Dairy farming and entrepreneurship

Field of interest: Animal sciences
Field of interest: Business
Field of interest: Food sciences
Education type: Certificate course
Duration: 3 months

Besides being a way of life, dairy farming is the running of a business. Today’s dairy farmers are entrepreneurs who manage farms in a professional way. In our certificate programme Dairy Farming and Entrepreneurship, you will learn how to rear calves and young stock, develop breeding plans, perform A.I. and PD, design cow barns, and milk cows in various ways. At the end of the programme, you will be able to turn a dairy farm into a profitable agricultural company.

Why this programme?

Gain a better understanding of managing a commercial dairy farm
Learn how to rear calves and young stock, develop breeding plans, perform A.I. and PD, design cow barns, and milk cows in various ways
Study at a university of applied sciences with a long history of agriculture and specialization in agrifood and entrepreneurship.
Our lecturers work in close collaboration with organizations and experts in the field.

Location: Dronten
Education type: Certificate course
Duration: 3 months, full-time
Language: English
From: 17 April 2023 – 8 July 2023
Application deadline EU-students: 18 February 2023
Application deadline NON-EU-students: 10 October 2022
Tuition fee: €11.220,-

More information

Programme content

This programme will help you to develop the competencies required for managing a commercial dairy farm. It comprises of 3 modules that focus on forage production, nutrition, breeding, reproduction management, housing and farm economics.

An essential part of running a commercially viable dairy farm is ensuring the production of sufficient quantities of high-quality roughages, their preservation and usage in feeding dairy animals. That is why you will learn how to supply fodder and feed according to requirements and use these optimally. To produce replacement cows of better quality, you will learn about breeding and reproduction management. Also, you will gain insight into housing and mechanisation of dairy farms, which influence labour efficiency, costs, animal welfare and the environment.

In order to monitor and evaluate the technical performance, you will learn how to record and analyze farm data for making informed decisions. You will learn to think like an entrepreneur who is constantly coming up with ideas to improve the technical and financial performance of the farm. To transform these ideas into action, you will learn how to prepare business plans.

Click here for specific content information.
Admission requirements
- At least three years of work experience at bachelor’s degree level in the field of training.
- A minimum score of 550 in the TOEFL English test or a formally recognised equivalent such as the IELTS (Overall score of 6.0) or IBT (79).
- The ability to formulate coherently in written English, and to have a vision of the chosen area of interest. Motivation letter writing is part of the selection procedure.
- Strong motivation for success in the sector.
- Team spirit and a flexible attitude in an international environment.
Qualification
On successful completion of the programme, you will be awarded a certificate.

At the end of this programme you will be able to:
- Work out forage production plans and rations, and feed dairy cows
- Rear calves and young stock
- Develop breeding plans
- Detect heat
- Perform A.I. and PD and record information
- Design cow barns
- Milk cows in different milking parlours
- Calculate gross margins, farm income and cash flow
- Analyze technical and financial performance of dairy farms
- Developing business plans
For whom?
This programme is geared towards:
- Owners and managerial staff of private, public or cooperative dairy farms
- Dairy training institute staff extension workers
- Extension workers
- Staff of advisory services who deal with all management aspects of dairy farms.
Scholarships

Student life Dronten — Student life in Dronten

Student from Aeres University of Applied Sciences get practical lesson at dairy farm at dairy farm at Aeres Farms — Check our practice facilities

Why study in the Neterlands — Why study in the Netherlands?

student from Aeres University of Applied Sciences with DeLaval milking robot at dairy farm at Aeres Farms

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