Record Keeping- An Important Aspect of Dairy Farming

Record keeping is one of the utmost important part of dairy business. The success or failure of any business is highly dependent on efficiency of record keeping. Dairy farming is one of the most adoptable business of rural areas of India but the major setback of dairy farming is that people of rural area do not adopt it as business. They rear animals for their household need, not as profession. Some people who have adopted dairy farming as business are very successful in this business. There are many factors on which success of dairy farming is dependent. Record keeping is one of these factors which affect the efficiency of dairy farming business.

Now the question arises which type of records must be maintained in dairy farm for its successful running. These records are:

1. Date of introduction/birth of animal: There must be record of date on which any animal introduce in farm or date on which calf born in farm. It is very important because on the basis of date of introduction or birth, schedule of vaccination and feeding of animal can be prepared affectively.
2. Record of vaccination and disease status of newly introduced animal: There must be complete record of vaccination of the animals which are newly introduced in the farm. There must be record of disease testing like Brucella, Infectious Bovine rhinotrachities, Bovine Viral Diarrhoea, Tuberculosis and Johni’s Disease before introducing any animal in dairy farm. It is advisable to have recent record of testing of diseases of that animal which is planned to introduce in the farm.
3. Vaccination Record: Each and every animal in the farm should be vaccinated against disease like Haemorrhagic septicemia, Foot and Mouth vaccination, Brucella, Infectious Bovine rhinotrachities. So vaccination due date and date at which vaccination done should be recorded for each animal.
4. Feed and Fodder Record: Animals should be fed according to their age, milk yield, pregnancy status. Small calves should be fed calf starter up to some age, after that these calves should be fed grower ration. Heifers which are not conceived yet should be fed different ration. Pregnant animals which are not in milk and animals which are pregnant as well as in milk should be fed different type of feed and quantity of ration should be different for each category. This can be possible if all animals of farm are differentiated into different categories and proper record of type as well as quantity of feed which is given to each category of animal should be maintained.
5. Health record: A dairy farmer can gain profit only if animals in the farm are recorded from all aspects on daily basis, so health status of each and every animal should be checked on daily basis and its record should be maintained. Any animal which is found unhealthy, its date of that event, symptoms of animals and treatment which is given should be recorded. Then on daily basis response of treatment to animal should be observed and recorded.
6. Breeding Record: This record is very important to find profit and loss of dairy farm. In case of heifer date of its first artificial insemination, in other animals their date of artificial insemination, date of repetition of artificial insemination, date of pregnancy diagnosis, result of pregnancy diagnosis, date of calving, sex of calf should be recorded. From this record it can be calculated at how much age heifer inseminated, after how much time an animal came in heat after previous calving. How much interval was taken by animal from previous calving to recent calving.
7. Record of milk recording: This is one of the most important record for finding profit or loss in business. Record of milk yield and composition of milk of each and every animal is utmost important to maintain. From this record it is very easy to find unhealthy animal which is not showing any symptom. From this record we can find total lactation interval, peak milk yield, average milk yield throughout lactation period, months of high yield of animal.
8. Record of marketing of milk and milk products: Basis of running of business is, how much money we get by selling the end product. It is very important to record how much money a dairy farmer earn by selling milk and milk products on daily basis.
9. Record of sale and purchase of animals: sale and purchase of animals from dairy farm also play very important role to find profit and loss in dairy farm, so record of sale and purchase of animals and amount earned from sale and amount spent on purchase of animals must be recorded.
10. Record of veterinary aid: There must be a daily basis record of amount spent on treatment of animals as well as preventive measures which are taken to prevent diseases in animals.
11. Miscellaneous Records: In spite of above mentioned records some other records like instruments purchased for smooth functioning of dairy farm, labour cost, transportation expenditure any other expenditure done in the farm must be recorded.

From the perfect records of expenditure done and income gain during operational activities of dairy farm, we can calculate the exact profit or loss in dairy farming business. So record keeping is the utmost important parameter of dairy farming business.