Saanen dairy goat farming combined with agricultural tourism, the perfect combination

From the dairy goat farm

Located at No. 124, group 4, hamlet 6, Tam Hiep commune, Chau Thanh district, Tien Giang province, Dong Nghi Agricultural Cooperative was formerly a goat breeding facility for meat. Through the process of studying and researching the nutritional value of goat milk and the basic market, boldly changed the model of raising goats for meat to raising goats for milk.

Starting out initially with 10 Saanen dairy goats originating from Switzerland, a popular goat breed in Europe, the facility has carried out the project "Testing a local goat breed improvement model" since 2015. .

The model focuses on raising and breeding Saanen dairy goats that are adapted to local breeding conditions, especially available and diverse food sources such as green grass, leaves, dry straw, Siamese bananas, old bananas, tall bananas, Thai jackfruit, green-skinned pomelo...

In October 2020, Dong Nghi Agricultural Cooperative was established. Up to now, the cooperative has grown to 10 members. The members are provided with seed by the cooperative, technical guidance on raising, industrial feed support, priority is given to the purchase of fresh milk from members at a stable price.

From the first 10 breeding goats, up to now, through crossbreeding, the cooperative has had nearly 300 dairy goats, obtaining 100-150 liters of milk/day. Besides, the cooperative sells seed from 20kg or more at the price of 300,000 - 400,000 VND/kg.

In addition to livestock, the cooperative also processes dairy products such as: pure fresh goat milk with sugar and no sugar, powdered goat milk and sublimated dried goat milk, fresh goat milk yogurt and dried goat milk yogurt, goat milk flan Fresh and dried flan.

The products have been announced quality according to regulations and achieved 3-star OCOP product certification. It can be said that Dong Nghi Cooperative is the first unit to successfully apply freeze-drying technology in Tien Giang province with goat milk products. Sublimation drying is a high-class drying technology, the process of drying products is frozen under vacuum conditions. Then the water will sublimate directly from ice to gas, drying time is 48 hours.

The drying technology consists of 3 steps: freezing, primary drying (sublimation) and secondary drying (dehumidification). With this technology, the product retains its shape, color, taste and nutrients. After packaging, the product can be stored for 12 months. In addition to dairy products, the cooperative develops freeze-dried products such as jackfruit, durian, etc.

Le Khac Dong Nghi, Director of Dong Nghi Cooperative said: “Today, consumers prefer novel products of natural origin and good for health. With the goal of producing products from clean raw materials, in the direction of organic (organic food) and applying breakthrough advanced drying technology, the cooperative has launched products with the best quality assurance.” 

Dairy products of the cooperative are favored by the domestic market because the milk has no odor, strictly follows the 3-no principle: no preservatives, no chemical sugars, no flavoring. Currently, the cooperative has signed a contract to regularly supply yogurt and flan products to preschools and primary schools in and out of the province.

Talking about the upcoming direction, Ms. Nghi said: The cooperative will constantly innovate techniques and technologies to improve product quality, meet the increasing demands of consumers and introduce products to customers. international goods. The cooperative is currently targeting the Dubai market and some other countries.

Go to agricultural tourism

After the success of breeding goats and goat milk products, Dong Nghi Cooperative started to open more agritourism models. With an area of more than 25,000m2, Dong Nghi Cooperative is divided into 3 areas: a grass-growing area stretching over 20,000m2, a farm with more than 300 Saanen dairy goats, and a waiting house with a capacity of 500 guests. for visitors to visit, experience and enjoy goat milk products.

Coming to Dong Nghi Cooperative, visitors will visit the goat farm built with concrete, corrugated iron roof, cement floor and wooden floor to ensure environmental hygiene according to regulations. Guests will be able to participate in the work of a real farmer such as: feeding goats, milking goats by hand or by machine, nursing baby goats, slapping ditches, catching fish and enjoying dishes made from caught fish. canoeing, dining and singing karaoke on the boat... In addition, visitors can also enjoy clean fruits grown on the farm such as: Thai jackfruit, red-fleshed jackfruit, green-skinned pomelo, Siamese coconut.

Entrance ticket to the farm is 40,000 VND/person. With this ticket price, the guest area is provided with 1 bottle of mineral water, 1 cold towel and 1 flan cake or 1 box of yogurt. In addition, there is a boating service on the small river. In order to form a diversified tourism product chain to attract tourists, the cooperative has cooperated with Dien Lan tourist area in the neighboring village (in hamlet 5, Tam Hiep commune).

Every week, the farm receives many delegations from inside and outside the province to visit and study. Visitors who come a lot on weekends often go in small groups in the form of families.

Along with students of Kien Giang University, visiting the model of the cooperative, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ca Linh, lecturer at the Faculty of Food Science and Health, said: “The fresh goat milk here has no smell, the sweetness is moderate. The taste is not very different from cow's milk. In particular, when using a spoon, the goat milk yogurt is spun, which is different from the yogurt from cow's milk. Fruit products such as jackfruit, sublimated durian are crunchy, moderately sweet, and retain flavor... This is the first time I've enjoyed sublimation. Fresh goat milk has no smell, moderate sweetness."

After nearly 8 years of model transformation with many initial difficulties and challenges such as: lack of capital, products difficult to find output.. Up to now, Dong Nghi cooperative has gradually entered into stable operation, ensuring product quality. products supplied to the market thereby establishing trust from customers, up to now, the cooperative has many agents and collaborators in many provinces and cities.