Nyakundi Report archive: November 21, 2018. Dairy farmers were warned that milk quality is influenced far more by feeding and herd management than by volume alone, especially as processors increasingly pay for composition rather than quantity.
Milk composition matters to both producers and processors because it affects earnings, while consumers depend on it for nutrition. According to Paul Mambo, a dairy consultant with SNV Kenya, the main components of milk are water, fat, protein, lactose and minerals, and all of them can shift depending on nutrition, genetics, environment, season, the cow’s age, stage of lactation, production level and disease.
Mambo said feeding practices have a direct effect on fat and protein levels. He noted that milk fat and protein are usually higher during rainy months and lower in dry periods, largely because feed quality changes and weather conditions become harsher.
He explained that when cows are left to graze during dry spells, fat levels can fall. In many cases, farmers who cannot afford quality fodder turn to rice straw and wheat straw, even though those feeds do little to improve milk output.
Farmers were advised to provide balanced rations containing energy, protein, minerals and vitamins. Mambo said dry maize stovers have low nutritional value and mainly fill the animal without contributing meaningfully to milk production. He added that such feeds can take as long as 72 hours to digest, which can reduce milk fat.
During the dry season, some farmers try to maintain yields by adding concentrates such as dairy meal. Experts said that when fibre is lacking, cows chew less cud and produce less butyric acid, which is important for butter fat. The result can be milk with lower density that is more likely to be rejected by co-operatives.
Overuse of concentrates can also affect composition. While too much concentrate may lower milk fat and raise protein levels, excess dietary protein does not necessarily increase milk protein because much of it is excreted.
Hot weather was also identified as a problem because it reduces saliva production, affects rumen function and can lower milk fat when ruminal pH drops.
Disease, especially mastitis, was said to reduce fat and casein while increasing whey content. Milk can also be affected by antibiotic residues when farmers treat cows but fail to observe the required withdrawal period.
Benald Kinoti, an extension officer in Meru County, said farmers must understand the breed they keep because Ayrshires and Friesians produce milk with different component profiles. Felix Opinya, a dairy specialist at Egerton University, said good feeding and management should support healthy rumen function. He added that balanced rations meeting the cow’s chemical and physical needs are essential for strong milk production.
