Today I toured a dairy farm that included a rotary parlour, free-stall barn that housed 3400 cows, they were milked three times a day fed an alfalfa/corn silage based TMR ration. The cows were tagged with an RFID tag which electronically records individual production on every cow at each milking. Vaccine records are also individually recorded based on the RFID tag to ensure individual animal traceability on the farm. Stats on every cow as well as the operation as a whole were known and easily recited by the owner when asked. We chatted with the owner and manager of the operation about problems he faced including finding and training labour, cost of feed and a thriving the growing city which not circles the farm property that we were on. The conversation, production methods and cattle could have easily been on a farm in Canada or the United States but I am still in China; about two hours northeast of central Beijing.
The Huaxia Farm milks 70 000 cows in total spread over a number of barns and properties. The owner who is a Chinese-American from California who sold his dot com companies less than ten years ago and went into the dairy business. He had the vision to see the need for milk products produced in China to decrease the reliance on imported product. The operation started with 180 cows and has grown to this size through venture capital funding and the ability to import live heifers from New Zealand and Australia. Further expansion is currently underway with a new barn being built near Shanghai.
The barns are built using American designs and the entire operation has been developed with an American type production system in mind. The milk produced from one barn which holds 3400 cows which are milked three times a day using a DeLaval rotary parlour is sold as fresh milk and drinkable yogurt under their own brand. The rest of the product is sold to four different processors. There are plans to increase their own brand, Wonder Milk and begin a home delivery service in Beijing.
Feed is sourced both locally and from the United States. Alfalfa is sourced from California, bought and shipped to the farm for approximately $450 USD a tonne. This is actually cheaper than bringing hay overground from growing areas in inner Mongolia, not because of bad roads or high fuel costs but the abundance of toll roads drives the cost through the roof. Corn silage is sourced from a number of different smaller farms in the general area of a fifty mile radius. Bedding is also sourced within China and is rice hulls; which comes in bags and have to be opened and stored in bunks.
Security is an issue. Concrete fences surround all the properties to keep people out. Corn cannot be planted in the area, which is surrounded by city now, as people will steal the ears right off the stalk. We were told that even as the harvester is in the field people will still be in the field taking what they can, so corn is not grown at the farm. All vehicles go through a tire wash at every gate before entering the property. Visits are actually hard to come by, many farmers require that you not be on another farm within a week of visiting their operation, today as visitors we had to stand in a room with ultraviolet lights for three minutes before entering the barn. It was an interesting day from start to finish and I was lucky to have the opportunity thanks to James, Jeff and East Rock Technologies. 
No comments:
Post a Comment