Competencies in Dairy Production Needed by Dairy Farmers of Kuku Cooperative Dairy Society in Khartoum State, Sudan

The dairy farmers of Sudan are facing the lack of some competencies needed for improving the dairy productivity of their cattle. Therefore it is very important to study the farmers competencies in order to put plans for improving the farmers conditions and go for better productivity. The main objective of this study was to identify the competencies in dairy production of Kuku Cooperative Dairy Society (KCDS) in Khartoum State. A random sample of 81 dairy farmers was drawn from the total 162 members of KCDS. A questionnaire was carefully prepared that included a list of 8 understandings and 27 important abilities in the field of dairy production. A rating scale was provided with a 0 to 4 range of the abilities and understandings. The personal interviews with the farmers in the sample were conducted during January, 2013. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). It was concluded that the dairy farmers need more competencies in dairy production. Some competencies need more emphasis than others. The dairy farmers felt that they possessed fewer competencies in dairy production than their actual need. Farmers indicated that they need more competence in areas related to calculating net farm income, selecting sires with high proofs and high repeatability, identifying mastitis problems and treating mastitic cows, recognizing symptoms of sick animals, following the vaccination program, the proper management and the adequacy of feeding calves and herd replacements, and the identification of common parasites.