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Timothy Itiri at his dairy farm at Mbuinjeru in Abothoguchi West, Meru County. [Phares Mutembei, Standard]
Having a constant flow of quality and sufficient feeds is the desire of every dairy keeper but it is not an easy feat, especially in this season of a global pandemic.
But one farmer, Timothy Itiri, has perfected the art of animal feeds storage and management which has helped him maintain a successful dairy farm, through the current crisis. He keeps almost 50 Fresian dairy cows at his farm in Abothoguchi West in Meru County.
“At the moment, I have feeds that can last until 2022! I learnt the hard way. The frequent dry spells cost me dearly because my dairy cows had no feeds and this affected their milk output. To avoid such scenarios, I started to grow maize for silage on my farm and I leased a few parcels of land on which I grow maize,” Itiri says.
Even as the government makes more restrictions to control rapid Covid-19 transmission, unlike other farmers who have sleepless nights, Itiri is at peace because he knows his cattle have feeds.
“In the event of harsh weather, or total lock-down, my cows will not suffer lack of food. I have silage that can last until August, 2022!” he says.
Before he settled on feeds issue, Mr Itiri who was feeding his cows on nappier grass from his farm, faced challenges finding a lasting solution and for that, his cows’ milk volumes dipped, with each cow giving as little as eight litres a day.
Now he gets up to 160 litres from 10 cows and expects more when more cows reach lactation.
Turning point
His turning point came when he attended a training by SNV, a Netherlands development organisation, which empowers smallholder farmers on dairy keeping.
“Here were were taught everything about proper feeds storage, management and conservation. I learnt how to prepare silage so that it can last long while still fresh,” he says.
He also learnt that the selected technique should maximise nutrient conservation efficiency and minimise production costs.
So how does he preserve the silage? He has dug several underground silage storage facilities, which hold 160,000 kilos of silage.
To maintain the freshness and ideal moisture levels, he has placed tubes made of polythene material where the silage has been placed.
The nine bunkers, hold different amounts of silage, with some holding between 10,000 and 22,000 kilos. To minimise feeds wastage, he know every cow’s feeding needs.
“I know how much silage each cow consumes per day. For example Elmer, my most productive cow, which gives 29 litres daily, eats 15kgs of silage daily. To produce a kilo of silage costs me Sh5, which is affordable.”
The farmer says silage is more nutritious for cows, hence his decision to dedicate six acres for maize to produce it, twice a year.
“I harvest the maize when it is two to three months old, at the stage where it is harvested to make githeri! I chop it and crash it for silage making. The stem is rich in sugars. When it is harvested at the right time, its energy levels are high.”
After the stems are crashed, Itiri and his farmhands compact it in the nine bunkers.
The underground holes, triangular in shape, are a metre deep and nine metres wide.
On top of the silage buried underground, Itiri has planted sweet potato vines, which are excellent source of proteins for the cows.
How he does it
“After covering the silage in polythene sheets in the soil, I planted sweet potato vines. Since I started feeding the cows silage and sweet potato vines, I have seen a marked improvement in milk production,” the breeder says.
Additionally, he has planted calliandra in all his maize farms, which are also rich in proteins. Calliandra calothyrsus is a small, leguminous tree with characteristic pink flowers and is known to improve milk production of both dairy cattle and goats.
“Feeding the cows with calliandra ensures they produce milk with enough fat,” he explains. Though he has hacked the feed storage issue, his main headache remains low milk prices.
He sells the milk to Mbuinjeru Dairy Cooperative at Sh32 a litre.
It would make more economic sense he says, if farmers make Sh40 a litre.
“To cushion dairy farmers, the government should intervene and reduce taxes on animal feeds. Many farmers have called it quits because of these low prices despite the high production
The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization
with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper print operations,
television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The Standard Group
is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in
matters of national and international interest.
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