Cows: More information

Mike Furst, a HOH partner, loves self-sufficient programs and has so many ideas of how to help the poor. One of his ideas is with cows. Here is specific information:

“You get what you pay for”.

Emaciated traditional cows sell for approx $525-$875 CAD when pregnant … a little less when school fees are due.

A good looking Ankole Watusi can sell for $460-$700 CAD.

An emaciated Freisson (Eruo hybrid Jersey/Holstein cross) can be $960-$1300 CAD

(A poorly cared for Freisson east of Kayonza in eastern province. Emaciated from poor water and food, and left to live in its own filth. The owner said this cow 6 years ago gave 12L in the morning, and now gives 6. He never realized he was supposed to milk it twice a day. This is your typical $1050 CAD pregnant cow.)

High-quality Freissons from good bloodlines are approx $1750 CAD.  These are the cows that give 25-40 litres of milk per day if properly cared for. Champion Holsteins can be as much as $3500 CAD (what locals would call …..”oh….Maniway. Ingha ka prime ministre. Oh…..my god. Cow for president.)

(Properly cared for $1750 CAD Freissons. This is a herd in Kenya, from a member of Africa Farmers Club)

(Champion Freissons. There’s a beautiful herd of thirty like this between Kimironko and Rwamagana right beside the main road. We stopped and talk to the cowboy and he said they give 35L-40L/day and each cow is $3500 CAD)

So it depends on the goal. If you’re trying to maximize cash flow on a daily milking operation, the better the cow you buy up front, the better you care for it, the greater your chance of staying in the 25-40L per day zone. Quality semen strains will then produce quality offspring, increase the herd quality and capability, and the number of animals that will create the big production numbers.

In eastern province, the milk collector pays 250/L…..so 25-40L is 5000-10000 frw per day, 150,000-300,000/month in milk per cow.  ($175-$300 usd $225-$450 cad). (It’s less in Cyuru.  We think 200/L)

“Put your money where your mouth is.” I’m spending my own money to follow my own advice. We are starting in our Kayonza #2 project with 5 of these $1750 CAD cows, built with room for fast advancement to 10 cows.

For a total 10 cow investment of $21,000 CAD we should see 250-400L a day 7500-12000L per month. That’s $3300-$5300 CAD. In the 9-month gestation cycle we should see $29,700-$47,700 return on our $21,000 investment (141-227% return on investment!) ….. and then have 10 calves.

House quality construction standards for maximum cleanliness. This is the foundation of our first dairy barn in eastern province. The building is being built to a better quality than the houses that the workers even live in. We have jokingly named it “Hoteli d’Ingha, hotél de vache, cow hotel” so the workers clear understand that the cows are to be treated like guests at a hotel….. cleaner standards than likely their own families in the own homes.

(CAD prices as of Feb 2018)