The Dairy Series | Part 2

EDITOR’S NOTE

Good morning!

It’s Monday, and we’re back with another edition.

We continue to work through dairy. There’s always something to learn by looking closely at why one farm is doing better than another.

Let’s get into it.

In [Part 1], we began our journey in the things nobody tells you about dairy farming. We inspected the significant discrepancy between the projections we are always excited to work with and the reality we face when staring at our profit and loss statements; poor genetics.

This week, we will uncover how to actually improve the genetic makeup of your herd by choosing the right bull.

You pride yourself as an organized dairy farmer who has set up systems. Your herd is currently averaging 12 litres a day, which is not as much as you’d like, but your neighbour is averaging 10 litres a day, so you tell yourself it could be worse. Besides, production should increase with each lactation, right?

You followed the golden rule: keep them pregnant, keep the milk flowing, let each lactation build on the last. Even your prayers change. As Kenyans would sing: “Unapozuru wengine, usinipite.” (When you attend to others Lord, do not pass me by). 

Why is your neighbour’s herd overlapping yours?

You muster up the courage, grab a slice of humble pie, and decide to visit her farm to understand what she knows that you don’t. And there it is, pinned on her wall: a breeding calendar, with each cow assigned a specific bull profile. It contains rows of figures and acronyms you've never seen before.

"I handpick the bulls I use," she says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. She dares add, “Kwani wewe hudo?” (What do you do instead?)

All this time, you had no clue that this was one of the decisions you were required to make. You mean there’s more to ask beyond, “Hii mbegu ni ya maziwa mingi?” (Is this the high-volume production one?) That was the entire extent of your vetting process.

Turns out, the difference between her herd and yours was never the cow. It was the bull.

That intimidating document on her wall is called a bull catalogue, and it's the single most underused tool in Kenyan smallholder dairy. Before you even open one, four preliminary questions will decide how you should read it.

First question: what does your market actually pay for? Volume, or solids? Most Kenyan farmers selling into cooperatives or the informal raw milk market are paid on litres, full stop.

If that's you, a high-volume bull is exactly what you’re looking for. But if you supply a niche processor paying for butterfat or protein such as cheese, butter and ghee markets, then chase those figures instead. High-volume bulls tend to produce more diluted milk, so "maziwa mingi" can quietly lock you out of certain markets

Second question: what are you actually trying to fix? A bull catalogue isn't a magic wand. It is more like a prescription. Figure out what is broken in your herd (e.g. low volume, poor fertility, sickly cows) and buy the bull profile that specifically outperforms that weakness.

Genetics compound generation on generation, so this decision echoes for years, long after the straw is gone.

Third question: how much uncertainty can you afford? Every figure in a bull catalogue sits beside a quiet little number most farmers never bother to look at: reliability. A young genomic bull can carry eye-catching figures built entirely from a DNA test typically ranging from 40% to 60% reliable.

An older bull on the other hand may have modest numbers, but they're backed by hundreds of actual milking daughters, often 90+% reliable. Genomic bulls are usually cheaper and carry the newest genetics on the market, which makes them tempting. But ask yourself plainly: are you in a position to place a bet, or do you need the safer number?

Fourth question: can you actually get this semen, reliably? A catalogue full of outstanding figures means nothing if the straw that reaches your cow has already lost viability. Semen stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C stays viable only if the cold chain never breaks, and in many counties, it most certainly does fail.

Before you commit to a bull, confirm the semen moves through a legitimate distributor, and insist your AI technician is registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board (KVB). Ask for the registration number. Verify it.

The best genetics in the catalogue are worthless in the hands of a broken cold chain or a gambler’s needle.

Get these four questions right, and you've already out-positioned most farmers before you've read a single trait figure. Next time, we will open an actual catalogue from CRV. We will start with the three numbers that decide whether your herd's next generation actually earns its keep.