Young farmer's model cow farm

Feeding the cows is done by machine.

• COWS NO LONGER EAT GREEN FORAGE

“In the past, farmers in Tu Tra commune still raised cows by feeding them green food such as elephant grass, ground corn, and bran. Silage was only a supplementary food, often used in the dry season, when green grass was scarce. However, in the past 5 years, applying new dairy farming processes, our farm has applied silage technology for cows, almost eliminating green food from the diet of dairy cows,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, a young farmer in Kinh Te Moi village, Tu Tra commune, Don Duong district.

Although young, Mr. Hieu and his wife - Ms. Nguyen Thi Tau have many years of experience in dairy farming. “The new technique of dairy farming that Dalatmilk Company transferred to us farmers is to use silage for cows. That is, green food is fermented, used almost entirely alongside concentrated foods such as bran and vitamins. Therefore, my family's farm has been completely renovated to build three technically correct tunnels, ensuring that 99% of the cow's food is silage,” Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu shared.

According to Mr. Hieu, the green material used for silage is mainly fresh corn. Corn is grown for the purpose of being used as feed for cows, so when the corn is 85 days old and the grain is at the right milk stage, the plant is harvested, put into a chopper and incubated for three months. “Corn can be incubated with yeast or salt, according to the prescribed ratio. In addition to growing corn itself, the farm also signs contracts with surrounding farmers to grow and supply at a price of 2,000 VND/kg. The family has 3 fermentation tanks, each with a capacity of up to 20 trucks, about 80 tons of fresh corn stalks. After being properly incubated for 3 months, the fresh corn stalks have become a nutritious fermented food for cows. This is the farming technique that the company has transferred to farmers and we have seen very good results,” Mr. Hieu informed.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu's family's cow farm currently has about 50 cows, including mother cows, calves and heifers. Mr. Hieu said that the herd uses 1.5 tons of silage per day mixed with 250 kg of bran. The silage helps the cows to be healthy and have a good digestive system, so the milk quality is much better than traditional feeding in the past. "Raising cows with silage helps my family reduce a lot of labor, without having to cut grass and chop grass every day. When production is large, farmers must think about approaching advanced breeding processes and mechanizing the farm," Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu assessed.

• MECHANISM OF DAIRY FARM

Dairy farming must now be mechanized to reduce labor and increase productivity and milk quality, said Nguyen Van Hieu. The young farmer's farm has mostly mechanized stages. When fermenting feed, Hieu uses a high-capacity corn grinder, then uses a plow to put it into the fermenting pit. He also bought a multi-purpose feed mixer, put the feed into the machine, mix it with bran to get nutritious feed for dairy cows. Feeding cows also uses an automatic feed sprayer. Milking on the farm also uses a 300-liter milking machine/time, each time milking 6-8 cows. "With our family's herd of cows, we only need 45 minutes to finish milking, very fast compared to using a single machine like in the past," said Nguyen Thi Tau.

Using machines on the farm has helped farmers reduce a lot of labor. “The farm also uses electronic chips to monitor cows, from health, illness to other health signs. The chip is attached to the cow’s ear, there is a transceiver station to monitor and alert farmers,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Tau introduced.

Currently, the family farm collects 700 kg of milk per day, with a stable productivity of 20 liters of milk per cow per day. The family has signed a contract to purchase the milk with Dalatmilk Company at a stable price of 15,000 VND per liter, much higher than many neighboring households. “As soon as we started raising cows, we calculated our income; therefore, we farmers feel secure in investing in the economy, mechanization, and taking care of the cows according to the techniques transferred by the enterprise,” commented Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu.

Mr. Vu Van Nghi - an agricultural, forestry and water resources officer of Tu Tra commune, Don Duong district, said that the farm of Nguyen Van Hieu and Nguyen Thi Tau is a model farm, signed a contract with Dalatmilk Company. Their farm applies a new farming model, using silage for cows, bringing very high productivity and efficiency. This is a model for the company to implement technical consulting activities as well as guide farmers in the area to change the process of caring for dairy cows. This is also a farm with a mechanization rate of up to 90%, a model for Tu Tra commune to encourage dairy farmers in the area to actively change technology and thinking in agricultural production.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202504/trang-trai-bo-mau-cua-nong-dan-tre-ff25120/