Gobe Improved Heifer Multiplication and Integrated Agro Business Company

Gobe farm was private owned since 2002 by Tsegaye Koji. Gobe farm is located 284 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, 35 km from Sheshamene, 56 km from Hawassa and 11 km from Gobe. The farm includes 1600 ha, of which 1,015 ha are used for natural grazing, 30 ha are cultivated for animal fodder production, and some 50 ha has been developed for offices and facilities. The farm has a herd of 1550 cattle, of which 650 are dairy breeding cows. These cows produce improved/cross-bred calves which are sold as bred-heifers (approximately 200 females annually) or veal/beef calves (males). The cows also produce milk which is sold raw to neighboring communities. Gobe farm also has a large feed mill which is currently not operational, and it provides artificial insemination services to farmers who bring their cows to the Gobe farm to be bred. The farm employs 87 people on a full time basis.

Purpose of Grant

The overall purpose of the grant is to help Gobe provide milk collection/marketing and feed to smallholder farmers to complement Gobe’s heifer sales activities. The specific purpose of the grant is to:

• Develop four (4) milk collection and service centers,
• Provide milk collection and marketing services,
• Manufacture feed and distribute the feed through the four centers, and
• Introduce automated milking technology.

The grant funds will be used to:

• Procure one milk chilling tank to be located at the Gobe farm, and to be used to chill the collected milk (2000 liters),
• Procure a vehicle (truck) and milk cans to transport milk and feed,

• Renovate a feed milling machine to manufacture compound feed for sale to smallholder farmers, and
• Procure two automated milking machines to upgrade milking practices at Gobe’s farm, introduce farmers to the new technology, and possibly to utilize one of the automated milking machines at the service center(s).