PHETCHABURI, 4 March 2014 His Majesty the King yesterday made a personal trip to the royally initiated Chang Hua Mun Project in Tha Yang District, Phetchaburi Province to observe the progress of its dairy farm.
His Majesty focused his visit on the demonstration barn where milk cows are raised at the royal initiative as a way to promote dairy farming among local farmers. The farm now has 29 cows including 9 Holstein Friesians under milking, 10 pregnant cows and 10 teenage cows.
His Majesty the King fed milk to 2-month-old calves and visited a 4-month-old male calf which was named by His Majesty on its birth as Nong Tum. The calf now weighs 120 kilograms and in good health. His Majesty also visited a milking parlor where milk is taken twice a day to produce about 150 kilograms of raw milk to be supplied to the Cha-am Dairy Cooperative in Phetchaburi Province for processing.
The royally initiated Chang Hua Mun Project is an experimental land plot for planting economic crops, to support agricultural careers for local people in Phetchaburi and nearby provinces. The dairy farming was added to the Project in 2010 using 14 cows retired from the royal project at Chitralada Villa in Bangkok. Each time His Majesty visited this dairy farm, he paid attention to the health of the cattle and the importance of grass used in feeding them. The project has therefore chosen the high-protein pangola pasture grass in response to the royal advice and leaves the cattle to eat fresh grass freely in the field.
His Majesty has already visited the Chang Hua Mun Project four times including this one, since he moved from Siriraj Hospital to stay at Klai Kangwon Palace in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province on August 1, 2013.
