By Jimmy Luyima
On the fourth day, the best farmers headed to Broek, in the province of Friesland, located in the north of the Netherlands, where they toured a dairy and beef cattle farm, famous for Holstein breeds.
Wytze Heida, a senior advisor at this remarkable demonstration farm, welcomed and took the farmers around the farm giving them insights into its livestock and management.
This farm boasts a rich history spanning three decades and currently has around 200 mature cattle and 35 calves. They consistently achieve an impressive daily milk yield of 7,000 litres from their herd.
The farm heavily relies on automation, with a workforce of just four employees, highlighting the fact that robots handle most tasks, including cleaning and milking.
The cows produce a minimum of 38 litres and a maximum of 60 litres of milk per day.
In terms of weight, the heaviest cow tips the scales at 770 kilograms, while the lightest weighs in at 700 kilograms.
The cows are fed once a day with a partially mixed ratio, and the amount of concentrates they receive is adjusted according to their milk production.
The cows are fed between 1.5 kilograms and 6.5 kilograms in the milking areas. Milking is carried out by the robotic system.
Gloria Rwamafa, one of the farmers, said that the key to success for farmers in Uganda lies in enhancing the quality of their livestock breeds and optimizing feeding practices. By doing so, they can achieve remarkable levels of success.
Titus Hillary Sebayinga, a dairy farmer from Jinja, said he learnt the importance of focusing on proper animal nutrition and underscored the need to approach farming as a business, as it is the way forward.
Bob Kagoro, another farmer was amazed by the level of mechanization in farming, where robots have replaced humans.
He urged Ugandan farmers to consider investing in machinery to minimize losses on their farms.
