Here is where you’ll learn what it takes to rear livestock

A champion cow that was showcased at the last Brookside Livestock Breeders Show and Sale held in 2013. This year’s event, which will run until July 23, will see more than 1,000 livestock paraded

NAIROBI: The 10th edition of the Brookside Livestock Breeders Show gets underway on Thursday.

The three-day event, which will be held at Nairobi’s Jamhuri showground, offers livestock farmers a chance to learn about the best practices in dairy farming from local and international experts.

It will also feature new technologies and top-quality animal breeds.

Animal geneticists, and suppliers of farming machinery and animal feed will give current and potential livestock farmers a chance to familiarise themselves with the sector’s latest trends.

INCREASE PRODUCTION

Over the weekend, some of the more than 1,000 livestock expected began arriving at Jamhuri Park to be inspected by veterinary officers.

The show, which is held every two years, will also showcase small stock animals, like goats, sheep, rabbits, bees and fish.

Robert Kiplimo, a dairy farmer from Sotik, Bomet County, who attended the 2013 edition, said the show helped him increase milk production from his four cows.

“The show provided us with information on improved husbandry. Demonstrations on silage making and preservation taught me that with the correct feeding of cows, it is possible to get milk throughout all seasons,” he said.

Mr Kiplimo added that as a result of the animal feeding skills he learnt, he was able to increase his cows’ milk production by 20 per cent. He now delivers more than 120 litres a day to Brookside Dairy.

“This year I will be attending the show with the singular aim of learning about genetic improvements for my existing herd,” he said.

One of the animal breeding techniques on display will be embryo transfers. Although quite expensive, this method of breed improvement enables a single cow to produce more than one offspring in a year. The process will be explained and demonstrated by the East Africa Embryo Transfer Association.

Also to be showcased is sexed semen, which allows farmers to choose if they want a bull or heifer.

“Apart from providing farmers with a forum to showcase their top animals and exchange ideas on best practices in animal husbandry, the show also highlights the relevance of the livestock industry to the local economy,” Brookside Director of Milk Procurement John Gethi told Business Beat.

Commercial banks will also be showcasing their products in a bid to establish links with farmers and explain the credit arrangements they offer. Access to credit is one of the challenges identified as slowing down growth in the livestock sector.

Government agencies will also showcase what they do to boost livestock farming under their specific mandates.

The event is being organised by milk processor Brookside Dairy in partnership with animal breed societies, and is expected to attract farmers and exhibitors from Uganda and Tanzania, with judges coming from across the world.

“With our international judges on board, farmers ought to understand the desirable physical traits of an ideal cow,” said Mr Gethi.

Brookside has also promised demonstrations of new on-farm technologies, such as the use of biogas and silage making in tubes, in line with the country’s shift to renewable sources of energy.

With high costs of commercial animal feeds being a challenge to farmers, the show’s organisers have also invited experts to show smallholders ways of reducing feed costs.

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