American Dairy Project Celebrates Milk Production Success
On May 19, Chargé D’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan, Kevin Milas, attended an open field day at the Alipov-T farm in the Talgar Region just outside of Almaty. The event demonstrated a successful project at Alipov-T implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Winrock International which increased milk production on the farm by as much as 42% and reduced feed costs by 70%. “We hope that other Kazakhstani farmers will learn by this example and also increase their productivity, reduce their costs, and enhance their revenues,” said Chargé Milas ceremony.
The dairy improvement project, developed by USAID, Winrock, and several other American companies, introduced rotational grazing and other sustainable dairy production practices that can increase productivity, profitability, and environmental quality in Kazakhstani dairy farms. The project has established demonstration sites on two Kazakhstani farms – one outside Almaty and one outside Ust Kamenogorsk—in 2008. Within months, these farms increased their milk production by 24—42% and reduced feed costs by 67—70%. Even greater increases in productivity and profitability are expected as the quality and density of the pastures continue to improve through seeding and management.
Alipov-T farm is a small dairy farm located 40km east of Almaty. The farm milks 60 cows and grows crops on approximately of land. Prior to joining the USAID-funded project, the farm kept all cows, bulls, and young stock in the barns and barnyards, and used their land to produce corn, oats, barley, wheat, and hay for cattle feed. The project helped the farm install electrified fences around sections of the property and instituted a rotational grazing plan in early 2008. After just one month, daily milk production jumped from 12 to per cow. To complement the pasture forage, the project also suggested changes to grain feeding that led to 17 liters of milk per cow per day. These changes have also reduced the feed costs for the herd by 67% and have increased revenues.
Kamyshinskoye Farm is located about 120km west of Ust-Kamenogorsk. With its 1,700 milking cows, Kamyshinskoye is the largest dairy farm in Kazakhstan, and its herd is the largest herd of Ayrshire cattle in the world. Prior to this project, some of the milk cows had been grazed on hillside pastures by shepherds. In spring 2008, the project helped fence in for its 300 milking cows and for calves. Initially skeptical, farm managers changed their minds quickly when they saw milk production jump from 14.5 to per cow per day. This increase in milk output was accompanied by a 70% reduction in feed costs and reduced demand on farm labor. Of the 6 shepherds that were formerly tending the 300 cows, only 2 are used for the rotational grazing system, freeing 4 workers to attend to other duties on the farm. As a result, the farm’s profitability has increased by over $1,100 per day.
These dramatic improvements would be noteworthy anywhere, but especially in Kazakhstan where farm profit margins are razor thin and even small increases in profitability provide farmers significant improvement to their quality of life. News of these dramatic improvements has generated tremendous interest, and project staff have already trained about 200 hundred farmers and agricultural specialists on these techniques. The open field day at Apilov-T also attracted nearly 100 farmers, agricultural specialists from the local government offices and higher educational institutions, dairy companies, and international organizations from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as other countries.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is a leading U.S. Government agency responsible for delivering U.S. Government foreign assistance worldwide. It has been working in Kazakhstan since 1992 and has facilitated a number of significant reforms in the country’s economic and health care sectors, as well as building democratic institutions.
The dairy improvement project includes the following organizations: USAID, Gallagher Animal Management Systems, Kencove Farm Fence, Fisher & Thompson, Taurus Service, Taurus Service of Central Asia, Alipov-T and Kamyshinskoe Farms, the Dairy Union of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Land Cultivation Research Institute, University of Vermont, and Winrock International.
Rotational grazing is a forage production strategy that can greatly increase nutrient yield, while protecting soil, air, and water resources. Under this system, the animals graze one section (paddock) of a larger pasture for a short period of time, often as little as 12 or 24 hours for dairy cattle. The animals are rotated through the paddocks allowing previously grazed paddocks to re-grow to an optimal level for nutrient yield before re-grazing.
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