AGRIBUSINESS :The impact of weather on cow's milk.

AGRIBUSINESS :The impact of weather on cow's milk. Dairy cattle in a farm. Feeding balanced rations that meet the chemical and physical needs of the cow is imperative for their good milk production.Milk composition is economically important to the producers and processors and nutritionally vital to the consumers. AGRIBUSINESS :The impact of weather on cow's milk. A rising trend of health conscious consumers and the introduction of milk pricing system based on quality has compelled processors to focus on the milk component rather quantity. AGRIBUSINESS :The impact of weather on cow's milk. AGRIBUSINESS :The impact of weather on cow's milk. Paul Mambo, a dairy consultant with SNV Kenya, says that many factors affect and alter the milk components among them nutrition, genetics and environment, season, age of the cow, stage of lactation, level of production and diseases.Farmers should, therefore, ensure the feeds they offer their cows are balanced, that is, have energy, protein, minerals and vitamins. “The major milk components are water, fat, protein, lactose and minerals. Nutrition or the feeding management practices in a dairy farm can have a major impact on the levels of milk fat and protein concentration. Fat concentration is sensitive to dietary changes,” he says.AGRIBUSINESS :The impact of weather on cow's milk. AGRIBUSINESS :The impact of weather on cow's milk. According to him, milk fat and protein component tend to be high during the rainy season and lowest during the dry seasons, variations that are attributed to changes in both the type of feed and climatic conditions. When cows go out for pasture in the dry periods, the milk fat is reduced and it is at this time when some farmers cannot afford quality fodder and quite often turn to rice and wheat straws.