All the lessons from farm clinic

Do you know that 40 per cent of the value of your dairy cow is at the udder?

This is one of the lessons farmers learnt at the ninth Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic held at Kirinyaga University last Saturday.

The farmers came from Kirinyaga, Nairobi, Nyeri, Embu, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Nakuru and Nyandarua counties armed with questions and eager to learn.

To attend to them were livestock, crop and other agricultural experts from Elgon Kenya, Bayer Kenya, Simba Corp, Coopers Kenya Ltd, and Shifa Chem Ltd, among others.

“When you decide to sell your cow, 40 per cent of its selling price should be calculated with emphasis put on the teats and udder since they're the organs that produce milk, which is the main essence of keeping dairy cattle,’” said Edwin Wasiche, a veterinary doctor from Elgon Kenya Ltd.

Stanley Kihara, a dairy farmer from Nyahururu, sought to know the best calf management practices from birth to maturity and if hay is bad for the young animal.

“Hay isn't harmful to the calves at any stage when the farmer starts to introduce the calf to solid food. This belief that hay is harmful should not arise,” he said.

Dr Wasiche noted the calf should be fed on colostrum to boost immunity to diseases. Housing is also important to the calf and should protect it from rain and cold, which are detrimental to its health.

The calf should be dewormed once every month until it reaches three months and be fed on mineral supplements and protein palettes to develop their joints.

MORE LESSONS FOR FARMERS

Gerald Muriithi and Antony Kariuki, farmers from Kirinyaga, were eager to know whether rice husks and napier grass are appropriate ingredients for silage making.

Dr John Muchibi from Elgon Kenya noted that husks are not appropriate for making silage. That they are good for the cow, but only as a roughage since they do not have nutritional value, while napier can be used but it’s not the best.

Stephen Kanyi, a livestock expert from Coopers Kenya, noted that salt lick and minerals, alongside a variety of other elements and good feed management, boost the cow’s milk production.

“A heathy calf should be able to add 500 to 700g of bodyweight every day, and it is advisable to check the weight of your heifer when aged about 16 months, so that it gives you an indication on insemination,” he said.

Agronomist Christopher Mugambi advised farmers with brown-leafed pawpaw plants to give them copper nutrients to treat the disease. “Copper essentially protects the crop from diseases and adds nutrients to the soil,” said the agronomist.

Peter Njeru from Simba Corp advised farmers to partner with financial institutions to acquire farm equipment and machinery.

“You can earn from the machines by hiring out to other farmers for tilling and transporting inputs and produce for others. This way, the machinery ‘pays for itself” when the farmer purchases it.”

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Timely access to seeds key to successful farming

By NELSON MAINA

Behind a heart-breaking campaign to uproot coffee and tea bushes among smallholder farmers and move to more promising crops in horticulture, there is a feeling of disenfranchisement and frustration.

This was evident at the farm clinic last Saturday in Kirinyaga County. What was striking was the growing number of farmers who bitterly reminisced how coffee, once the green gold that educated their children and built their homes, had turned into a source of misery that informed the uprooting spree.

The farmers said they wanted to venture into produce that allowed them to dictate prices, manage their farms and have easier access to agricultural inputs like seeds and fertilisers.

Majority say they have found a home and solace in horticultural farming as demand across local and international markets rise.

Data from the Horticulture Crop Directorate shows that Kenya earned Sh305 billion last year. The area under production has also been growing in what is attributed to more smallholder farmers joining the sector.

But even as the sector shows promising prospects, it helps to go back to basics to avoid making the same mistakes that have characterised coffee, tea and cereals farming. Seeds remain an integral input in food production.

A recent report that a section of maize farmers are still stuck with the same seeds since the 1930s and still expect magic from their farms best captures the genesis of our farmers’ woes.

Government’s hand in distribution has always been pointed as a major hiccup to timely delivery as distribution networks and reach remain limited.

In cases where crucial inputs like seeds are involved, government should only play an oversight role, making environment favourable for sector players.

Kenya can borrow a leaf from South Africa and Zimbabwe which enjoy a robust seed sector with farmers getting timely access to high quality, affordable varieties.

In the countries, the government has helped level the field for all players, making business thrive.

The private sector, in responding to the growing demand for seeds, has stepped up to the challenge, ensuring effective and timely packaging, distribution and delivery of these seeds. It is a nascent move that is paying off if farmers’ testimonies are anything to go by.

To foster a flourishing horticultural sector that now seems to be the darling of most smallholder producers, industry players should champion partnerships that respond to climatic and market needs.