ASSOCIATED VOLUNTEER experts

Technical mission to the Laiterie du Berger in Richard Toll

As part of the agreement between the Laiterie du Berger, the In Vivo Foundation and AVe, Jean Paul and Gilbert, AVe experts, carried out a technical mission to Richard Toll (Senegal) in January 2019. During the previous AVe mission in May 2018, Daniel and Louis, following their diagnosis, had indicated that the most effective lever to increase milk production was the cow's feed in the dairy collection area. These cows,  zebu breed, produced 1 to 2 liters of milk per day. By improving feed, this production can be doubled. As the collection area is located near an irrigated area (development of the Senegal river) with a major sugar cane plantation (17,000 ha), the idea is to use two sugar cane by-products to feed cows : mooring lines (the end of sugar cane straws) left on the plot and molasses, a by-product of the cane refinery.

	Gilbert and Jean Paul with farm staff of the Laiterie du Berger		Mamadou, manager of the Laiterie du Berger with Jean Paul and Gilbert		Mamadou, Jean Paul and Gilbert in front of the (experimental) herd of the Laiterie du Berger

This second AVe mission objective is the practical implementation of solutions to improve the cows feed through these by-products.

Cane straw : the technical problem to solve is the mechanization chain of the harvest of the cane staw left on the plot by the company operating the sugar cane. The main constraint is to intervene very quickly after the cane harvest. Jean Paul, a machinist expert, with the assistance of the Dairy Engine operator, carried out a full-scale test of the mechanized harvesting of cane straw, using existing equipment. His intervention has enabled to identify the major points to take into account : equipment must be properly driven and maintained..

	Cane straw left on the plot after sugar cane harvest		Jean Paul inspects the press planned to harvest cane straw		The press in action with cane straw

	The trailer for transporting the cane straw		The cane straw boots stored in a shed

Molasses : Gilbert has tested different food formulas based on a "molasses / urea" mixture. This food used as a complement to a basic forage given in sufficient quantity adds nitrogen in the ration of cows. After a week of testing, Gilbert has given the recipe to prepare this molasses-based food.

	Manufacture of the “molasses / urea” mixture by Gilbert and Mamadou				Test of 10 “molasses / urea” mixtures