What is more profitable to raise cows or. Cow breeding as a business: profitability and productivity

Not only professional farmers are concerned about the question of whether it is profitable to keep a cow, but also private summer residents who have a small farm - for themselves. Keeping these animals is hard work, and before purchasing a calf, you want to understand how justified it is. We will try to tell our readers what it costs in practice to buy a cow or bull, and whether it is worthwhile to engage in professional cattle breeding.

Factors influencing maintenance costs

Before answering the question of whether it is profitable to keep a cow, you should determine the cost items required when raising calves. Before the calf grows up and makes a profit, you need to invest in the following activities:

• feeding;
• drinking;
• walking;
• preparation and storage of hay;
• milking - for cows;
• pairing;
• medical expenses.

Each of these activities requires not only control and appropriate qualifications from the livestock breeder, but also serious financial investments, especially if it is a large farm.

In small farms, financial investments are not so large, but they may not be justifiably high if you thinklessly approach the issues of breeding cows and bulls.

Who is cow breeding suitable for?

According to livestock breeders, raising bulls for meat or raising cows for milk is a profitable and profitable activity, but it requires not only serious financial investments, but also a lot of effort. IN last years In Russia, a decline in livestock was recorded. The reason was not that raising livestock became unprofitable. It’s just that such work takes a lot of time and effort, so few people want to do it.

To take care of livestock and receive returns in the form of milk and meat, you need to know a lot. For example, how to deliver a baby, how to raise calves, how to feed livestock properly. All this suggests that people who decide to seriously engage in animal husbandry will face many difficulties.

As for profit, the most important issue is not the profitability of the company. Rather, the main thing will be whether you see animal husbandry as your calling, or whether this is just a temporary hobby for you. With proper organization of work, modern farmers receive good profits, but invest not only time, but also soul into their work.

Feeding costs

It doesn’t matter whether you are going to open a large farm and breed cows, or whether you want to buy one or two calves for yourself. Before implementing the idea, you need to calculate how much money will be spent on maintaining a cow.

So, for growth and development, the animal must receive: roughage (grass or hay), concentrates (bran or grains), succulent feed (silage or root crops).

The table shows the approximate cost of these crops and consumption rates per cow:

After doing the math, it turns out that it costs 22,700-24,500 thousand rubles to feed one cow per year. Of course, you can reduce feeding costs if you take your livestock out to pasture and make hay yourself. But this can be realized if you keep livestock for yourself and there are only a couple of cows and bulls in your herd. In a serious farm, feeding costs are inevitable.

Items of additional expenses

To raise an animal, it is not enough to provide it with food. For example, we talked about how you can save on feeding if you graze cows in the field. But, in this case, you will have to hire a shepherd. In addition, when you decide to store hay in large quantities yourself, you will need to hire equipment and equip a storage space.

Another cost item will be electricity for lighting the pens. In addition, when engaged in dairy production, you will need to invest in gasoline to distribute your products. The cost of the pens themselves is also included in the cost of maintaining livestock, but this expense will be a one-time expense.

To breed cows and bulls in large quantities, you will need to hire staff, buy inventory and equipment. When keeping several heifers, care and feeding will fall entirely on you and your family.

Cost of veterinary services

When calculating the cost of keeping a cow, it is important not to forget the cost of veterinary services. Even if you keep several cows in a private house and practically do not spend money on feeding - you graze them in the meadow, you cannot do without the services of a veterinarian.

If we exclude illnesses and childbirth, then standard vaccination and routine examination will cost you about 5,000-6,000 rubles per year per animal. Accordingly, with the growth of the livestock, this amount will increase. After a certain point, calling a veterinarian becomes unprofitable, and it is more rational to hire your own veterinarian.

This applies to large farms numbering tens and hundreds of animals. If you plan to do without a health worker, then this will not work, because you will not be able to sell non-certified milk and meat. To obtain a quality certificate, you will need a conclusion from a veterinarian.

Mating and its cost

When raising livestock, it is important not to forget about such an expense item as mating. The cost of a bull for mating depends on its breed and pedigree. If you are going to raise purebred bulls for meat, then the services of one bull producer can cost you 10,000-15,000 per year.

Don’t be afraid, because such a price is only possible for champion bulls. The price for mating with an ordinary bull is on average 2000-3000 rubles per year. This is a small amount when you consider that you will eventually have a new member of the herd and the productivity of the calving cow will increase.

But, if you are seriously engaged in breeding cows and bulls, it is more logical to purchase a male sire rather than rent one. The only exceptions are when you want to introduce “new blood” to an existing herd, or your bulls have not yet reached reproductive age.

Implementation: methods and places

To make keeping livestock profitable, you need to think through a strategy for selling products: meat, milk.

If you want to engage not just in livestock breeding, but also sell a variety of products, you will need to purchase specialized equipment. To produce cottage cheese and cream, you need a separator, and to create stew, you need a canning line.

If you are not yet ready to open a private production line, you can sell the products in their pure form. This can be done most profitably: in markets, in stores, by opening your own retail outlet, in factories, in establishments that have their own cooking shop.

Before you receive a profit from the sale, you will need to invest. So, you will need to conclude supply agreements, organize delivery, or collect documents to open your store. All this takes time and money, but will bring good profits in the future.

For your venture to be profitable, you need to learn to save and plan your expenses rationally. Here are some tips that can help you create your own farm:

• feed should be purchased in the fall - during this period it is the cheapest, since there are many offers on the market;
• You shouldn’t buy crushed cereals - it’s expensive, it’s more logical to buy or make a crusher and grind the grains yourself;
• It is more rational to buy bran once a month;
• create a permanent sales market;
• sell only high-quality products;
• fatten the bulls for meat, and do not sell young calves;
• selling heifers at a young age (8-10 months) is more profitable than selling calves (2-3 months);
• Don't skimp on equipment.

Pay special attention to the last point. Thus, a milking machine can be purchased for 18,500 rubles, which will reduce labor costs and free up time for other tasks.

Calculation of profit from milk sales

Let's take a small, just developing farm, consisting of five cows. The average milk yield from such a herd is 65 liters per day. On average, a cow is milked 300 days a year. average cost milk - 30 rubles. Now we count:

65×300 = 19,500 liters – total milk yield from the herd for the year.

19500×30 = 585000 rubles – income from the sale of milk.

Let us subtract from the profit received the costs of feeding, mating, veterinary services and an approximate amount for related expenses: 585,000-24,500-6,000-15,000-30,000 = 509,500 rubles net profit in a year.

It turns out that with proper organization of his business, a farmer can receive about 40,000 per month from the sale of milk alone - this amount significantly exceeds the average income of a village resident.

Benefit from a large farm

I would like to immediately note that if you are waiting for instant profit, then breeding cows and bulls is not for you. You will see real profits from such a business only after a few years. The larger the farm you plan to launch, the greater the investment it will require, and the longer the payback will be.

But there is no need to doubt the profitability of this enterprise. If the income from a small livestock is 500,000 rubles a year, then by increasing the livestock, over the long term you will begin to receive greater profits.

Naturally, to expand the business you will need to invest initial income in the development of the farm. It will be necessary to purchase livestock, expand the pens, and attract specialists.

Over time, you can switch from dairy to beef, and raise bulls for meat, rather than selling young calves to outside farms.

Profit from the sale of livestock

Until the farm has expanded and you cannot raise bull calves for meat, it makes more sense to sell calves. This can be either a separate line of profit or situational income - selling “extra” calves. Especially if you start breeding purebred animals with passports from the very beginning.

Calves with documents are valued much more than outbred animals. Of course, this point should be taken into account from the very beginning and select popular breeds for breeding. Among dairy cows, the Red Steppe (180-250 rub./kg), Ayrshire (120-135 rub./kg), Holstein (135-170 rub./kg) and Kholmogory (185 rub./kg) breeds are especially valued. Among meat calves, the following breeds are popular: black-and-white (140-150 rub./kg), Cossack white-headed (115 rub./kg), Aberdeen-Angus (180 rub./kg) and Simmental (250 rub./kg ) breeds.

This is only the average cost of heifers and bulls of these breeds. With the right approach and a good reputation, you can sell animals at an even better price.

If you already have own business on raising calves, share your experience with our readers in the comments.

If you are just starting to study this topic, then save this article by reposting it and use it as a reminder for beginning farmers.

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1. Introduction

Milk and dairy products are a valuable food product. They have high biological qualities. Dairy products contain many minerals and almost all vitamins. Milk is widely used in the nutrition of people of different age groups, as well as in medical nutrition. A person obtains the main amount of calcium from milk. In terms of its importance in the nutrition of the population, milk ranks second after bread. The choice of my research work was inspired by my grandfather’s words that keeping a cow is profitable, but for some reason there have been fewer cows in our beloved village in recent years. Any Slavic village is unthinkable without a cow. There were times when every household kept a cow, regardless of social status and income. The cow itself was considered a symbol of wealth. But times have changed, and so have priorities. According to many people, it is now more profitable to earn money in the social sphere rather than in the agricultural sector. There is a version that today it is easier to slaughter or sell livestock than to feed it. Many people don’t even think about it - they keep it to feed their family. After all, you can sell milk, sour cream, butter, cheese and eat it yourself. You won't go hungry. But again, you need to work around the clock, 365 days a year, without vacations or weekends. According to economists who calculate the profitability of keeping livestock, it is more profitable to rent than to feed. Especially in recent years, when due to weather conditions quite a large amount of the grain harvest, and not only that, is lost.

PROBLEM 2:

Why don't people want to keep a cow? Maybe it's not profitable? Therefore, the topic of my research sounds exactly like this.

And everyone, even a child, knows that milk is very healthy. You can make a lot out of milk healthy products. But you have to look after the cow, clean it, and feed it. And this requires considerable effort. Maybe people are more “afraid” of work and this work is not worth the money that can be obtained from a cow.

Despite the benefits of milk and dairy products, various programs aimed at developing Agriculture, including cattle breeding, in recent years in Russia, there are fewer and fewer cows. There is an opinion that keeping cows is not profitable.

2.2 Purpose: find out whether it is possible to make a profit from cow's dairy products, and whether milk is really so healthy.

Tasks:

Study the literature on cattle on farms

Monitor animals on a farm

What are the benefits of milk?

How to determine the quality of milk?

Is it possible to make a profit from a cow?

To determine whether it is profitable for a rural family today to keep a cow in the household

2.3 Object of study:

Black and white cow,

2.4 Hypothesis:

Subsistence farming helps save our families’ family budgets

2.5 Research method:

Observation, comparative analysis

Literature Study

3 Theoretical significance work-

The results and progress of the study allow us to expand and deepen knowledge about the economic costs and profits from household farming.

Practical significance:

Finding out the benefits of subsidiary farming for the budget of a rural family.

2.6 How did the first cows appear?

The first domestic animals appeared thousands of years ago. Primitive people began to domesticate wild animals in order to have a constant source of hides, milk and meat. The wolf, the ancestor of the modern dog, was the first to be domesticated. This happened 130 centuries ago. Then sheep and goats were domesticated, and a little later - cows and pigs.

Cattle - cows are descended from the wild aurochs bull. Scientists believe and insist that aurochs were domesticated eight to nine thousand years ago. Man worked and needed the strength and muscles of animals. It was then that people caught wild animals and forced bulls to pull heavy plows. Grandfather said that even during the war in the villages, cows and bulls plowed the land.

Nowadays, cows are the main animal in the village. They are bred mainly for milk and meat. Milk is used to produce cheese and butter, yogurt, kefir and cottage cheese, sour cream and other dairy products. Every year a cow gives birth to a calf. The calf is nursed by the mother for up to nine months, but it can be taken from her at about three months of age, when it begins to eat grass. The average annual milk yield of dairy cows is 4-5 thousand kg.

In our village Energia there are 22 courtyards. Only three families keep cows. I also wondered: Do my classmates’ families keep cows? To do this, I conducted a survey among students in my class.

2.7 What are the benefits of milk?

Cow's milk, undoubtedly a valuable food product.

Nutrients in milk there are a lot - more than 200, and the main ones include proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and mineral salts. All these components play an important role in nutrition and ensuring the normal functioning of the body. Milk fat is also valuable, and it is considered the most complete of dietary fats.

Even in the Ancient East, milk was used to treat diseases. nervous system and mental disorders. Eastern doctors believed that milk promotes the development of intelligence, makes a person more intelligent, helps him understand the world and distinguish good from evil.

2.8 About the quality of milk

One of the main indicators of milk quality is fat content. The fat content of milk depends on many factors. (heredity, age, nutrition, temperature)

Milk from domestic cows is richer and more valuable.

To determine the fat content of milk, various methods have been developed, carried out in laboratories and with special devices (butyromers).

Experience 1

I determined the fat content of our cow's milk.

To determine the fat content of milk at home, you only need a glass 12-15 cm high, a ruler with divisions in millimeters and, of course, the test product itself, i.e. milk. . On the prepared glass, use a felt-tip pen to draw a line at a level of 10 cm from the bottom. Then you need to pour milk into the glass to the indicated mark. . The glass of milk should be left on the table at room temperature for 8 hours. . During this time, cream should float to the surface of the milk poured into a glass. The height of the layer formed from them must be measured with a ruler with millimeter divisions. . Now you need to determine the percentage of fat content of the milk. It's not at all difficult to do this. The height of the milk layer, i.e. 100mm, must be considered 100%. . The number of millimeters of the layer of cream formed on the surface of the milk is the percentage of fat content of the product. . Naturally, it is impossible to measure tenths of a millimeter of cream by eye. But to determine the approximate fat content using this simple way pretty easy.

Conclusion:fat content was 8% (Appendix 1, Fig. 1,2)

Experience 2

Store bought milk.

Conclusion:This milk is undiluted. Fat content - 3.2%

Homemade milk is fattier, which means it’s healthier. (Appendix 1 Fig. 3.4)

4 CALCULATION OF FINANCIAL COSTS FOR MAINTAINING A COW.

2.9 Costs for maintaining one cow. (Appendix 2 tab 1)

1. One adult cow requires 20 kg of hay and 5 kg of feed per day.

The cow must be kept in a stall for 6 months, and for 6 months the cow grazes on pasture. How much feed does a cow need per year?

We calculate the cost of hay.

20kg x 180 days = 3600 kg of hay per year per cow.

2000 rubles costs 1 bale, 1 bale is equal to 500 kg.

This means 1 ton (1000kg) = 2 bales = 4000 rubles

1 kg of hay = 4000 rubles: 1000 kg = 4 rubles

This means: 4 rubles x 3600 kg = 14,400 rubles

To buy hay (3,600 kg) for 1 cow it costs 14,400 rubles.

2. We calculate how much is spent on feed.

5 kg of feed x 365 days = 1825 kg per year.

One cow needs approximately 1825 kg of feed per year.

The price of 100 kg of feed is 900 rubles, which means 1 kg of feed is 9 rubles.

We calculate the cost of 1825 kg of feed: 9 rubles x 1825 kg = 16,425 rubles

To purchase feed for 1 cow it costs 16,425 rubles.

3.We summarize the costs of hay and feed per 1 cow:

14,400 + 16,425 = 30,825 rubles

Conclusion: We spent 30,825 rubles to maintain one cow.

3.0 Costs of purchasing dairy products in a store if there is no cow (Appendix 2, Table 2)

1. If you buy milk, cottage cheese, sour cream in a store, you get the following costs:

Milk 1 liter (365 days) x 50 rubles = 18,250 rubles

Sour cream 500g (once a week - 52 times) x 150 rubles = 7,800 rubles

Cottage cheese 1 kg (1 time a week - 52 times) x 200 rubles = 10,400 rubles

Add up: 18,250 + 10,400 + 7,800 = 36,450 rubles

Conclusion: it costs 36,450 rubles to buy dairy products in a store.

36,450 - 30,825 = 5,625 rubles per year - savings

Conclusion: it is profitable to keep a cow.

If you take into account the cost of a cow (50,000 rubles), then the purchase will pay off in 6 years. It is unprofitable to keep one cow if you do not sell the remaining milk! The remaining milk can be sold to the population at 40 rubles per liter. Let's calculate the profit.

3 .1 Income from milking 1 cow . (Appendix 2, tab. 3) On average, a cow produces 13 liters of milk per day: 1820+ 465 +976 +1587 = 4848 liters total

4848: 365 =13 liters of milk on average per day

The milking period is about 9 months minus 1 month for feeding the calf with milk. Let's calculate:

270 days x 13 liters = 3510 liters per year (on average) - given by a cow

3.2 Calculate milk consumption for yourself (Appendix 2, table 4

Milk every day 1 liter (270 days) - 270 liters

Sour cream 1 time per week (52 times), To obtain 1 liter of sour cream you will need 10 liters of milk, Total: 10 x 52 = 520 liters

Cottage cheese 1 time per week (52 times). To obtain 1 kg of cottage cheese you will need 5 liters of milk. Total: 5 x 52 = 260 liters

To feed a calf 30 days, 6 liters each (6 X 30 = 180 liters)

Let’s sum it up: 270+ 520+260 + 180 = 1230 liters of milk we consume ourselves and for feeding the calf. Now let's find the excess milk.

Let's calculate: 3,510 liters - 1,230 liters = 2,280 liters can be sold

On average, 1 liter of milk costs 40 rubles on the market.

2280 liters x 40 rubles = 91,200 rubles benefit per year

Conclusion: it is profitable for a rural family to keep a cow on a private plot .

In our village there is no way to sell all the remaining milk, so my parents sell surplus dairy products to the city of Kinel. The benefits of homemade milk and the income received from selling milk to fellow villagers and residents of the city of Kinel clearly cover the costs of maintaining a cow. Therefore we will keep a cow!

CONCLUSION

But despite all the difficulties, “keeping a cow” is profitable, she really is a breadwinner for a rural family. Having a cow can provide your family with meat and milk. For the garden you will get manure, which is necessary for growing vegetables. The product we consume without preservatives and chemical additives is good for health. To benefit from subsidiary farming, you need an economic approach, diligence and hard work. It's not the start-up costs that scare most residents, but rather the ongoing, daily attachment to the cow. After all, in order to keep a cow, you need to get up early every day and go to bed later, prepare feed, and organize sales of dairy products. But as my grandfather would say: “In the age of the Internet, washing machines- automatic machines, dishwashers, robotic vacuum cleaners - people just got lazy!”

Bibliography:

Lebedko E.Ya. "Cow on a private farm." Moscow: Aquarium, 2016.

Magazine “Homestead Farming” Moscow, “Prosveshchenie”, 2015.

Magazine “Homestead Farming” Moscow, “Prosveshchenie”, 2016.

Magazine "Amateur Gardener's Handbook". "Enlightenment", 2015

Internet resources.

Annex 1

Appendix 2

Table 1

table 2

table 3

For entrepreneurs planning to work in the field of agriculture, a cow farm would be the optimal and profitable solution. Cattle are raised for meat or milk, each option has its own specifics. We tell you what housing conditions bulls and cows need, how to build a farm and earn income from it.

Types of cow farms

Keeping cows at home is only possible in rural areas. These are large animals that require a lot of space for housing and grazing. In some modern barns, animals grow up without grazing at all and are kept in a stall all year. This is an acceptable option, but practice shows that the quality of milk and meat with such content significantly decreases.

Cattle are raised for milk or meat. Sometimes these types of breeding are combined, but specialized farms achieve better product quality, and therefore - more profit. What features does each type of farm have?

Cattle are raised for milk and meat

Meat farm

Beef - cattle meat - is an expensive product, very in demand in Russian market. Meat farms contain special, so-called “meat” breeds of these animals. They gain weight faster, and their meat is less fatty and different special taste.Such cattle gain muscle more actively, and their fat is located separately from the muscles. Theoretically, sometimes large dairy cows are slaughtered for meat, but their meat is much less suitable for sale - they gain a large layer of fat throughout their lives.

The growth of beef bulls and cows directly depends on the quality of their nutrition. The farmer must build their diet based on cereals and meadow grasses, legumes, feed, and straw. In winter, animals need to be fed artificially, and in warm seasons, they must be transferred to independent production of food on a pasture or a specially created field (this will be cheaper). Young and adult animals are fed separately. Young people need more nutrients to set good growth trends.

Bulls and cows grow well only in comfortable warm conditions when they have enough space, food and drink. They do not tolerate heat well and lose weight quickly. The barn for them should be well ventilated and at the same time free from drafts.

Milk farm

Is it profitable to keep cows for milk? The answer is obvious: it is cow's milk that is included in consumer basket. Almost every Russian family buys several liters of this product weekly. Medical and children's institutions purchase shipments in huge quantities. It is drunk separately, added to coffee, and used to make porridge and soups for children. This is one of the most popular food products. One cow, when properly maintained, produces about 15-17 liters of milk daily, and in industrial conditions this figure can rise to 20.

Selecting a site for construction

Let's look at how to build a farm for cows and how much it will cost. You should start by choosing a location. Cattle are kept exclusively in rural areas. It is very good if the territory of the future farm is located next to a pasture. This will allow animals to be free-ranged in the warmer months, saving on feed and at the same time improving their health. Fresh air and independent food production is useful for both meat and dairy breeds.

If there is a forest or grove next to the pasture, the animals will be protected from strong wind. Cow grazing areas should not be located near natural reservoirs and springs. drinking water- the distance must be at least 3 meters. It is not advisable to locate the farm next to residential buildings.

The area of ​​the plot directly depends on the number of livestock. We will discuss the size of the barn in detail in the “Requirements for the barn” section. Cows and bulls are very large animals, so the farm and pasture area will not fit on less than 6 acres.

One adult animal eats up to 70 kilograms of food daily

Mini farm project

Before starting construction, it is not enough just to select a suitable site. It is necessary to draw up a business plan for a cattle farm, calculate expenses and expected profits, learn more about the animals and their conditions, choose the type of breeding (meat or dairy), and buy animals.

It is advisable to involve specialists with higher agricultural education or experience in animal husbandry in drawing up a business plan. It is problematic to take into account all the nuances on your own; you can make mistakes in calculations and lose money. Let's look at the key characteristics of raising cattle for milk or meat.

Requirements for a barn

It is quite possible to build a barn for 20 animals with your own hands. The floor plan is as follows:

• animal stalls (6 square meters per adult, 10 squares per cow with calf);
• warehouse for feed, inventory, equipment;
• passages.

For example, keeping 20 animals will require a minimum of 120 square meters of space for stalls alone. To this value will be added 20 square meters of warehouse and about 20-30 meters for aisles with a width of 2 meters and “free” space.

What to build from? The two most popular materials are wood and cinder blocks. The material is not of fundamental importance, the main thing is to provide the animals with a comfortable temperature and the absence of drafts. It is better to fill the floor with concrete. Wooden or adobe will very quickly become unusable.

Most often the same one is used standard plan barn: parallel placement of stalls along the walls with a large passage in the center. This way the animals will be comfortable, and it will be more convenient for workers (milkmaids, veterinarians) to move between them. Experienced farmers do not advise building one large barn. If the number of livestock is planned to be over 20, it is better to build several premises. This helps monitor animal health and increase milk yield. For example, in the event of an epidemic, it will be easier to isolate individuals and stop the spread of the disease.

The ceiling height is at least 3 meters, the roof is gable, with a ridge. The room should have windows, but at a level higher than the height of bulls and cows. A hayloft is located on the second level (above the stalls). You can also store inventory there.

The floor will require more planning. If designed correctly, it can make further work on caring for animals and cleaning up waste easier. The floor in the stalls should rise 2-3 centimeters above ground level and go downhill. This will ensure the liquid/waste drains away. A chute for manure (10-15 centimeters wide) is placed at the rear of the stall. The floor of the room is covered with straw or wood waste.

In any type of livestock farming - meat or dairy - cows benefit from free grazing

Purchasing animals

When the premises for housing the animals are ready, you can begin purchasing livestock. The choice of breed is based on the purpose of whether the farm will be a meat or dairy farm. The most popular dairy breeds:

• Ayshire;
• black motley;
• Holstein;
• Yaroslavl;
• Dutch;
• Kholmogory;
• Jersey

The most popular meat breeds:

• Kalmyk;
• Galloway;
• Hereford;
• Kazakh white-headed;
• Shortgonian;
• Aberdeen Angus.

The price of a purebred cow varies greatly from region to region. The most expensive animals are in the central region and the south of the country. On average, one animal can be purchased at a price from 38 to 150 thousand rubles. The price is affected by the availability of documents, breed, vaccinations. Sometimes the cost is tied to kilograms of live weight.

For clarity: buying ten animals will cost 380,000 - 1,500,000 rubles.

Stern

The basis of cattle nutrition on a farm is usually feed - dry, wet, mixed. They allow you to create a complete diet for animals with all macro- and micronutrients. In addition to feed, animals eat cereals, legumes, corn, and mixtures of meadow grasses. In summer, animals graze and obtain food on their own. It is important to provide all livestock with a large supply of clean drinking water. Cows do not tolerate heat well, so the amount of water during this period must be increased many times over.

Compound feed is usually supplied in large quantities of about 1 ton. A batch of feed costs on average 13,000 - 20,000 rubles. One animal eats about 70 kilograms of food per day, including feed, cereals, fresh grass and hay. Animal nutrition costs will be significant in both meat and dairy industries. You can save money by purchasing wholesale quantities of feed and making hay yourself. Reducing nutrition or simplifying diets will negatively impact animal health and farmer profit potential.

Employees

The number of cattle farm employees depends on the mechanization of livestock farming and the size of the livestock. The workforce consists of:

• farm workers or livestock workers (feed the animals, take care of them, clean them, and also maintain the stalls and farm area in order);
• milkmaid;
• veterinarian

The preparation of documents within a mini-farm is most often carried out by the head of the farm himself. In some cases, an accountant or clerk is invited. If production volumes are large enough, you can hire a sales and purchasing manager.

To accommodate one adult animal you need 6 square meters

Spending results

Cow farming is an expensive business. Main list of expenses:

• purchase or lease of land - from 300 thousand rubles;
• construction of a barn/sheds and utility rooms - from 500 thousand rubles);
• purchase necessary equipment and equipment - from 100 thousand rubles;
• purchase of animals - from 400 thousand rubles;
• purchase of feed stock - from 200 thousand rubles;
• wage fund - from 100 thousand rubles monthly;
• other expenses - 50 thousand rubles.

Thus, even opening a mini-farm for cattle will require investments at the level of 2 million rubles, and for a livestock of 20-30 animals - from 4 million rubles. This is one of the most expensive areas in agriculture.

Profit calculation

Will investments in a cattle farm pay off quickly and how much will the farmer earn? Not as much as you might imagine when looking at the prices of meat and milk in stores. Let's consider two options: a meat and a dairy farm.

The meat breed reaches its peak weight in an average of 14-16 months. This means that the farmer will make the first slaughter of livestock 6-12 months after the start of work (depending on the age of the animals he buys). Meat for sale will be about 50% live weight. For example, a bull has reached a weight of 700 kilograms, but it will bring only 350 kilograms of meat to the farmer. Also for sale will be “offal” - internal organs, about 15% more weight. You can also try to sell the skin. The average cost of a kilogram of beef is 350 rubles at retail, 255 at wholesale. That is, from selling the meat of one animal you can earn approximately 89,250 - 122,500 rubles.

A dairy cow will begin milking after about 2 years. Therefore, if you are planning a dairy farm, it is better to buy age-appropriate animals. Let's take into account that one cow produces 15 liters of milk per day. The wholesale price per liter is 25 rubles, retail - 70 rubles. That is, one milking animal will bring from 375 to 1050 rubles per day. In terms of quick payback, dairy farming is really more profitable. But it is worth considering the high competition in the market and the importance of stable sales channels. Milk is a perishable product; it is advisable to find a buyer for it before milk production.

Conclusion

Building a cattle farm is quite an expensive undertaking. Construction of a good barn and purchase of animals for livestock will require costs of 2 million rubles or more. Meat and dairy breeds require similar conditions, but feed differently. Cows eat a lot, so the farmer will spend a lot of money on feeding them every month. The return on investment will take about 3 years.

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If you have the intention and space to keep a cow, it will make a great addition to any farm. Your cow will provide you with milk, cheese and butter if you take good care of her. Cows are hardy animals that can help you make quick money from dairy products.

Steps

1. Choose your cow: There are many suitable breeds of dairy cows.

   • Holstein-Friesian breed: This is the most common breed on commercial dairy farms as it has the highest milk yield.
   • Jersey breed: The second most common dairy breed, valued for the high fat content in the milk of this breed. Jerseys are wonderful gentle creatures (with the exception of bulls) and are relatively easy to care for compared to Holsteins, although some Jerseys can kick when it comes time to milk.
   • Other common dairy breeds for private farming include the Brown Swiss, Devonshire, Shorthorn, Dexter, Red Danish, Guernsey and Ayrshire.

2. Caring for a cow: Like all animals, your cow will need food, water, shelter and enough space to move around at will.

   • Depending on where you live, your cow will need adequate shelter at night and for rainy days. A barn or stable is quite suitable for this. If your area has very cold and snowy winters, you will need an insulated barn for winter housing.
   • Water is a must. It should be easily accessible 24/7/365.
   • Rock mineral salt, whether licked or loose, is very important for your cow because the food she eats often lacks various nutrients her body needs to function properly.
   • You will need some type of fence to accommodate grazing. The fence should be strong enough to keep her inside the perimeter and from escaping towards you. If you have a strong, well-built fence in excellent condition, you will only need to check its condition once a week, not every day. If you need to graze it for several days in an area surrounded by a temporary electric fence, its condition will have to be checked every day.

3. Health: Your cow can and almost certainly will get sick. It's only a matter of time. Proper care and vaccinations as recommended by your cattle veterinarian, as well as attention to the details of feeding and grazing are very important.

   • There are several factors that negatively affect the quality of milk that can be revealed during grazing, depending on the food, the time of year and its reproductive period:
     • Grass that is lush and growing (with a hint of clover) can lead to bloating; if the soil is deficient in magnesium, it may develop grass tetany. During times of drought or unexpected frost, forage that freezes quickly or becomes too dry due to lack of moisture can cause nitrate levels to rise; By eating such plants, she is at risk of nitrate intoxication.
   • There are other potential diseases and disorders that will need to be monitored, from digestive to reproductive, so talk to your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns about potential diseases or risks that your cow may be exposed to.
     • You will know she is sick if she is not acting normally or eating normally, her milk production is dropping or her temperature is rising.

4. Feeding: The grass and mineral salts available to her in the required amount will be enough to feed her in the spring and summer without additional feed. However, with the arrival of winter, proper feed and supplements are required. Straw is also needed for bedding at night. The peak nutritional needs of a cow occur in the first 3 months after calving.

   • During periods when the grass is growing, grazing is necessary and you won't have to feed it daily. Depending on the region where you live, general rule Calculation of the required amount of pasture is formulated as follows: for one cow weighing 450 kg (1000 pounds), with or without a calf, there should be 0.4 hectares (1 acre) of pasture per month. Consult local experts for more accurate information on estimated grazing standards for your area.
   • Winter feeding will be the most expensive and important part of feeding your cow. Make sure you stock up on enough food for her to support her body and maintain her milk production. Have your hay tested for nutrient levels (hay is a better feed for dairy cows than straw) and supplement with dairy cow feed if necessary.
     • Hay should be the main component of your cow's diet. It must be good quality and is easily accessible to the cow during the period when she cannot graze on her own. Her daily diet should include 1-2.3 kg (2-5 lbs) per day of whole grains with added nutrients as they are quite filling and she may become fat if you feed her too much. She may experience bloating, indigestion, and even acidosis if you feed her too much grain.

5. Milking: It is important to milk your cow at least once a day. Most people prefer one-time milking instead of the usual two-time milking, as this frees them up more time for other things. You will need a post or stall with a place for her to be tied to so she doesn't suddenly decide to move away from you. You will also need to stick to a milking schedule. You need to milk every day at the same time.

   • Hand milking can be a little tedious at first, but with practice and skill, it will become something you look forward to throughout the day. If you don't know how to do this, ask a local farmer or milkmaid to show you how to do this. You can also look for tips in the How to Milk a Cow article here on WikiHow.
   • It is better to milk a cow in a barn, as both you and the cow will not be distracted by what is happening around you, which will make the process more enjoyable and relaxed for both of you.
   • It is best to always place food in front of the cow during milking, which will distract her from the milking process itself.
   • Clean her udder before milking. There is always dust or dirt on the udder that you don't want in your milk!

6. Bearing offspring: To continue producing milk, she must carry and give birth to a calf.

   • If she has already calved before, it is recommended to take a break of 45 to 80 days after the previous calving. This will give her uterus enough time to contract back to normal and enter a normal estrous cycle.
   • In order for a cow to become pregnant, she must be inseminated. One such method is artificial insemination, which requires monitoring the heat period to determine the best moment for artificial insemination.
     • Bovine menstrual cycle lasts from 17 to 24 days, and the period of sexual hunting lasts for 24 hours. She will need to be artificially inseminated no later than 12 hours from the moment you saw signs of heat.
   • Another method of reproduction may be natural fertilization. For this you will need a bull. If you only have one or two cows, it is better to let them graze with the bulls of other farmers and that will be enough. But there is always the risk that the bull may be infertile (or a bull that produces a very large litter, depending on the breed), or that the bull may be infected with trichomoniasis or other reproductive system diseases that can be passed on to your cow. For example, Jersey breeds must be bred by bulls that do not produce large offspring, such as bulls of the same breed or Angus breed, due to their smaller size and inability to give birth to large offspring.
     • If you choose natural insemination for your cows, you will either need to borrow a bull for a few months to keep him with you, or give his owners your cow for a few months to be inseminated.
       • Therefore, it is highly recommended to choose artificial insemination because you want to continue milking your cow and maintain the level of milk production already achieved in the past.

7. Pregnancy and calving: A cow carries a calf for just under 9 months, or about 285 days. During this time, it is important to ensure that the cow is getting enough food for herself and the growing calf within her.

   • As mentioned earlier, you will need to give her two months off from lactation before calving so that she can rest and focus her energy on the needs of the fetus.
   • By the time she is 3-4 months away from calving, she will have significantly higher nutritional and feed requirements. Gradually increase her diet, but be sure to reduce her calcium intake about 10 days before calving to prevent the development of postpartum mastitis.
   • Keep an eye on her as her calving date approaches and she shows early signs of calving. She may need help at calving, but only help if labor has stopped. Keep your veterinarian's phone number handy in case something goes wrong.
   • After the fetus is delivered, make sure the calf is alive and leave them alone for a short while, making sure the cow has enough water and food.
     • The calf will need colostrum, which will be produced by the cow in the first 36-48 hours after calving.

8. Udder weaning: Offspring need mother's milk for the first 3 months of their lives. But calves raised on dairy farms are typically weaned within the first day or two after birth. You don't need to do this with your cow, but start to gradually reduce the calf's dependence on mother's milk by the time he or she is a month old.

   • You can at this time start feeding the calf so that he has to crawl under his mother's belly, encouraging him to start eating calf feed, feeding him while you are milking the cow, and only allowing him to nurse when you have already received from the cow the volume of milk you require. The calf must be completely weaned from its mother by the age of 3-4 months.
     • Some people choose to abruptly wean calves from the cow when they reach 3-4 or even 6 months of age. Separating from the mother or using a spiked muzzle are two common methods of weaning calves.
       • The heifer can be kept as a second milk cow or castrated and fattened
   • Stay on schedule with vaccinations and other necessary activities to keep your cow healthy.
   • Gestation period ~285 days
   • Cows go into heat every 17-24 days for 24 hours.
     • The moment a cow goes into heat is difficult to notice if she is left to her own devices. But if she walks around impatiently, reacts nervously, gets restless, and even tries to butt you, these are classic signs of a cow going into heat.
   • It is necessary to constantly monitor the good condition of the fences. Check their condition regularly.
   • Cows are herd animals and prefer to have one or two friends living near them. If you take a cow from a herd, she may become sad and waste away without companionship.
     • Most people will tell you that she will get used to it, but you may decide to get another cow so she doesn't get lonely.
   • Buy food well in advance of winter. Check the quality of the food for nutritional requirements so you know when and how much she will need nutritional supplements.
   • When buying a cow, make sure it is healthy. It is acceptable to buy a cow that is three-quarters productive (one teat may be damaged by mastitis), but it is unacceptable to buy a cow that is sick, even if she does not initially show signs of illness.
     • Faded skin, downcast eyes, apathy, snotty nose, thinness (dehydration), exhaustion, elevated temperature (normal ~ 38.3°C), and the like are signs that you will buy a sick cow.
     • You have a lot of choice in what kind of cow you want. 3-in-1 (Pregnant Cow with Calf), Pregnant Cow or Still Calf are the three options you can choose from for your first dairy cow.
   • Maintain lactation only 10 months a year. This way you will give her two months' rest before calving.

At the traditional Small Academy of Sciences at the House of Pioneers and Schoolchildren, district students presented many research work. Altynai Kabirova, a 10th grade student at the Arievskaya School, together with teacher I.R. Gainullina, set a goal - to find out whether it is profitable to keep a cow?
Using the example of a private farm, the schoolgirl made calculations of financial expenses and income from maintaining a cow. This is what happened.
One adult cow needs approximately 15 kg of hay and 2 kg of feed per day. Considering that a cow needs to be kept in a stall for 6 months, the rest of the time she grazes on pasture. The cost of hay and feed is 17,370 rubles.
On average, a cow produces 10 liters of milk per day. The milking period is about 9 months, minus 1 month for feeding the calf with milk. Total about 2700 per year. We calculate the cost of purchasing dairy products in a store: milk 1 liter (365 days) x 35 rubles = 2775 rubles. sour cream 500 g (once a week - 52 times) x 50 rubles = 2600 rubles. Cottage cheese 1 kg (once a week - 52 times) x 100 rubles = 5200 rubles. Let’s sum it up – 20,575 rubles. we spend on purchases if there is no cow. If there is a cow, then we have 270 liters of milk (270 days, 1 liter each). To obtain 1 liter of sour cream, you need 10 liters of milk, i.e. 520 liters. To obtain 1 kg of cottage cheese - 5 liters of milk, i.e. 260 liters. To feed a calf, 6 liters of milk daily - 180 liters. Total - 1230 liters of milk for yourself and for feeding the calf. 2700 l - 1230 l = 1470 l remains and can be sold. On average 1 liter – 15 rubles, 1470 liters x 15 rubles. = 22050 rub. benefit per year.
The conclusion that Altynai came to at the end of her research: it is profitable to keep a cow in the village.
What does the chief livestock specialist of the Department of Agriculture, A.N. Bobin, think about this?
– For feeding cattle you need: roughage (hay), grain concentrates; You also need succulent feed, but since all this is grown on your own farm, only planting material is included in the costs.
A cow that weighs 500 kg needs to consume hay (15 kg), succulent feed (potatoes, fodder beets up to 15 kg), concentrates (3-5 kg), salt and chalk (40 g) per day. During the year, 1.4 tons of grain fodder - approximately 10 thousand rubles, hay - 3.2 tons are required for the winter - approximately 11 thousand rubles. Total for cow feed - 21 thousand rubles.
Grazing – necessary condition keeping cows Hiring a shepherd – approximately 1000 rubles. day, during the summer period on average three grazings - 3000 rubles. For veterinary services and artificial insemination - about 1000 rubles. Electricity and other costs – 2000 rubles. Total: 27.0 thousand rubles. Milk yield per 1 cow is 3500 kg per year. If you hand over even half of 1,750 kg to milk collectors for 16 rubles, that’s 33,250 rubles, 1 calf (upon sale) is 5,000 thousand rubles. Income – 38250 kg. Result: 38.25 thousand - 27.0 thousand = 11.25 thousand rubles.
The opinions of the villagers themselves are divided. Some people think that the business is unprofitable, and the calculations did not take into account the cost of personal time, which, by the way, a working person often does not have in abundance. And physically, it is not so easy to maintain a private farm. But for some it is important that homemade milk is the healthiest, it has no impurities or GMOs and this is the biggest benefit in the age of artificial additives and substitutes.
Prepared by K. Usova.