Editorial Comment: Waiting for the rains

25 Sep, 2020 - 00:09 0 Views
Editorial Comment: Waiting for the rains

The ManicaPost

DROUGHT can be unpredictable and has been striking several areas over the past few years. Its effects can be felt months or years later.

While a drought can leave some communities food insecure, cattle can also find themselves in the same predicament as their pastures are diminished.

Cattle farmers should therefore always have plans in place to minimise the effects of droughts no matter what Mother Nature throws their way.

The ultimate effect of a drought is decreased forage production, thereby resulting in diminished feed available for the cattle.

This can lead to problems such as reduced pregnancy rates, loss of body condition of the cow and lower milk production.

With insignificant rains received last year in some parts of Southern Africa, the water table in Manicaland has receded and most cattle farmers are struggling to feed and to keep their beasts hydrated.

Since the beginning of this year, 599 cattle have died in Manicaland alone

Desperate Manicaland farmers who are close to the border with Mozambique are now crossing into the neighbouring country with their cattle to access the pastures there.

It is reported that in an unofficial arrangement with the Mozambican community leaders, each farmer has to part with a beast as payment for the pastures.

With the provincial herd seriously affected by the recurring climate change induced droughts, perhaps it is now time to adopt sound agricultural practices to minimise the crippling effects of the dry spells.

Agronomists are of the opinion that while farmers should avoid management practices that will lead to panic mass selling of livestock, the most common method for reducing feed needs during a drought is to sell a portion of the herd.

When faced with such grave scenarios, it is best to cull all old and low performing cattle. This will provide more feed for the younger, more productive cows.

Farmers can use this period as an opportunity to retain their best cows, then rebuild their herds in the genetic direction they desire when forages are back to normal post-drought.

However, it is crucial to conduct pregnancy testing before culling cows.

For a more reliable result, the pregnancy testing must be conducted no earlier than 35 to 45 days after the end of the breeding season.

Farmers can also consider early weaning of calves.

A lactating cow requires about 30 percent more feed than a dry cow.

Therefore when pastures are low, it becomes more cumbersome to feed lactating cows.

On the other hand, dry cows can be maintained by grazing poor quality pastures.

In the meantime as we wait for the rains, for the water sources to fill up and for the pastures to grow; wheat straw, small grain and wheat hay, as well as corn stalks carried over from last year can be used as forages.

In fact, corn stalk grazing is a good feed resource for beef cows.

But with the decreased availability of nutrients coming from forages during dry seasons, cattle producers need to supplement the cattle’s feeds to meet their nutritional requirements.

However, supplemental feeding will add to the cost of production.

It is therefore crucial to note that supplemental feeding costs need to be kept to a minimum.

When the rains finally pounds our land in the near future, livestock farmers should consider splitting their pastures and rotationally grazing the paddocks.

This will allow rest periods for the grass.

The cattle shall thrive again.

Share This:

Sponsored Links

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds