: Former German Teacher Turns to Sustainable Dairy Farming, Earns Rs 70 Lakh in Revenues #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture This article is part of The Better India’s series #EarnYourIndependence, with which

Posted in: #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture #EarnYourIndependence

Former German Teacher Turns to Sustainable Dairy Farming, Earns Rs 70 Lakh in Revenues #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture
This article is part of The Better India’s series #EarnYourIndependence , with which we celebrate Indians achieving financial freedom in innovative ways.

At Faridabad-based Milan Sharma’s Revnar Farms one of the cows had been in distress for almost eight hours, and no local veterinarians were available then. She got on a video call with a vet associated with the Animal Husbandry Department of Haryana, which she’s been in touch with for a while, who guided her over the phone.

“For the first time in my life I’ve put my hand inside a cow and felt the cervix,�? she recalls in an interview with The Better India. With his support, she carried out an internal examination, checking the dilation of the cervix and confirming where the calf’s head was. He then guided her on how to soothe the cow till the birth.

This, Milan recalls, was a breakthrough for her as she earlier used to gather her clothes around her and walk cautiously, making sure no animal on her family farm touched her.

The former German language teacher co-founded Revnar Farms with her husband Chetan Sharma and has implemented a sustainable, organic farming model.

Today, the farm has 50 adult cows and 70 calves. “They are lovely, adorable beings and we enjoy being around the animals,�? says Chetan.

Twelve acres of the land are used for fodder cultivation and 21 acres for grains, pulses and seeds. These products are sold through direct orders and their website, clocking an annual revenue of Rs 70 lakh on average.

Farm calling

After completing her Masters in Biochemistry, Milan got married and was a homemaker for several years. Once her sons were all grown up, she started learning German as a hobby. This turned into a profession where she spent several years teaching the language at Amity International School. She was also a member of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus committee, co-authoring several German language textbooks.

In January 2017, after her father-in-law, who owned four cows and a farmland, passed away, things changed for Milan. In memory of his father, Chetan bought two more cows. Over the months, they purchased more cows, and by early 2018 they had 35 cows on their land. But around April, they lost five of the animals. “That was a jolt, that they aren’t machines that have stopped working. They’re living beings and somebody has to be there to look after them,�? recalls the 52-year-old.

This prompted her to quit her job and focus on the farm full-time. Under Dr AK Singh at Karnal’s National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), she undertook two one-month courses on commercial dairy farming and value addition to milk products.