Knowledge and Good Agriculture Practice For Dairy Cattle Farm of Farmers Rearing Dairy Cattle in Sankampaeng and Mae On Districts, Chiang Mai

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to explore: 1) socio-economic attributes of farmers rearing dairy cattle; 2) knowledge and good agriculture practice for dairy cattle farms of the farmers; 3) farctors effecting knowledge and good agricultural practice for dairy cattle farms of the farmers; and 4) problems encountered and suggestions about the good agriculture practice of the farmers. The sample group in this study consisted of 180 dairy cattle farmers in Sankampaeng and Mae On districts, Chiang Mai. A set of questionnaires was used for data collection and analyzed by descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis (inferential statistics).

            Findings showed that most of the respondents were male, 50 years old on average, single, and elementary school graduates. They had the following on average: 4 household members; an annual income earned from dairy cattle rearing for 792,582.24 Baht; 45 dairy cows; 9 rai of dairy cattle area; 2 sources of capital source; 13 years of experience in dairy cattle rearing; 9 times per year of data perception about dairy cattle rearing; twice a year of agriculture extension worker contact; and twice a year of a training on dairy cattle rearing. The respondents had a high level of knowledge about regulations of good agriculture practice (73.33%). As a whole they also had a high level of good agriculture practice for dairy cattle farms (=4.23). This was on the basis of the following: water management (=4.45), raw milk production (=4.42), animal health (=4.33), dairy cattle feed (=4.31), farm components (=4.29), environmental management (=4.21), farm management (=4.13), animal security (=4.03), and data record (=3.84). A factor effecting knowledge about good agriculture practice for dairy cattle farms found at a statistical significance level (positive) was data perception about dairy cattle rearing (Sig.=0.034). Likewise, factors having an effect on good agriculture practice for dairy cattle farms with a positive statistical significance level were age (Sig.=0.008) a number of household members (Sig.=0.031), an income earned from dairy cattle rearing (Sig.=0.039), and agriculture extension worker contact (Sig.=0.046). However a factor having a negative effect found was a capital source for dairy cattle rearing (Sig.=0.031).

            The following were problems encountered in good agriculture practice of the respondents: lack of the capital for improving their dairy cattle farms; their dairy cattle farms were located in the community area; inadequate roughage (maize and grass) for dairy cattle feeding; concentrated feed was expensive; inadequate water for use in the dairy cattle farms; workforce on the farms were not knowledgeable and skillful; the dairy cattle had problems about its toes; rather unsuccessful in artificial insemination; retention of placenta in new born calves; animal diseases; and lack of knowledge about medicine used for healing dairy cattle. The following were suggestions of the respondents which should be done: 1) establishment of the center for producing or collecting roughage; 2) concentrated feed price control by the Department of Livestock; 3) the veterinarian take part in toe disease control and successful artificial insemination; and 4) knowledge extension about dairy cattle disease healing.