How to Practise Livestock Farming as a Business

  

Date Posted: 2/17/2018 10:19:55 PM

Posted By: ROZA  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 961

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Livestock farming as a business is the keeping of livestock and making money out of it. In Kenya, it is a business that is becoming very popular. In developed countries, farming is done by the chosen few, while the rest live in cities where they do other kinds of businesses. This is a good idea because the farmers now concentrate fully on farming because they have specialized in it. So they do large scale farming which is much more profitable than small scale farming .Farmers in Kenya should follow that example, which is, leave small scale farming and move to large scale farming if at all they are planning to do it as a business. To be successful in livestock farming as a business, one should take the following steps:

i. Identify your passion
One should first identify the area of livestock farming they are passionate in. Passion may be developed in several ways. One can have passion of something because they grew up around it and so they know it inside out, and how they work. One can also develop passion if they see someone who has become very successful practicing a particular kind of farming. Thirdly one can spot a place where there is a gap that needs to be filled, that is, a need that needs to be met. One can then decide to keep maybe dairy cows, rabbits, chicken etc.

ii. Look for mentors
Once one has developed a passion, next step is to do research so as be well informed about the business that one wants to venture into. So one should approach those farmers that have already succeeded in livestock farming. They should then make friends with them. This is where they will know everything to do with the livestock farming they want to practice. These are things like,

where to start, the kind of structures to build, challenges, what the livestock is to feed on, where to buy the animal feeds, and also where the market is good. In other words these successful farmers are going to act as their mentors.

iii. Prepare a business plan
A business consultant will help in coming up with a business plan. Most people venture into business without a business plan and that is the cause of many not succeeding. A business plan will help in planning ahead, and know each and every step of the journey that one plans to take. So there will be no guess work and the challenges that may occur on the way will be foreseen, and will be solved accordingly.

iv. Prepare practically
Now that you have planned it all, the time has come to do it practically. Put up the structures needed, buy the necessary items. It is now time to do whatever one has been planning. Remember it is important to follow the business plan as it is to avoid drifting from the original plan. But to do this, this is where capital is needed. There are several sources of capital. One can take a loan from financial institutions or a friend, savings, or even handouts from family and friends. But to say the truth capital is not the main problem here, the problem is the business idea one has. If the idea is good and practical, the rest will a walk in the park.

Finally, it is very important to give a business time to mature instead of being in a rush to take profits, avoid quick money. Patience is the key. To conclude, the slogan for any business is: think big, start small, start now.

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