MILKING THE MERITS OF ORGANIC FARMING : Saraburi couple inspire a return to chemical-free dairying.
Story by SUPAWADEE INTHAWONG
The key to safer and healthier milk is to keep cows happy, according to a couple who turned their backs on mass production and went back to the basics of dairy farming. Raising cattle the way nature intends it is the rule book which guides Pruek and Porntida Jerdchuchuen in running their farm in Saraburi.
The couple are fascinated by the superior nutritional value of organic dairy produce.
Since the Jerdchuchuens began raising cattle using organic methods they have been milking the benefits.
''The idea flashed before us when we had a little daughter and she needed to drink milk,'' said Mrs Porntida, speaking of her inspiration to ''go organic'' eight years ago.
''We just wanted to find good milk for our daughter,'' she said.
Most dairy farmers in Thailand use ready-mix commercial stock feed, which is easy to buy but not necessarily safe for consumers, at least in the eyes of the couple.
The cows are often kept in pens, rather than roaming a field, and given ''tablet foods'' to increase milk production. Some are also injected with hormones.
This raised questions as to whether the milk is chemically tainted.
The Jerdchuchuens did not wait around to find out. They progressively replaced the feed with fresh grass which was not treated with chemical fertiliser.
They also make it a point that supplementary feed for their cows is free of genetically modified raw materials.
Imported feeds, especially soybean based products, are in danger of being GMO-contaminated. They are also expensive.
But organic farming comes at a cost. Without hormone-boosted feed, the cows give only about half the milk.
But Mr Pruek said the project is worthwhile in the long haul as the cows are healthier and the drop in milk production is offset largely by the money saved from vet fees.
He said dairy farmers normally dependent on ready-made feeds were lukewarm, if not reluctant, to switch to organic milk production.
The couple admit that changing people's attitude was an uphill task and they had to assure other producers that organic milk commanded a higher market price in order to get their attention.
The two initially aimed at making safer dairy products to supply their small shop and restaurant in Saraburi's Muak Lek district. Since then, other dairy farmers have become interested in their idea and formed an expanding network of organic cattle farms.
At present, there are three farms with 600 cows in the network, they say.
''My cows are happier with organic surroundings,'' said Wanno Arkardruek, who has switched to natural farming.
''The cows are not sick so often. They digest better because they walk freely in the fields and eat only as much as they can. They are not overfed.
''Sometimes the cows even nibble on the herbs growing naturally around the farm for self-remedial effect,'' he said.
He said his farm used to earn around 200,000 baht a month from selling milk, but much of that went to paying for treatment of cows with persistent gastronomic and hoof problems caused by being confined to pens.
He now gets to keep most of the 80,000 baht he earns after the switch.
Earning more from less milk has been a most welcome irony.
Mr Wanno also reduced the size of his herd. He now has 100 cattle on 400 rai of land, so they have enough space to move around.
The cows gave birth to his first herd of ''organic calves'' which are stronger and more tolerant to open-field grazing conditions.
The government is aware of the success of the organic milk projects. It is establishing an Organic Livestock Centre under the Livestock Development Department to especially examine and certify organic diary products.
Jintana Intaramongkol, who will be the centre's acting chief, said Mr Pruek's farm would be a model and benchmark for other farmers keen on taking up natural dairy farming.
Bangkok Post
Monday January 15, 2007
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