Right Steps to Cattle Farming Business

Farmland showing various cattle for building wealth

Cattle farming is the process and practice of raising and nurturing cattle from birth until the point they are mature for meat and milk production. A cattle farmer typically has a cowshed where milking or dairy cows live and grassland where they graze. In Nigeria, Fulani cattle rearers and/or nomadic farmers to mostly attributed to this practice.

Cattle Farmers basically raise cattle either to sell as a whole or sell their products. Whatever the case may be, you still need to do the following to get started:

1. Create a Business Plan

Of course before you venture into any business, the onus is on you to do an extensive research and a feasibility study. Once this is done, you come up with a Business Plan.  It’s a cliché, but it’s ever true ‘proper prior planning prevents poor performance’. You need to be proactive. You need to be able to anticipate and forestall possible challenges. A SWOT analysis must be done also.

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2. Register Your Business         

Don’t even think about starting any business that isn’t duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria.

3. Decide on the Cattle Type

While there may be a number of cattle businesses, depending on the desired end, most people either go for Dairy Operation Business Model or Beef Production Business Model. This is very important because what you decide on will determine the farm equipment you need on your leased or purchased land. Dairy Operation Business Model is raising cattle primarily to sell their dairy products – especially milk. Beef Production Business Model is raising cattle primarily for beef consumption. Whichever model you decide on plays a key role in determining the farm equipment you will go for.

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4. Get a Ranch/Farmland

Farmland showing healthy cattles for building wealth in cattle farming

You should be looking at leasing a farm land for 10 to 30 or more years. I’m sure you know that there are certain rules or guidelines for buying a farmland, or perhaps, I should say there are things you should consider.  For instance, an overwhelming percentage of Nigeria’s cattle and dairy products are sourced from the Northern parts of the country, in states like: Borno, Taraba, Jigawa, Kebbi, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Niger, Kaduna and Zamfara. You could consider starting out where there is ready market.

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Factors for Choosing a Farmland for Your Cattle

·         Climate – you want to be sure that rainfall, relative humidity, temperature and all are favorable to your cattle breed

·   Edaphic Factors – These are soil related factors, for example, soil richness, structure, composition, consistency, porousity, and so forth. These elements decide the sort of vegetation or pasture that will develop in the area.

·    Topography – Also, ranches ought not be sited in spots that are inclined to flooding, disintegration, and different types of land degradation

·        Government Policies – Varying from State to State, some governments have all sorts of rules guiding cattle ranches. You will do well to consider these policies before purchasing the land.

·         Market – You might want to start where there is a ready market

·   Lease Agreement – make sure all issues involving the lease are clearly described and contracts and agreement must be documented and signed.
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5. Purchase Farm Equipment

Your Cattle Business Model will define the kind of farm equipment you will need. The first thing you do after leasing or purchasing a farmland for your cattle is to fence it round -all good if you leased an already fenced land.  Your cattle equipment will help you in raising the herd and also play a major role in helping you keep the leased property. Basically there are three categories of farming equipment.

Cow Shed

A cowshed is a farm building in which cattle are kept when they are not grazing around for pasture. It is also an enclosure in which they can be milked. A cowshed is a necessity if you are embarking on the Dairy path.

Feeding Equipment

These are the things needed for cattle feeding. These cattle equipment can be bale feeders, creep feeders, bunk feeders or bull mineral feeders. Depending on the feeding system you choose, you may not even require any of these.

There are basically two feeding systems – Feedlots and Pastures.

Feedlot is a type of Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) which is used for intensive animal farming. Simply put, it is where cattle are entirely fed.

Pastures is another AFO in which cows will stay on pasture eating grass for their entire lives, “the way God prearranged”.

Feeding equipment are a must in feedlot settings and are highly recommended for ranchers raising grass-fed cattle. Besides, pasture cattle also need the troughs for receiving supplements. The standard plant protein supplement needed for your cattle is around 11%. To administer that, troughs would be necessary.

Watering Equipment

It’s this simple – ‘Large cattle need large volumes of water’. You will need to have water tanks, and watering troughs if you are operating the feedlot system.
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6. Decide on the Breed of Cow

Two breeds of cow reared in a farmland to build wealth

There are over 800 known breeds of cows. Your cattle business model should be put into consideration before deciding on your choice of cow. It sure doesn’t make sense to settle for beef cows when your intended model is for dairy production.

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Major Breed Types in Nigeria

There are basically two major breeds from where other cross breeds are derived especially in Nigeria. How to start a cattle farm in Nigeria is de-mystified with a working knowledge of these breeds.

Zebu – The Zebu types are generally referred to as humped cattle or cattle with ‘hunch-backs’. Zebu cattle include Bunaji (Fulani white cattle), Rahaji, Sokoto Gudali, Adamawa Gudali, Azawak and Gudari. The Zebus are good for especially good for dairy production, although they can also be used for beef production.

Taurines – These are often referred to as ‘Trypanotolerant ‘(this is the ability of some livestock breeds to survive, reproduce and produce in tsetse trypanosome infested localities). They include West African Dwarf Shorthorn (Muturu), Keteku, N’dama and Kuri. Most Taurines are good for beef production.

Qualities of Good Cows

·         It should be certified healthy by a veterinary doctor.

·         It should be docile.

·         It should have good temperament.

·         It should have good conformation.

·         It should have mothering ability

·         It should have a high forage convertibility

If you are not sure of exactly what to choose, we recommend the following:

a.       Buy cows for the dual purposes of beef production and milk production.

b.      Medium bodied – neither the large ones nor the dwarfs

c.       Full frown weight of 450kg to 550kg

d.      Buy the ones with low maintenance cost.

7. Decide on Cattle Reproduction Method

Basically for mating or natural reproduction, you could start out with one bull and ten female cows. Otherwise if you want to start smaller, say with 5 cows, you could rent a bull that will mate your 5 female cows.

Better still, Artificial Insemination, the medical or veterinary procedure of injecting semen into the vagina or uterus, could be adopted. This method, has over time, proven to have a higher success rate of fertility. Whatever you do, consult an expert.

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8. Manage Your Cows

Its not enough to know how to start a cattle business in Nigeria, you need to know how to manage and multiply what you have. In order for you to do very well in this business, we strongly advise you to learn more about the following:

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·         Rudiments of breeding, calving and weaning

·         Raising or buying replacement heifers (a young female cow that has not borne a calf) and bulls

·         Nutrition and supplemental feeding. Not just grass!

·         Animal health plan including a vaccination administration plan and parasite management plan

·         Range and pasture management

9. Market Your Cattle and/or its Products

Start sourcing for companies that produce or package dairy products and do all that is required of you to be one of their regular milk suppliers, of course, that’s if you are in the dairy production line. If you are into beef production, look out for meat packaging companies. Propose your unique selling point, better still, if you can, just start your own dairy products and/or beef packaging company. I like the concept of cowsoko an online platform for buying and selling cows in Kenya.

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Conclusively,

This guide is a forecast to serve as an aid to your feasibility studies before embarking on cattle farming. By all means, ‘know thy business’! Learn more every day. Learn more from the experts. Get up and visit different farms and ranches. See how the day-to-day operations are for both beef production and dairy product farms.
Your contributions and suggestions on building wealth in cattle farming are welcomed on the comment box. And please do well to share to others.

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