Eswatini Dairy Farm Expansion

Jul 31, 2020

For an investment fund, Bles Dairies is their technical partner in dairy and beef projects. Since September 1st 2019, Bles Dairies manages the large scale dairy farm ‘Eswatini Dairy,’ in the Southern region of Africa, former Swaziland. The aim is to expand its herd from 500 to 1500 milking cows and improve the farm management.

Developments over the past year
Developments have been moving fast and so a lot has been achieved over the past year, from increasing the pregnancy rate, to improving the cows’ body condition, land work – grass and maize –, purchasing good machinery, data collection, building a modern barn for more shadow etc.

Heifers imported from South-Africa
In order to speed up the expansion of the farm’s herd, pregnant heifers have been imported from South-Africa. Bles Dairies knows anything about the world of the cow and the cow anywhere in the world. And so, with a local partner in South-Africa, the cattle has been carefully selected. The heifers come from several dairy farms in the Eastern Cape, where climate conditions correspond to Eswatini’s climate. On July 22nd, 99 heifers arrived at Eswatini Dairy, after having made a total ride of +/- 1300 kilometres . The cattle are healthy and will stay in the quarantine pivot of Eswatini Dairy for thirty days.

Into the future…
The imported heifers are a new step in the right direction, with the goal to increase the herd from 500 to 1500 milking cows and improving the farm management. We will keep you updated on the following steps at Eswatini Dairy!