Odisha CHSE +2 VOC Dairy Farmer / Entrepreneur (AGD) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Dairy gross margin

Gross income from milk and livestock sales minus variable costs such as feed, health care, bedding, and marketing; fixed costs are excluded.

Break-even milk yield

Daily yield at which milk income equals total daily costs, calculated as daily fixed plus variable costs divided by price minus variable cost per kilogram.

Dairy payback period

Initial investment divided by annual net cash inflow from milk, manure, calves, and value-added sales; a shorter period indicates faster recovery of capital.

Dairy-type cow score

A judging assessment emphasizing wedge shape, capacious barrel, prominent milk veins, well-attached udder, sound feet and legs, and docile temperament.

Murrah buffalo trait

Black, massive breed with coiled horns, deep barrel, and high milk fat; originated in Haryana and widely used for crossbreeding and milk production.

Breeding soundness exam

Physical and semen evaluation of a bull before use; checks libido, testicular size, semen quality, feet, legs, and freedom from transmissible disease.

Selection index

A weighted sum of estimated breeding values for several traits, with weights reflecting economic importance, used to rank animals for herd improvement.

Loose housing floor space

Allow about 3.5 to 4.5 square metres covered area per adult cow and 5 to 6 square metres for buffalo, plus open yard space.

Farm layout isolation shed

Place the isolation and quarantine shed downwind and away from the milking parlour, feed store, and water source to reduce disease spread.

Manger space per cow

Provide roughly 0.75 to 1.0 metre of linear manger space per adult animal so all cows can feed without crowding.

Dry matter intake rule

Ruminants generally consume 2.5 to 3.0 percent of body weight as dry matter daily; lactating cows need the upper end and high-producing cows may exceed it.

Urea-treated straw

Treat 100 kilograms of dry straw with about 4 kilograms urea dissolved in 40 to 50 litres water, seal for three to four weeks, and aerate before feeding.

Water requirement rule

Provide 3 to 5 litres of clean water for every litre of milk produced; a lactating cow commonly needs 60 to 80 litres per day.

Silage moisture target

Direct-cut forage for silage should be around 65 to 70 percent moisture; too wet causes seepage and too dry causes mould and poor fermentation.

Estrus cycle length

Cattle and buffalo normally repeat estrus every 18 to 24 days, averaging about 21 days; a missed cycle suggests pregnancy, anestrus, or disease.

Gestation length values

Cattle pregnancy averages about 280 to 285 days, while buffalo pregnancy averages about 305 to 310 days; use the date to plan dry-off and calving.

AI timing rule

Breed cattle about 12 hours after standing heat begins, using the morning-evening rule; buffalo often require insemination later and repeat heat detection.

Normal rectal temperature

Adult cattle normally range about 38.0 to 39.0 degrees Celsius and buffalo about 37.5 to 38.5; fever is a rise above the animal's normal range.

Colostrum feeding rule

Feed calves colostrum within the first two hours after birth, giving about 10 percent of body weight in the first 24 hours for passive immunity.

Mastitis control routine

Fore-strip, pre-dip, dry teats, attach milking unit promptly, post-dip after milking, and keep bedding dry to reduce new intramammary infections.

Milk acidity standard

Fresh cow milk usually has titratable acidity of about 0.14 to 0.16 percent lactic acid; higher acidity suggests bacterial spoilage or delayed cooling.

Milk cooling target

Cool milk to 4 degrees Celsius or below within about two hours of milking and keep it cold until processing or dispatch to limit bacterial growth.

HTST pasteurization

High-temperature short-time pasteurization heats milk to 72 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds, followed by rapid cooling, to kill pathogens while limiting quality damage.

Break-even point formula

Fixed costs divided by contribution margin per unit, where contribution margin equals selling price minus variable cost per unit; result is minimum units or litres needed.

Working capital formula

Current assets minus current liabilities; positive working capital helps a dairy enterprise pay feed, labour, and veterinary bills between milk payments.

Benefit-cost ratio

Discounted value of benefits divided by discounted value of costs; a ratio above one indicates the dairy investment is financially viable at the chosen discount rate.

Feed cost per litre

Total feed cost incurred in a period divided by total milk produced in the same period; a key indicator of dairy profitability and ration efficiency.

Herd register purpose

A permanent record of animal identification, births, deaths, purchases, sales, services, pregnancies, and health events, used for culling and breeding decisions.

RFID herd management

Radio-frequency identification tags linked to software automatically capture animal identity, milking, health, and reproduction data, improving traceability and decision accuracy.

Five freedoms welfare

Freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain injury or disease, fear and distress, and freedom to express normal behaviour; used to audit animal welfare.

Zoonosis control PPE

Use gloves, boots, masks, and handwashing when handling sick animals, placentas, or manure; brucellosis, leptospirosis, and rabies are occupational zoonotic risks.

Manure management rule

Compost or store manure on an impermeable base away from wells and streams, never discharge slurry into water bodies, and use treated manure as field fertiliser.