Page 33 - Think Grain Think Feed - Noc 2025 Issue

www.benisonmedia.com CONFERENCE OUTCOMES · resulted in more than 20% increase in

Think Grain Think Feed - Volume 12 | Issue 1 | Nov 2025

Making Sustainability Profitable for
Dairy Farmers
milk yield.
India contributes 24% of global milk
Good management practices can further
·
enhance production by 15–20%.
production, with per-capita
exports remain low at 3–4%.
24x7 clean drinking water, nutritious
A study across 140 farms shows milk
feed, comfortable bedding, and
· consumption increasing at 8%, although · Key welfare essentials include access to
production costs ranging from INR ensuring cows are not tied too tightly.
21–46 per litre. The core challenge is low · Ethno-Veterinary Medicine (EVM)
milk yield per cow: provides a natural cost effective
o India: 3,200 kg per cow per year alternative to reduce antibiotic usage in
Dr. Anil Kavtekar o USA: 11,000 kg per cow per year the animal treatment & ultimately
Schreiber Foods · The average body condition score of controls residues in milk. Currently
available for 13 diseases, EVM
Indian cattle is below 2.75, whereas
demonstrates up to 98% efficacy in
European cattle typically score above 4.
most conditions and typically costs only
· Four pillars of sustainable dairy
1% of conventional allopathic
development include:
treatments.
1. Breed improvement
Takeaway Message:
2. Feed and nutrition
Sustainable dairy becomes profitable when
3. Management farmers improve breeds, nutrition, and
4. Disease control management, adopt better housing and
· Transitioning animals to loose housing welfare practices, and use cost-effective
with fewer animals per unit area has ethno-veterinary treatments to boost milk
yield, reduce losses, and ensure safer milk.

Rumen Dynamics & pH: Impact on Milk · TMR must be a scientifically balanced
Quality blend of forage, concentrate,
· Milk fat and SNF are the strongest supplements, and additives.
indicators of milk quality and long-term · Clean drinking water (preferably under
farm sustainability. shade) should be provided 7–8 times a
· A 2019 national survey reported that day.
one-third of milk samples failed to meet Takeaway Message:
minimum fat and SNF standards, Enhancing nutrition, housing, health, and
primarily due to nutritional gaps at the welfare practices is central to improving milk
farm level. quality, productivity, and farm
· The rumen acts as a 150-litre microbial longevity—linking animal well-being directly
Dr. Channegowda HK fermenter, producing up to 2.5 kg of to economic resilience. An optimal forage-
Zeus Biotech microbial protein per day, supporting to-concentrate ratio, along with proper
~10 litres of milk production. infrastructure, remains key to profitable
· The forage-to-concentrate ratio is a key dairying.
determinant of both fat and SNF levels;
Scan here to
a 60:40 ratio is generally recommended.
download presentations
· Cows should rest for 12–14 hours daily
and ruminate for around 8 hours to
generate adequate saliva, maintain
rumen pH, and ensure optimal
digestion.
· Total ration should contain 4–5% fat for
optimal performance.

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