S. Waghmare, M. Kangale, M. Pathan, S. Shinde, D. Bhoite and W. Nauta
Role of Livestock in Sustainable Agriculture IAHA Pre-Conference on Organic Animal Husbandry November 7-8, 2017 linked to the 19th Organic World Congress, New Delhi, India, November 9-11, 2017 Organized by IAHA, FiBL, OFAI, NCOF, ICAR-IVRI , ANTHRA, IFOAM
Farm land
The total area of the farm comprises 60 acres of land, mainly for feed production for the cows. To maintain soil fertility and soil organic matter, the land is fertilized with the cow dung from the farm and irrigated by flooding the fields regularly. An overview of the different crops is given in Table 1. Next to the fodder crops the farm has a 10 acre orchard with 4 acres sweet lemon trees and orange trees, 6 acres apple and pomegranate trees, 250 plant coconuts and 400 mango plants.
Table 1: Overview of the different crops at the farm.
Crop Acres Sorghum 6,5 Maïs 20,0 Napier Grass 3,0 Alfalpha 10,0 Cow Peas 10,0 TOTAL 49,5
Farm animals, indigenous breeds
The herd contains 260 animals in total. The main breeds are Gir (38 milking, 42 dry cows, 3 mature bulls and 45 young stock) and Khillar (60 breeding cows, 10 bulls and 30 young stock). Additionally the farms breeds some Panganur, Deoni, and Kankrej. The Panganur is the smallest cow breed in the world.
The Milking cows are mainly Gir and some Deoni and Kankrey cows. About 25 cows are milked and the average production is 7 kg milk/day with 4.23% fat and 3,25% protein in the milk (March, 2017). The Deval Gir Gaushala farm will become a centre for indigenous breeds. Indigenous breeds are more adapted to the Indian environment, the main adaptive trait is the lack of heat stress. In India temperatures can rise above 40 0C. Holstein cows cannot cope well with high temperatures and are more susceptible to diseases and infertility in such temperatures. Therefore, the Deval Gir Gaushala farm will encourage the use of the indigenous breeds of India. A semen collection centre will be set up and semen from the bulls will be sold to other farms.
Organic farming
Currently the farm is organically managed and application for certification is under way. The basis of the organic farming system is the internal nutrient cycle. Manure from the cattle is used for fertilization of the land and growing healthy crops and fruit. The cattle are fed with these crops and produce milk. The orchard is also fertilized with the manure and produces different fruit. The only input is concentrated feed for the milking cows. The concentrate feed is made of agricultural waste products of organic quality. The farm does not use antibiotics but grows different medicinal plants and trees for treatment and prevention of different diseases in the cattle. Herbs that are grown are for example:
Black tulsi or holy basil (Ocimum sanctum) - immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, anti-asthmatic, anti- tussive, diaphoretic, anti-thyroid, anti-fertility, anti-ulcer, anti-arthritic, adaptogenic, anti-stress, anti-cataract, anti-leukodermal and anti-coagulant activities. These pharmacological actions help the body cope with a wide range of chemical, physical, infectious stresses.
Gudvel (Tinospora Cordifolia) - Fruits used in diarrhoea, gastric troubles, constipation gonorrhea, epilepsy, as a laxative, tonic, digestive, stomachic, dysentery, brain and heart tonic, ulcer, antiviral, anti parasitic ( intestinal). The ripe fruit promotes digestion and is helpful in treating inflammation of rectum. The ripe fruit extract has shown antiviral activity against ranikhet disease virus. The fine powder of unripe fruit has shown a significant effect on intestinal parasites and is also effective against Entamoeba histolytica. It has been used in ethno medicine for its medicinal properties including astringent, antidiarrheal, antidysenteric, demulcent, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities.
Shatavari(Asparagus racemosus) use during pregnancy improves indigestion, acidity disorders, quality of milk and immunity of both mother and foetus. Traditionally, shatavari root powders are used for the treatment of productive, reproductive and udder ailments of livestock in several parts of India.
More milk from Indian breeds
The main questions are how can breeding and feeding of the cows lead to more milk yield per cow. Peak production of Gir cows is now up to 29 kg milk per day and average production is 7 kg milk/day. The ration fed to the dairy cows is up to 15 kg roughage containing 60% chopped green maize, 20% sorghum and 10% Napier and Marvel (Dichanthium annulatum) grass and fresh alfalfa. Milking cows get between 4 -6 kg of concentrate pellets.
To improve breeding, monthly milk recording started in March 2017. All the cows pedigrees are noted. Every month the total amount of milk per cow per day will be measured adding up evening and morning milk. Also, a sample of milk will be taken and milk solids measured per cow. Fertility data will be collected (calving date, inseminations/natural serving dates). Samples of the feed will be analysed for total energy, raw protein etc. This information will provide the farm with a more detailed knowledge of nutrient cycles, milk yield, performance (per lactation, day per lactation, solids in the milk), fertility data (Inseminations, days open, calving ease etc.) and more insight into heritability of traits. The feeding of the individual cows can be adjusted to their current milk production. This way breeding of cows and bulls in an organic, closed system will become more accurate. The farmer will start semen collection of his superior bulls for selling to other farmers in India that face similar environmental challenges, such as heat stress and drought.
Conclusions
In India, where farms are overall very small scale and produce mainly for local supply of milk and milk products, the Deval Gir Gaushala farm is a so called front-line farm, producing healthy organic food and health products for the Indian market in the city. On top of that Majhid Pawar also strives to increase the use of the Indian indigenous cattle breeds India wide. With more data recording, research and development the farm will develop knowledge that can be used on other farms to develop the Indian dairy sector. This is very important since urbanisation in India is ongoing and people in the cities create a market for healthy dairy products. Since India is facing large problems with the use of chemical sprays and antibiotics, and the damage done to ecosystems, sustainable production systems are needed for the near future.