Total herd decline
In April this year, when the weather entered the hot season, Mr. Tran Van Huu, Long Son ward, Thai Hoa town, installed a ceiling fan in his family's dairy barn to combat the heat, and also regularly bathed the cows to keep them healthy, because according to Mr. Huu, healthy cows will give a stable amount of milk with good quality.
Mr. Huu’s family is one of the first households to raise dairy cows in Thai Hoa town when the locality cooperated with a dairy company to provide technical training, supply breeds, support food and product output for the people. With over 10 years of experience raising dairy cows, however, according to Mr. Huu, this is a difficult period for those in the profession.
Previously, the family raised 10 cows in the milking stage, now, there are only 4 cows for milking and 8 small calves, not yet exploited. Although it brings economic efficiency, raising dairy cows also faces many difficulties, especially the increasing cost of raising.
“Previously, the price of refined bran for raising cows was only 6,800 VND/kg, but now it has increased to 10,000 - 12,000 VND/kg, the average daily feeding cost ranges from 100,000 - 150,000 VND, not to mention other costs such as buying corn, medicine to prevent diseases, vaccines... Meanwhile, the company's milk purchase price has not changed significantly for many years, leading to profits not being the same as in the previous period" - Mr. Huu emphasized.
Similarly, Quynh Thang is a mountainous area of Quynh Luu district, where dairy farming has been quite developed in recent years. However, the number of dairy cows in the area is currently on the decline.
Mr. Bui Van Vinh - Director of Dong Tien Dairy Cooperative, Quynh Thang Commune said: At the time of establishment of the Cooperative, there were nearly 40 households raising dairy cows with a total herd of about 350 cows. However, by 2024, newly updated data showed that the entire Cooperative had only 20 households with a total herd of over 200 cows, a decrease of nearly 50%. Therefore, the amount of milk purchased from households for the company also decreased sharply.
Regarding the reasons for the decline in the herd, Mr. Vinh said: Dairy cows are animals that not only have high investment costs but also have very difficult stages of raising them, requiring farmers to be diligent and persistent. Specifically, milking time must be on time, twice a day, milking must be done with technique because if hygiene is not ensured, it is easy to cause the cow's udder to become infected, leading to the harvested milk not being purchased by the company. Not to mention, the remaining 20 households are mostly elderly, while the young people and youth almost do not follow this profession because it is very hard. In addition, epidemics such as foot and mouth disease, lumpy skin disease, septicemia, etc. often occur every year. If not properly cared for, dairy cows are very susceptible to disease, costing money for treatment, while the harvested milk must also be discarded and cannot be imported.
In Nghia Dan district, dairy farming is concentrated in Nghia An commune. Currently, the total herd of cows in this locality is also decreasing sharply. Mr. Dang The Sinh, Chairman of Nghia An Commune People's Committee, said: Previously, the whole commune had 20 households raising dairy cows with a total herd of over 200 cows, but now there are only 13 households doing this job. The main reason is that there are no more workers for this job, besides, the cost of raising cows is high, many strict technical requirements, so some households have liquidated their cows to switch to other jobs.
Find ways to adapt
In fact, the total herd of dairy cows is showing a sharp decline. However, because this is an animal that brings stable economic efficiency, localities and professional agencies are also promoting and encouraging people to find solutions to maintain the herd.
It is known that the current price of milk purchased by the company is fluctuating from 12,000 - 15,000 VND/liter, the price depends on the quality of the milk. After people bring milk to the points, there will be staff to test the milk content to pay. On average, each household raising dairy cows imports about 100 liters of milk per day, earning millions. Therefore, this is an animal that brings clear economic efficiency compared to other animals, especially the output is always guaranteed because it is purchased by the company.
Despite many difficulties, households are still finding ways to adapt to maintain their jobs. Mr. Ho Vinh Thin, Quynh Thang commune, Quynh Luu district said: My family is raising 7 dairy cows in the milking stage with about 80 liters per day. Due to the high price of refined bran from the company, the family is proactively increasing other sources of food with cheaper costs such as expanding the area of planting elephant grass, buying corn and sugarcane to ferment for long-term food, reducing input costs. In addition, the family is also proactive in fully vaccinating, repairing cool barns, especially on hot days to keep the cows healthy and have stable milk productivity.
Director of Thai Hoa Town Agricultural Service Center Dang Thai Hoa said: “To maintain the existing herd, every year, the unit also cooperates with companies and banks to support loan interest rates and provide technical training for dairy farmers. In addition, veterinary staff also promote and support vaccination and disease prevention... to keep the dairy herd healthy, providing quality milk and reproducing to be able to breed the next generation of cows."
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