Besides learning about the practical side of dairy farming – developing forage production plans, preparing silage, determining rations, feeding dairy cows – you will also learn how to calculate gross margins, analyze technical and financial performance, and develop business plans for new dairy farms.
The programme is made up of 3 modules with the following themes:
- Defining what it means to be a manager and an entrepreneur
- Criteria for setting up a sustainable dairy farm, obtaining a public license to produce
- Key performance indicators to assess financial and technical dairy farms
- Calculation of variable and fixed costs
- Maintaining financial records
- Creating a cash flow forecast
- Calculating a balance sheet
- Making a partial budget
- Making of a complete budget
- Interpreting technical and financial dairy farm reports
- Assessment of technical and financial performance
- Housing requirements for dairy cows
- Reduction of dairy farm greenhouse gas emissions
- Planning and designing a dairy farm
- The use of sensor technology in dairy farming (smart farming)
- Mechanization and automation in dairy farming
- Forage production
- Silage making
- Ration calculation
- Calf and young stock rearing
- Fertility management
- Artificial insemination
- Pregnancy diagnosis
- Maintaining farm records
- Milking
- Housing of dairy cows
- Farm economics
- Farm analysis and benchmarking
- Making business plans
