Quynh Luu farmers strive to improve the quality of their dairy herd

Dairy farmers all pay attention to combining green feed and concentrated feed for livestock in the right quantity. Photo: Hong Dien

Mr. Nguyen Van Tram's family in hamlet 10, Quynh Thang commune (Quynh Luu) has 15 children.dairy cow, of which 12 are being exploited for milk. To keep the cows healthy, productive and of high quality, he focuses on following clean production processes from the stages of choosing food sources, care methods, cleaning barns... to ensuring cleanliness and safety when milking and importing milk.

Accordingly, each day he feeds a dairy cow 50 - 60 kg of elephant grass and pineapple stems. In addition, he adds brewer's dregs, corn bran, minerals and industrial bran.

According to Mr. Tram, dairy cows are quite sensitive and like to drink clean and cool water, so when provided with clean water, they will drink more, producing more milk. Thanks to that, each day 12 cows give him 240 - 250 liters of milk, with a selling price of 15.5 thousand VND/liter, giving him a profit of 3.7 - 3.8 million VND.

Cow's milk is completely milked by machine, ensuring food hygiene and safety. Photo: Hong Dien

Through the understanding of the households in Quynh Thang commune, in previous years, people raised dairy cows in the traditional manual form to sell milk to factories in the province, without mastering the techniques; the feeding of a combination of green food and concentrated food did not meet the requirements, leading to low milk production.

With determinationimprove the quality and value of dairy productsTherefore, in the period of 2017 - 2018, people in Quynh Thang commune actively researched and learned about livestock farming through many different channels to accumulate experience. At the same time, technology was applied in the stages of breed selection, mating, and early diagnosis of mastitis in dairy cows. People invested money to buy machinery such as milking machines, grass cutters, installation of automatic drinking systems, cooling fan systems, and misting nozzles to cool barns in the summer.

Dairy farming is an economic development trend that brings a fairly high and stable income to farmers in Quynh Luu district. Photo: Hong Dien

In particular, people create food sources from grass, corn, straw, stubble, and pineapple stems without using pesticides or stimulants, helping to ensure the safety and quality of dairy products for consumers. In addition, people always pay attention to preventing animal diseases and keeping barns clean.

Mr. Hoang Duc Phung in Hamlet 3, Quynh Thang Commune shared: After 12 years of developing dairy farming, his family now has a total herd of 20 dairy cows, of which 10 are giving milk. On average, he milks 160 - 170 liters of milk per day. At the time of reproduction, cows often produce a lot of milk, so he harvests 250 liters of milk per day, with a selling price of 15.3 - 16 thousand VND/liter, giving him a fairly high income.

The barn is always clean and airy, which is one of the good conditions for the dairy cows to achieve quality. Photo: Hong Dien

Quynh Luu district currently has nearly 280 HF dairy cows (a high-yielding dairy breed originating from the Netherlands), mainly concentrated in 21 households in Quynh Thang commune and some households in other communes. Although the total herd is not large, the milk output and quality have increased significantly. Quynh Luu is one of the few localities raising dairy cows in Nghe An.

Mr. Bui Van Vinh - Director of Dong Tien Dairy Cooperative, Quynh Thang Commune said: Every day, the cooperative regularly purchases 2,000 liters of milk. In winter, cows give birth so they often produce a lot of milk, the amount of milk purchased increases from 2,200 - 2,300 liters. In general, this year, people selling cow milk basically reached the price of 15.3 - 16 thousand VND/liter, this is the highest price in the past decades.

Improved livestock farming techniques, guaranteed green and concentrated feed, and stable output for dairy products have helped dairy farmers in Quynh Luu district feel more secure and boldly invest in modern technological equipment, creating sustainable development for the local dairy farming model./.