Farm Clinic: Come learn all you can on dairy and meat production

Starting the farm clinic in the ‘land of milk’ dictates that the dairy production enterprise gets the priority.
Mbarara Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MBAZARDI) director Dr Halid Kirunda, a crop and animal expert, explains about a wide range of pertinent issues livestock farmers always encounter.
He sets the ball rolling for the main practical-based session on May 26 in Mbarara by talking about two grazing methods.

Zero grazing
This is one of the major feeding systems commonly practiced in Uganda. This is where high performing dairy cows are enclosed in stalls (such as a cattle shed) from where feeds are and water are provided.
Farmers must ensure that the feeds provided to the cattle in the shed meet their daily nutrient requirements. Forage is the basic feed, but cows are supplemented with concentrates. High yielding pasture varieties (such as Napier grass and maize) are suited for this system.

“In our practical sessions, we will show participants how the feeds can be provided in form of fresh cut at carry forage or by silage making,” Dr Kirunda explains. According to Kirunda, the advantages of stall feeding include;
•Cows are confined thus use most of their energy to produce milk.
•The system allows maximum utilisation of land by high yielding pasture varieties.
•The animals are better protected against bad weather and diseases especially tick-borne diseases.
•Also, the animals are always close to the farmer for observation during heat and disease detection.

However, Dr Kirunda says the system is only suitable for animals of higher genetic potential which are scarce and expensive to buy or maintain. It is capital intensive since it requires construction of the stalls, establishment of pasture and pay for labour. The animals may be stressed and bored due to over-crowding and limited movements. “You will require about Shs20m as startup capital,” says Dr Kirunda.

Rotational grazing and paddocking
•In this system, land is separated into paddocks to effectively and uniformly utilize pastures.
•The success in this grazing management strategy depends on the ability to track available forage on the farm and ability to relate the number of animals on the available forage.
•The amount of available forage and the number of animals grazing on the area will affect intake and therefore animal nutritional performance and productivity per unit area.
•Excess forage should be conserved in form of hay. Appropriate carrying capacity is key to good livestock management since it ensures productivity as well as sustainable use of the natural resource base.
•Good management ensures a balance between available pasture (planted or natural rangeland) on the farm and the livestock numbers that graze on the pasture/farm.
•While stocking rates may vary with time due to fluctuating forage conditions, carrying capacity is considered to be the average number of animals that a particular range will sustain over time.
“It is estimated that a mature animal of large breeds such as Friesian, Guernsey and Brown Swiss that weigh about 440 kilogrammes will consume about 12 kilogrammes of forage dry matter daily,” explains Dr Kirunda.

Free range grazing
•A system which is discouraged for use in any farming system, involves use of land that is not fenced and grazing is random.
•Natural pastures are grazed. “These pastures are resilient to grazing but low yielding. Indigenous cattle mainly dominate this system and cow productivity is low. However, this system is declining due to increasing private land ownership and current trends of commercial dairy production,” he says.

Feeding practices
The current land and economic situation requires dairy farmers to move towards a system that maximizes land use and produces milk at least cost. Intensive dairy production (with or without minimal grazing) is predicted to replace the traditional open grazing systems. “We will show farmers how this system requires; high milk producers or improved breeds,” says Dr Kirunda.

Dairy cows
“In Uganda, farmers rear different dairy breeds of cattle and their crosses. The local breeds include: the Ankole Longhorn cattle, the Nganda and the East African Shorthorn Zebu. The Sahiwal and its crosses which were introduced from Kenya are on some farms,” Dr Kirunda says adding: “Among the purely exotic cattle are mainly the Friesian. Indeed the Friesian and its crosses is the dominant exotic dairy breed in Uganda. Others include: Guernsey, Jersey, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss and the Fleckvieh, which is a recent introduction. While exotic breeds possess great potential for high milk production, they are highly susceptible to common diseases and require improved management.”

Research
There are many dairy breeds and a farmer needs to decide on the breed he can be able to keep, based on their capital, experience and location. Contacting a veterinary extension worker, research institutions, and university for guidance is critical.

Feeds
•It is important to establish the size of the land and the dominant pastures on the land.
•Determine the carrying capacity, and probably the stocking rate, based on the available pastures.
•Pastures suitably provide at least 60 per cent of the daily feed requirement of a ruminant animal.
•While concentrated feed requires less labour, look at land rental prices in your area and determine how many cattle per acre it can support.
•Livestock need about four percent of their weight in forage each day. Ideally, the pasture should produce more than this at peak season, so one can stockpile the surplus for dry season feeding.

Keep records
Farmers must endeavor to keep records about all farm operations and events. These may include, but not limited to, purchases, sales, feeding and health and breeding. The records should be as simple as possible for ease of interpretation. They are mainly based on animal identity.

When to apply artificial insemination
It is essential to choose a breeding method to use on a farm. Based on the cost and other challenges of keeping a bull, it is advisable to use artificial insemination. Artificial Insemination (AI) is mainly used during cross breeding in order to improve the production performance using superior genes. In planned breeding, only animals selected for superior traits should be bred. Setting breeding objectives can aid development of reliable dairy breeds and enable the farmer to make profit. Always breed with a purpose and have measurable goals that is to say 20 litres of milk/cow/day. During use of AI reliable semen is required.

Breeding plan
Dairy bulls have a reputation for dangerous behaviour, and in any case raising one year round gets expensive.
The safer options are paying for a bull’s service at breeding time, or preferably, practicing artificial insemination (AI). AI is almost always the cheapest option, and has equal or higher success rates when performed correctly.

Invest in capital
A farm requires a large one-time expenditure to get started. Buying an existing dairy farm makes the task simpler, and can save money if one is available.

Source for animals
Inspect all dairy animals personally before buying, including several milking and disease tests.
The animal should be healthy and vaccinated against endemic diseases. Ideally, purchase the animals right after calving, on its second or third lactation (when milk production is highest).

Research the local milk market
If one is starting with just a few animals, there is need to seek advice on selling to local milk cooling centres and individuals.
•Make a business plan.
•Financial estimates must be made into a plan that covers the first few years of the business.
•In addition to the necessary items above, it should be remembered that estimated cost of veterinary care per animal must be included, and the cost of any hired labour planned.
•Establish opportunities for subsidies and loans for farmers before taking any loan from a bank.

Control spread of diseases
•It is essential to always buy disease-free animals, and keep them isolated from other animals during transportation to the farm.
•Quarantining new arrivals (and animals that fall sick) is recommended, especially if they do not have trustworthy, recent health records.
•A veterinarian can give a farmer with specific advice about diseases in the area. Equipment shared between farms can spread disease. There is need to confirm where the equipment has been used and whether the animals there were healthy.
•Disease-carrying ticks are a major problem for livestock and hence the need for regular tick control.