Baseline assessment for Changai Estate - Makuyu

Changai Estate in Makuyu, Kenya was visited on 12th February, 2016, with aim of reviving the farm to be sustainable and generate profits. The farm covers 600 acres out of which 100 acres are dedicated for dairy farming with a possibility of increasing the acreage if profitability is realized.

All the sections in the farm were visited to establish the gaps. Gaps in the dairy included, poor quality feedstuff, Lack of proper feed conservation, Unstructured grazing patterns in the field, Poor calf rearing program, stalled milking palour and barn and unavailability of records.

To reach its targets a number of recommendations were made to the farm;

1. The farm should Rennovate the existing infrastructure, the calf pens,milking palour and the barn
2. Clear fence and paddock the land dedicated for dairy
3. Grow fodder and conserve for all year availability. This will guarantee all time milk production.
4. Conservation and feeding should be done at the right stage, for good quality fodder,
5. Purchase good animals to improve the stock, since the  focus is producing good heifers for sale
6. Employ a competent  dairy manager to closely monitor the farm activities
7. Adopt a good technical record keeping  system so that decisions can be made based on facts/figures available
8. Develop the farms Standard Operations Procedures (SOP’s) for close reference in the dairy section to ensure smooth operations.