Milking - Zambia style

Zambia Day#14

Visited Baluba Valley Farm again today with the aim of meting one of their staff and getting involved with milking their dairy herd.

The herd of 79 holstein cows was being milked on a bucket system until two weeks ago. Following the gift of a new milking parlour from a farm in Denmark, Christian, with his back to us in the photo, came across and built the structure and set the system up just two weeks ago.

Pictured here are Christian, Alexi and the first of the cows being milked for today.

Apparently it is a good time to be dairy farming in Zambia. Baluba are processing a lot of their milk and selling it in their farm shop and at local markets - hence the lorry for transport. The rest is being collected by a large dairy and they are happy to pay a good price for all the farm can produce. Christian is hoping to double their output in the next 12 months.

Out of the 79 they milked today, I think I did about 12. I think Alexi was surprised - and impressed - that I knew what I was doing.

The income from the farm helps to sustain Kaniki Bible College across the road.