Abstract

India is the largest producer of milk in the world, holding a top rank in global milk production. In the 2021-22 period, India contributed approximately 24.64% to global milk production. Over the past nine years, from 2014-15 to 2022-23, milk production in the country has increased by about 58%, reaching 230.58 million tons (MT) in 2022-23. Dairy farming plays a crucial role in ensuring livelihood security, food and nutritional security, social welfare, and the overall health and welfare of both humans and animals. It also provides farmers with a stable income, even during extreme conditions like floods, droughts, and pandemics. In rural India, dairy farming is a vital source of livelihood and helps maintain nutritional security for rural populations. The primary goal of good dairy farming practices is to produce safe, high-quality milk from healthy animals under acceptable conditions. Routine dairy farm management practices include supervision of the farm, grooming, exercising, bathing, cleaning, and disinfecting barns, sheds, and milking equipment. Additionally, personal hygiene and sanitation, regular feeding, fodder cultivation, chaffing and harvesting, milking operations, record keeping, animal identification, clipping, bedding, deworming, vaccination, castration, and weighing are all essential components of dairy farm management. By adopting these practices systematically, farmers can maximize the health, growth, production, and reproductive efficiency of their dairy animals, leading to better overall outcomes for both the animals and the farmers.

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