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Friday, September 05, 2008, 11:53
The animals are all pure breds and being of such good quality and stock, they are highly prized among Tanzanians. Each member of the herd originated in the UK and was flown over in the form of frozen semen from the Ayreshire Cattle Society in Strathclyde. This is then collected by car in east coast city Dar Es Salaam and driven the 315-mile drive to Kibebe. Cows are artificially inseminated, which ensures the herd remains pure bred and healthy. In fact, the Kibebe herd remains the only pure bred dairy herd in the country.
Demand for calves
"Our calves are in such huge demand. You'd never carry such a large young stock in Europe," says Victoria. "We couldn't survive on the milk production alone. There are very few large dairy farms here, apart from large farming populations like the Massai's herds, and milk is viewed as a luxury in Tanzania. It's expensive, so people don't buy it often. "Our milk is made into cheese and yoghurts and these are expensive too. When we realised we had to diversify a few years ago to keep afloat, we chose to break into tourism and start a campsite rather than concentrating on dairy."
The farm produces around 20 to 30 litres of milk a day per cow from 150 to 170 milking cows, which is taken to a nearby dairy and pasteurised. The herd is milked twice a day by hand, beginning at 3am and then again at 3pm. Around 80 workers are employed. "We made the decision to hand-milk so we wouldn't be tied to the farm. If we had vast quantities of expensive equipment and something went wrong with it, we couldn't just phone Alpha Laval and get them to come out and sort it. It also means we can employ a decent number of local people and maintain a good network here," says Victoria.
Local women are employed to cut grass with scythes to make hay in a hand-bailer and fields are also weeded by hand. The hay is then carried on donkey carts. Things are kept simple because there isn't the infrastructure to fix or buy new equipment.
The farm has been in the family for 45 years and was originally bought by Richard's parents when his father was working as agricultural officer for the colonial government during the 1950s, just as Tanzania was gaining its independence. He chose the farm for its fertile earth, as it is positioned directly adjacent to the Little Ruaha River, a waterway which to the west joins the Great Ruaha River that flows through Ruaha National Park. This means even during the dry season between Christmas and Easter, the pasture remains succulent around the riverbanks.
Adapted to the climate
Richard's father saw how well Ayrshire cows adapted to the climate from animals other European farmers had brought over and began by selecting Ayrshire bulls to bring down hundreds of miles away in neighbouring Kenya.
Later, during the 1980s, they were joined by Richard, who was able to artificially inseminate and make the process easier. Darker red and brown animals make up most of the herd for their stronger resistance to photosensitivity and all are inoculated against numerous diseases including rift valley fever, lumpy skin disease, black quarter and anthrax and foot and mouth, which they have to receive a quarterly vaccine for. It's a TB-free herd and bringing no new animals in ensures disease is kept low.
Another policy the farm has in place to prevent illness and early mortality is allowing calves to stay with their mothers for up to three months after they've been born. During both milking periods and at night, they are kept in a pen, but during the day they are with their mothers in the fields.
"We've found it's reduced calf mortality significantly. Being with their mothers makes them more stable and they don't get any of the usual stomach problems associated with bucket feeding," says Victoria.
Extra income from milk
As well as feeding on natural pastures all year round, the cows eat maize, sunflower seed cake, minerals and molasses. Many of the young heifers are sold to families who want to sell milk to generate a small income in villages and towns. Selling a litre of milk in Dar Es Salaam will earn you around 1,000 Tanzanian Shillings, approximately 44p, which in Tanzanian terms, is a fair income. The farm also has 40 herd of Sussex cattle for beef, which help keep them afloat financially.
"I think our situation compared with British farmers is quite similar. If you enjoy your work, then it becomes your way of life, but you don't have ready cash to do things. We have a lovely lifestyle here, but we have no money," says Victoria. "One of the nicest things about working here is knowing that everything we produce is really needed and isn't going to waste.
"When we slaughter a cow here, every single bit gets used - the skin, the head, the feet. A cow will be snapped up if it dies. The only time we would ever bury an animal would be if it had been given medicines or had an illness. In the UK you have to pay the hunt to take it away. A cow is a thing of such value here."
Report and pictures by Laura Male
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