How to Start and Run a Dairy Business?
Having a dairy firm or business is much hard work but opportunities to make high profits also exist in dairy business. It is attracting numerous ambitious entrepreneurs. Starting a dairy business requires huge amount of money to buy required land, cows and buffaloes as well as advance milk processing machinery. It is a 24 hours, 7 days business. The following tips will help you to start and successfully run a dairy firm:
Business Plan
Business plan should be written and in comprehensive form. It should include inside factors such as business location, required money and outside factors like the economy factors and local conditions, market analysis, services opportunities for future growth as well. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) should include in business plan to avoid any future loss.
Land and Livestock
Land and livestock are another point of consideration in starting a dairy business. Number of cows or buffaloes can vary according your business operation plan. Even fifty to hundred cows are recommended by dairy experts for a small dairy firm. Cows must be healthy and productive. You can either buy or rent land according budget.
Equipments
To get dairy firm operational, milk processing equipment and tools such as milk Separators, Homogenizers, Tanks, and Pasteurizers are required. Storage buildings and milking equipment are additional requirements in dairy business. An advance automated milking system save much time during producing milk from the cows.
Research and analyze
Research in local dairy market and analyze business opportunities in local market are also very needed for dairy entrepreneurs. Join Dairy Business Association and taking membership of it helps to understand clients, competitors and economic factors.
Marketing
Prepare a marketing plan to promote milk production business. It helps to increase exposure to consumers. Consumers should be well familiar with your business and products. It is backbone of dairy business to get success in this industry. Creating a website about business helps to promote business over internet. These days social sites are used as a great marketing channel. So, you should use these as well.
Time Management
Dairy business is a 24 hours, 7 days business so time management is very important in this business. If you don’t have business partners or family members to help you then you should hire workers. You can hire full or part time workers according demand of the work. Dairying is a hard work so you should hire those people who might be fit in work requirement of the dairy like take care of cows, do cow milking and other task as well.
Feeding and care plan
Only healthy cows can produce healthy calves and quality milk. So, you should prepare a good feeding and care plan for cows. You can take help of a dairy nutritionist and other local farmers in this regard. Cows are assets in dairy business without them dairy business is not possible. So constantly care of cows and buffaloes, regular medical checkup is also required. If cows get sick then you should give instant attention because a sick cow could not produce healthy milk.