YOUNG FARMER MILKS HIS WAY TO WEALTH
Douglas Kanja, when he was at 26-year-old, unlike most of his agemates, he ventured into a business that most young people would frown upon — farming.
He earns about Sh.1 million a month from his farm.
Mr Kanja graduated from Strathmore University and hit the road looking for a job.
He got one and only months later, his life was to change in a way that he could not have imagined. “We had done exceptionally well and our director gave us fat bonuses.
Straight away, I knew what I had wanted to do with my share — I always wanted to buy an Audi.”
Mr Kanja got the car purchase process in motion, but when he was about to pick his car, an assignment at a ranch changed his thinking and priority.
“I grew up in the city but I have always loved the farm, the open spaces and the animals. When I went to this white man’s ranch to repair his computers and saw cows being reared in a truly modern way, I was fascinated.
I asked the man a few questions and knew that was exactly what I had to do,” he said. “While still at the farm, I called the bank and cancelled the car transaction. After that, I spent the next two months visiting dairy farms and learning all that I could.
“I discovered not just an interesting business opportunity but a really enjoyable one.
I saw people living quiet lives far from the hustle and bustle of the city and making much more money in peaceful and involving ways.”
Armed with his Sh.330,000 bonus, he went about looking for three cows to get started.
In 3 years, Mr Kanja grew his herd to more than 100 worth about Sh.12 million. He has done so with self-drive, focus and sacrifice.
“I denied myself the Audi but that was the easier part,” he said.
“Cows require constant attention and my typical day starts at 4 a.m and does not end until after 8pm. Besides, there is a lot of hands-on management that has meant that as a young man, I have had no time to do the things that young men do.”
But he has no regrets. “Dairy farming is the best thing I could have done. In no other business can your stock be doubling every year. But with each of my cows delivering a calf every year, I am most contented with what I am doing.”
In a country where unemployment is giving young people sleepless nights, he repeats what most entrepreneurs have, for years, told people looking for jobs.
“The opportunities in farming generally are inexhaustible. With a fast growing population and more people choosing to live in cities, the demand is becoming exponential for farm products,” he said at his Kimende farm on the Nairobi-Naivasha highway.
He sells his milk at Sh.30 a litre. He discloses his winning formula: “Dairy farming is 70 per cent management and only 30 per cent inputs.”
“Develop the right kind of breeds, feed them “with intelligence and ensure their comfort.” He feeds his cows on a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) that includes maize meal, bran, ground omena, ground hay and green fodder.
He milks them three times a day, cleans their sheds regularly and even provides mats for sleeping.
“The more comfortable, happier and better taken care of a cow is, the more productive it is,” says Mr Kanja, who breeds only Holsteins but is currently experimenting on a Holstein-Borana crossbreed. “I import female semen from the USA and Canada.
The Holsteins are the world’s best milk producers but they possess some vulnerabilities in disease resistance hence the decision to crossbreed with the hardy Boranas.”
He says the secret will be raising the bar high like what is happening in the US.
“The best I am doing is 55 litres per cow per day. In the US, the standard is between 60 and 80 litres per cow per day.”
This will mean working harder, he admits. “This is my life and I will not stop until I hit the crest of international benchmarks.”
He has attended breeders’ shows in Dubai, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Europe and America. Because of the cows, “I am my own boss, I love what I do.”
An IT graduate, he wants to build a biogas power plant to “offset my entire energy bill and still power this whole village.”
He is exploring bio fertilizer, integrating feeding, vet care, milking and supply in one computerized system to “access from anywhere in the world on my mobile phone.”
He does not dream of starting a processing plant.
“If I were to open a yoghurt plant on the side, it would mean that I have to take my eyes off the cows which may be counterproductive.
I will let other entrepreneurs worry about that and I can supply them with the milk.”
Finally, we have created a WhatsApp group called *DAIRY FARMING TRAINING* WhatsApp Group.
In this training group, we will teach you on how you can start, grow and profit in Dairy Farming Business.
Did you know you can earn up-to Ksh.40,000 per month with 3 dairy cows?
Kenya has been identified as the highest performer in Africa when it comes to dairy farming. Breeds that are used in Kenya are high breeders which yield milk between 30 to 50 litres of milk per day with good management.
One cow can produce an average milk yield of 30 litres per day which is approximately 270 litres of milk from one cow per month.
Currently milk goes for a minimum of Ksh.30 per litre. This will give you a gross income of
3×30×30×30 = Ksh.81,000 from 3 cows in one month.
The cost of production is usually half the amount of litres per cow. The net income per month will therefore be
81,000 – 40,500 = Ksh.40,500
This Ksh.40,000 per month profit is from 3 dairy cows. What if you had 5, 10, 20 or 30 cows? What if some cows are producing more than 30 litres in a day?
Keeping cows for money has in the past been considered a thing for retirees but look at what young people are now doing with it!
Whatever your background and experience, this training will provide you with detailed information you need to know before starting your dairy farm.
By
Timothy Angwenyi
Business Consultant
Justine Nyachieo
Business Man & Mentor
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