Former teacher earns from dairy farming

Bomlal Giri / Nawalpur, Sept. 14: Leaving a teaching job that offered a stable income and social prestige to take up agriculture and livestock farming is not an easy decision for many.

But Gangadhar Neupane of Kawasoti Municipality-6 gave up his teaching career and made cattle and buffalo farming his main occupation.

He now earns around Rs. 250,000 a month in profit from livestock farming and a dairy business. Born in Parbat in 1988, Neupane started teaching mathematics as a founding teacher at Shree Sagarmatha Secondary School in Parbat, where he had studied, in 2011.

After moving to Kawasoti in 2014, he continued his teaching career. In 2019, he registered Gauradevi Nabin Agriculture and Livestock Farm and started a livestock business.

He said that due to a lack of funds, he initially could not build a proper shed and had to keep buffaloes in a limited space. “There was a situation where when one buffalo sat down in the shed, another had to stand up, and when the other sat down, another had to stand,” Neupane said.

“After working for 45 days to build a modern shed, things have become much easier,” he said.

As the number of cattle and buffaloes increased, he needed additional workers to manage the shed, feed and water the animals, clean the farm and take care of the livestock.

His wife had initially handled the work alone, but as the business expanded, Neupane had to choose between teaching and livestock farming.

“I had to pay a worker Rs. 1,200 a month. Since my salary was not even that much, I felt it was better to leave teaching and focus on livestock farming,” he said.

After leaving teaching and fully focusing on livestock farming, Neupane received further encouragement when his farm was selected as a model farm by Kawasoti Municipality.

He then expanded his business beyond livestock farming and started a dairy processing business.

Livestock farming is not an easy business, he said. He has to work from 3 am until 11 pm and cannot leave the farm even for personal work.

At times, when there is a shortage of water, he has to carry water himself to feed the animals. He has cultivated grass on around 15 katthas of land. His experience is that livestock farming requires constant monitoring, as sick cattle and buffaloes need immediate treatment.

His farm currently produces around 70 litres of milk a day. According to Neupane, many farmers manage the breeding cycle of their buffaloes according to the season, resulting in higher milk production only during certain periods.

He, however, has managed the breeding schedule in a way that ensures continuous milk production throughout the year.

“Milk production is high in Saun. Many farmers see their production decline during the off-season. I have scheduled the breeding of my buffaloes for the off-season, so there is never a shortage of milk at my farm,” he said. He said there is no difficulty in selling milk if production is managed according to market demand.

Starting the business with an investment of around Rs. 3.5 million, Neupane is now earning a good income. He said he built a two-storey house from the income earned through milk sales and now makes around Rs. 250,000 a month.

Neupane’s journey from teaching to agriculture and livestock farming shows how hard work, proper management and perseverance can lead to success. By turning a challenging beginning into an opportunity, he has established livestock farming as a strong source of income.