainly need a specific quantity of milk which will be roughly about 5000 litres at least per day.

Lets us understand that it is very vital to control the Marketing in any business which will certainly give us a better bottom line. It is a well known fact that the Manufacturer makes hardly 10% profit where as the Marketer makes with most of the profits. In Dairy farming ; if we give our produced Milk

to a private Milk processing Company / sweetmeat Manufacturer / Gwala /Dairy Cooperative Society we will get about 14-18 Rs/litre ( for cow milk ) whereas the same if sold by us will fetch us anything from Rs. 0 - 30 per litre depending upon the location of the Market. As we have too many people involved in Milk Processing & by virtue of this they advise the people to opt for Milk Processing wherein the profitability looks very lucrative. To sell these milk products will require a brand name. Your brand will carry weight only if your name has already been established. Venturing directly into Milk Products will require a lot of money for Marketing & establishment of brand name.

Alternately it is comparatively easy to start retail sale of Milk directly to the customers (this does not take too much money as the milk can be sold directly from a can or by packing it in a small plastic pouch) which coupled with a production (with good practices) will definitely help us to make a name & brand thereof in due course of time. This will very definitely help in learning about the Milk Production as well as get good quality of milk. This establishment of name & brand can be helpful over a period of time if we decide to venture into making by products.

Customers once happy with a certain name will be more than convinced about the quality as they are already using the retail milk with that name & brand. Milk is an essential item for consumption & does not carry a price tag ; the selling price can be determined

/ dictated by you depending upon the quality. Most of the players are toning down the milk (say from 4% fat to 2% or even less in case of cow milk) & selling at prices mentioned earlier. It is very much possible to sell your PURE (which is Not Toned down) milk at a much better price.

Before venturing into Milk Production( i. e. Dairy farming ) we have to consider the following ; As a thumb rule that ONE animal will cost a minimum of Rs. 1, 00, 000/- for the first cycle. In the second cycle the cost of purchase of animal & cost of construction of sheds etc. will not be applicable. 1. Dairy farming looks very promising & easy (for currently this business is being done by a farmer who is illiterate) however it is equally difficult as it concerns live animals ; which have to be cared for everyday. These steps can be learned easily.

Unlike any other Industry we have to pay minute attention to it everyday for one small mistake can lead to losses. 2. In case Dairy farming is being done & is dependent upon Labours /Managers then this will be viable only if 50 animals are kept MINIMUM. 3. It is possible to gather information from the NET however it must be noted that Practical Experience is also essential which has to be acquired by visiting as well as staying on the Dairy farms over a period of time. Once your own dairy farm starts it will not at all be possible to travel, stay & learn at other farms.

WE CANNOT LEARN TO DRIVE A CAR JUST BY

READING A BOOK. 4. While acquiring the Practical & first hand knowledge of Dairy farming it is essential to learn the basics with the help of an experienced professional who will be able to differentiate between right & wrong. It is incorrect to assume that any person (Dairy farm owner) will give you his trade secrets as well as information for FREE & willingly. Even if he gives this information it is vital to know what is essential from our point of view & to what has to be taken. 5.

The information available on NET is good & very exhaustive however most of it is applicable to foreign countries wherein a Dairy farmer owns minimum 100 acres of land which is not possible in India. At the same time the seasonal conditions are also different. India is the only country blessed with 4 (spring, winter, summer & rainy) seasons. Other countries are not so fortunate. 6. Please note if you are opting for Dairy Farming you will be investing at least Rs. 50, 00, 000/- at the most minimum just to begin with & will be doing business with it to a tune of few CRORES in the coming years.

It is my humble request to please do go into this with eyes open. It is very vital as well as essential to spend a certain % of the total amount on acquiring the correct (Theoretical as well as Practical) knowledge. While gathering this knowledge you will be able to understand & realize whether this type of farming will be possible for you or not. For initially it is only your mental state which initiates you

to venture into dairy farming but it’s equally advisable to see if you are physically inclined & prepared.

Lastly it is very much essential to note that: A consultant / Teacher / Advisor / Friend / beneficiary or anyone is likely to advise/suggest you on Dairy farming. These People will give you the information but it will be ideal to determine the feasibility & viability of the same. (India is a land of consultants & anybody & everybody is likely to offer FREE advice) This can be done by asking him questions on “How, What, Where, When & Why”. If all the answers given to you are satisfactory then only you follow that advice.