This archive report was first published on 24 August 2019.
Published on August 24, 2019, by Brian Okinda, a team from Seeds of Gold attended the African Dairy Conference and Exhibition at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, where they showcased the latest technologies in the dairy sector.
One of the technologies on display was a pipeline milking machine by Kentrac Ltd, which comes in both mechanical and automated systems. The machine has three components: milking, storage, and cleaning sections. The automated machine has an electronic meter for measuring the amount of milk each cow produces, while the mechanical one is calibrated and read manually.
The machine milks a cow every three minutes and automatically detaches the teat caps from the teats when done. It also cleans itself in readiness for the next milking session. A cow brush was also showcased, which helps to reduce stress in cows by providing a scratching surface, promoting their welfare, hygiene, and overall relaxation.
Good quality dairy feeding involves providing animals with 70% forages and 30% concentrates to produce a total mixed ration. However, some farmers struggle to achieve this due to the high cost of livestock feeds, which can take up to 70% of the total cost of milk production. In Kenya, the situation has been exacerbated by a prolonged dry spell that started in 2018 and still persists.
A Danish company, Fasterholt, showcased a mobile irrigation system that eliminates the need for fitting many sprinklers on the farm. The system is powered by a water pump and can irrigate up to 10 acres of fodder per day. It also has a calf-feeding trolley that can easily be moved around the farm, dispensing milk in set amounts required for each calf's feeding bucket.
Dr Nathaniel Makoni, the managing director of African Breeders Services-Total Cattle Management Ltd, displayed a computerised breeding programme that uses artificial intelligence. The system matches the farmer's desired qualities with the breeds in the firm's database, eliminating the probability of human error.
A good number of farmers aggregate their milk before delivering it to processors, but some deliver produce that is rejected due to contamination. Farmers can avoid this predicament by arming themselves with an alcohol milk gun to test the freshness of their produce.
