This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
Lessons from Top Cattle Breeder ¶
Located three kilometers off the Nakuru-Eldoret Highway at the Salgaa junction, Gogar Farm is a 96-year-old farm that breeds top-quality Holstein Friesian, Ayrshire, and Jersey cattle.
Hamish Grant, the farm's owner and managing director, has a rich livestock management background after studying Agriculture at London University.
When asked about the key to successful large-scale dairy farming, Grant emphasizes the importance of close supervision, saying, 'You don't want to monitor activities from the comfort of your office.'
Grant also stresses the need for a strict feeding program, which includes a daily feeding and nutrition regime. 'Good quality fodder is crucial,' he says. 'Cows fed from what you grow from the farm and supplemented with concentrates goes a long way.'
The farm has an outstanding reputation, attracting visitors from as far as South Africa, Finland, Tanzania, Britain, the Netherlands, and local and international agricultural universities and State corporations.
Grant shares his expertise on identifying dairy characteristics, including body conformity, gut, pin bone, hip bone, backline, udder conformation, suspension, and general productivity.
He also emphasizes the importance of vaccination regimes, saying, 'Foot and mouth disease, anthrax, Rift Valley fever, and lumpy skin disease are some of the most common diseases in Rongai, and our animals are vaccinated accordingly.'
Each animal on the farm has a traceable identification number displayed on the ear tag, and the farm has a herd book that documents their history, milk production, breed names, date of birth, parent breed, weight at birth, disease history, and reason for disposal.
The average milk production per cow per day is between 18 and 22 liters, with some producing as high as 40 liters.
Grant also shares his experiences with poor vaccines and feeds with aflatoxin, saying, 'I have to test all, whether grown at the farm or bought.'
With a massive farmland that has more than 1,300 animals, Gogar Farm is a model for large-scale dairy farming in Kenya.
