• Farmers’ experience, feeding-related practices, and type of management influence average production 

BY RUWAN LAKNATH JAYAKODY  The experience of the dairy farmers, feeding-related practices including the frequency of water feeding, the frequency of concentrate feeding, the amount of concentrate given and the amount of mineral supplement given, and the type of management system (extensive, intensive, semi intensive) significantly influences average milk production in the Jaffna District of the Northern Province, the productivity of which was found to be suboptimal by a local study.  These findings were made by K. Arthika and W.A.D.V. Weerathilake in a short communication on the “Key determinants of milk production in dairy farms of the Jaffna District” which was published in the Journal of Agriculture and Value Addition 4 (2) in December, 2021, in which the duo called for awareness to be created among the farmers about the factors determining milk production and to therefore, properly disseminate knowledge regarding the feed quality and its impact on milk production.  Background  Livestock, which is a sub-sector of agriculture, per the “Livestock statistical bulletin 2019” of the Department of Animal Production and Health, contributes about 1% to the national gross domestic product.  The farming of dairy cattle is a practice that is a major source of income for the rural poor, according to the department.  “Although the Government is implementing new projects to make the country self-sufficient in dairy, 61% of the milk and dairy requirement is still dependent on imports. The dairy sector mainly depends on cattle production systems. Cattle management systems vary according to ecological factors and the aim of the production systems,” it was noted.  As H. Abeygunawardena, D. Rathnayaka and W.M.A.P. Jayatilake added in “Characteristics of cattle farming systems in Sri Lanka”, the main production systems are classified as the upcountry intensive system, the mid country intensive system, the wet and intermediate zone semi intensive system, the intermediate and dry zone extensive system and the dry zone intensive system, while the system which is prominent in the Jaffna District can be categorised as the wet and intermediate zone semi intensive system with features of a combination of tethered and/or free grazing with limited feeding of concentrates targeting mostly the household consumption. 

2. Ranawana explained in “Dairy industry in Sri Lanka: Problems and prospects” that animals with high genetic merit are usually managed intensively while indigenous cattle are usually managed extensively. According to the department, the contribution of the Northern Province to cow milk production in 2019 was 14% and it was in fourth place among the nine Provinces. But, the average value of the milk production per animal per day from the Jaffna District was reported as 2.2 litres, which is below the optimum production. 

According to S. Sheromiha and M.G. Kularatne’s “Technical efficiency of small-scale dairy farming in Sri Lanka”, milk production and the productivity of small-scale farms in Sri Lanka is not significantly effective. In “Technical efficiency of cattle farming in the Monaragala veterinary region: A stochastic (having a random probability distribution or pattern that may be analysed statistically but may not be predicted precisely) frontier approach”, R. Thiwyadharsan, R.M.S.D. Rathnayaka and A.M. Samaraweera pointed out that there is scope for further increasing the milk production by 31% within the study area without increasing the level of inputs, but by reducing the technical inefficiency among the dairy farmers. “Increasing the efficiency in production assumes greater significance in attaining the potential output at the farm level.”  The natural vegetation of the Jaffna District consists of non-productive dry zone forest, scrubland and grasslands suitable for livestock production.  Study  Arthika and Weerathilake’s study was a combination of applied research, survey-based research and field research. Out of 15 veterinary surgeon divisions in the Jaffna District, five (Chavakachcheri, Karaveddy, Kopay, Nallur and Point Pedro) were selected randomly. The farms were categorised according to the number of animals as farms with less than five animals, farms with five to 20 animals and farms with more than 20 animals.  Among the available farms, random selection was used to select 10 farms in each category in each selected veterinary surgeon division, about 30 farms from each such division, and thus a sample size of 150 farms was achieved. Primary data were gathered through field questionnaire surveys, interviews and focus group discussions.  The questionnaire consisted of sections of open ended and closed ended questions related to covering farmers’ demographic information, livestock rearing system, management practices, knowledge, constraints and future perception of dairy farming. The field survey was conducted from April to October 2021.  Further secondary data related to the population distribution of the dairy cattle farmers were collected from the department.  The dependent variable of the study was measured using the average milk production in litres, per animal, per day. The independent variables were: the farmers’ experience, the frequency of water feeding, the frequency of concentrate feeding, the amount of concentrate given, the amount of mineral supplement given and the type of management system practised. Farmers’ gender showed a significant variation as there were 82.6% males and 17.3% females. Most widowed females started to practise dairy farming to maintain their sustenance and some of them were beneficiaries of the Wanni Dairy Regeneration Project implemented by the New Zealand Government. J. Edwards observed in “New Zealand aid and dairy development in Sri Lanka” that female farmers have been endowed with empowerment, economic independence and sustainability as a result of the extra income earned by increasing dairy production which in turn contributed to reducing the significant financial vulnerability and deprivation experienced by conflict-affected females.  “Still, there are females in the Jaffna District who are unemployed and engaged with household-related work only. Hence, there is a potential to increase the milk production from the Jaffna District if the Government or non-Governmental organisations could provide some support to initiate small-scale dairy farms for unemployed females which will result in the increased participation of female farmers in milk production,” Arthika and Weerathilake noted.  When considering the ethnicity of the dairy farmers included in the study population, all of them are Sri Lankan Tamils. Most of the dairy farmers, both males and females, were between 45 to 55 years of age. The average age of the farmers was 49 years with an average experience of 22 years.  “These results indicate the lack of participation of the younger generation in livestock practices. Most of the older generation withdrew from studies and started farming practices as their major livelihood. With that, most of them reared dairy animals as a supplement for their income. But, that generation managed to give a quality education to their children and most of them are engaged in the Government sector.  “Therefore, nowadays those educated people are very reluctant to practise cultivation and livestock farming. However, in order to cater to the demand of the increasing population as well as to maintain economic stability, it is advisable to have an income supplement in the form of dairy farming which can be managed by family members without an additional workforce. It would result in a considerable effect on the total milk production of the District as well,” Arthika and Weerathilake added.  Up to 48.6% of the study population had education up to primary school and only up to 10% have done their higher studies in the form of a diploma or bachelor’s programme.  “The education level has minimal contribution towards the successful running of the farms. Farmers who have done their education up to the primary level were running the farms successfully with their experience and were able to fulfil the household requirement.  “However, at the same time, they were unaware of the proper feeding, dairy management practices and cutting edge technologies incorporated into dairy farming. Hence, if the younger generation pays interest towards dairy farming practices, they would easily grab the basic concepts behind animal husbandry and novel technologies. It will create a culmination of improved dairy production from the Jaffna District,” Arthika and Weerathilake further stated.  Findings  A total of 76% of the farmers were practising extensive management systems. Most of the farms with more than 20 dairy animals were under an extensive management system. Free grazing is the salient feature of an extensive system and at the same time, most of the farms had a cattle shed. The average milk production per animal per day was observed to be low when compared with other management systems.  In “Factors affecting sustainable dairy production: A case study from the Uva Province”, D. Wijethilaka, S. De Silva, R.M.C. Deshapriya and L.H.P.G. Gunaratne stated that the merits and demerits of an extensive management system were that extensive farmers are capable of yielding higher profit due to the low cost for concentrate feeds, the low level of labour, the feeding of different forage types and the handling of a comparatively higher number of animals.  “Even though extensive farming is profitable, there are limitations for the expansion of extensive farming due to land scarcity, currently applicable laws prohibiting the straying of animals and the usage of public places for free grazing, and the high probability of the spread of diseases, among others. The same scenario applies to the Jaffna District,” Arthika and Weerathilake emphasised.  However, the farmers were not satisfied with the extensive management system and there was a tendency of moving towards an intensive management system with a reduced number of animals. Thus, about 76% of the farms were managed as intensive and semi intensive. The farms maintaining zero grazing and supplying feed in the form of concentrate and roughages while managing them inside a cattle shed were categorised by J.K. Vidanarachchi, H.M.M. Chathurika, H.M. Dias, P.M. Korale Gedara, G.L.L.P. Silva, E.R.K. Perera and A.N.F.P. Perera in “Dairy industry in Sri Lanka: Current status and the way forward for a sustainable industry”, as having an intensive management system.  Out of the 150 farms considered, 86.67% had a cattle shed and the remaining were without a cattle shed. Even though there were cattle sheds, those lacked proper bedding material, sufficient heat stress abatement and proper sanitation and manure disposal. “As comfort provided to the cow can affect the milk production significantly, proper cattle sheds with all the necessary infrastructures are an important factor to be considered when trying to improve the milk production of a farm. A semi intensive management system implied a combination of both extensive and intensive systems.”  Animals were tethered and fed with concentrate and at the same time, they were allowed to free graze, per Vidanarachchi et al. Although a higher average milk yield was observed in the intensive management system, the profit margins of the farms were less due to the higher prices of the concentrate and the supplements.  “If farmers were provided with concentrates at subsidised prices, it can have a positive impact on increasing the milk production of the District while the farmers will be able to get a fruitful profit margin,” Arthika and Weerathilake elaborated.  Out of the study population, 65.3% of the animals were Jersey crosses, while 22.6% were local breeds and 12% of the animals were Sahiwal crosses. Most of the intensive and semi intensive farming systems reared Jersey crossbreeds. Farms with an extensive management system were more likely to maintain local as well as Sahiwal crosses due to the compatibility of those breeds to the climatic condition of the District. Artificial insemination was practised mostly in intensive management systems, whereas natural service was mostly practised in extensive management systems. A total of 66.67% of farms practised artificial insemination.  However, most of the farmers complained that the success rate of artificial insemination was very low. The success rate, as noted by C. Mouffok, A. Allouni, L. Semara, and F. Belkasmi in “Factors affecting the conception rate of artificial insemination in small cattle dairy farms in an Algerian semi arid area”, mainly depends on the timely observation of heat-related signs and on time inseminations.  Farmers were not that much aware of the female reproductive anatomy and related concepts of the oestrus cycle. Some of them were not competent enough to detect the heat-related signs. Another determinant was the distance between the veterinary surgeon division offices and the farms.  The timely arrival of artificial insemination technicians was lacking. The quality of semen, per Mouffok et al. is another paramount determinant of the success of artificial insemination. Although semen is available, the quality is always questionable, it was found.  “In the Jaffna District, it is a must to improve the awareness of artificial insemination techniques among the farmers,” Arthika and Weerathilake suggested.  Although high-potential Jersey crosses were maintained intensively, suboptimal productivity was observed. Most of the animals were with body condition scores less than 2.5. The feeding practice, per M. Sarmini, S. Premaratne, G.G.C. Premalal and M.B.P.K. Mahipala’s “Ensiling (put grass or another crop into a silo or silage clamp in order to preserve it as silage [a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification]) property and nutritional quality of palmyrah leaves incorporated corn or sorghum silage”, is one of the major factors behind the body condition score of dairy animals.  About 75.3% of the farmers were feeding their dairy animals with roadside grasses and only 24.6% were feeding them with quality forages. D. Vyas, C.D. Nelson, J.J. Bromfield, P. Liyanamana, M. Krause and G.E. Dahl’s “MILK Symposium review: Identifying constraints, opportunities, and best practices for improving milk production in market-oriented dairy farms in Sri Lanka” reported the major bottlenecks of ameliorating dairy-related productivity as being the inadequacy of good quality feed as well as the quantity of the feed, sub standard dairy management practices and ineffectual extension services.  According to Q. Zebeli, J.R. Aschenbach, M. Tafaj, J. Boguhn, B.N. Ametaj and W. Drochner’s “Invited review: Role of physically effective fibre and estimation of dietary fibre adequacy in high producing dairy cattle”, forages are essential constituents of the dairy cattle ration and good quality forage is important in optimising the rumen (the first and largest stomach compartment of a ruminant [an even toed ungulate mammal that chews the cud regurgitated from its rumen] and the larger part of the reticulorumen, which is the first chamber in the alimentary canal of ruminant animals) function, thus improving milk production.  Dairy animals in most of the farms were feeding on natural pasture, i.e. Napier grass having low crude protein and digestibility which ends up in suboptimal productivity. Although the Jaffna District is in the dry zone of the country, there was no practice of silage feeding. During dry periods of the year, silage and hay are of paramount importance in order to maintain animal health and productivity, per Vyas et al.  Further, Vyas et al. observed a 27% increment in milk production with the introduction of high protein sorghum silage.  “Hence, dairy farmers of the Jaffna District should be educated about the importance of silage preparations with some initiative support,” Arthika and Weerathilake recommended.  There was a significant relation between the average milk production and the predictors. The average milk production along with the management practices were at a level of significance. The results revealed that the farmers’ experience, the frequency of water feeding, the frequency of concentrate feeding, the amount of concentrate given, the amount of mineral supplement given and the type of management system significantly influenced the average milk production of the Jaffna District.  The feeding amount and feeding frequency have a great impact on milk production. But, there was a lack of understanding among the farmers about the concept of using specific nutrients in the feed formulation. Farmers were unaware of the importance of dry matter and the moisture content of the feed provided to the dairy animals.  “There is a huge responsibility for the policymakers of the dairy industry to focus on the feeding practices and also to educate the farmers in this regard,” Arthika and Weerathilake emphasised. The experience of the farmers has a positive effect on milk production as they were prone to become experts in management practices over time.  Further, the type of management practice also has an impact on the average milk production. Higher potential animals were maintained intensively and it ended up increasing the average milk production while on the other hand, local breeds were maintained extensively and it ends up in low average production.  When considering the constraints faced by the farmers, frequent factors pointed out by them were the increased prices of concentrates, the lack of timely support from veterinary surgeon divisions, low farm gate prices of milk, a poor marketing network, inadequate quality fodder, insufficient roughages during the dry seasons, being unaware about silage preparation mechanisms and inadequate guidance from the authorised personnel.  “There is a necessity to plan comprehensive training sessions targeting farmers in order to promote better dairy management practices. Beyond training, industry support for monitoring the feed quality is needed and it is advisable to seek private investment to support the dairy industry,” the duo concluded.