Things to consider for a beef production venture

When selecting a beef breed, growth rate is of paramount importance. [File] Dear Daktari I am an ardent reader of your column. Thank you for the good work. I am planning to venture into beef farming as my retirement plan. I would like to find out what I need to consider for this venture. Benedict Musungu, Kakamega County Thank you so much for the question and compliment. Beef production offers great business opportunities, considering the ever-increasing demand for animal protein. However, it is important to have some knowledge of breeding, feeding, disease management and market dynamics. The following factors affect beef production: Adaptability to local conditions You must understand the local climatic and weather conditions and whether the preferred breed suits those conditions. Temperatures and humidity are factors that can easily stress beef cattle. It is also important to understand the endemic diseases and parasites and put in place measures to prevent infections and infestations, either through vaccinations or structural designs that prevent attack by parasites. For example, in areas with tsetse fly infestation, you should go for trypanotolerant breeds like Orma Boran, N'Dama or Baoule. Additionally, you can use insecticides or insecticide-treated nets to further shield them from tsetse bites and also consider prophylactic treatment against African trypanosomiasis. Choosing a breed that is not suitable for your farm could end up costing you dearly because of environmental, endemic diseases and parasites. Fertility Fertility is an important factor in beef production, but it is a complex trait with low heritability and is influenced by many factors like feeding, husbandry and herd health. Good records on reproduction, nutrition and herd health are necessary to gauge the fertility of beef breeds. It is also associated with other traits, which are important for beef production, such as the ability of cows to wean a healthy and vigorous calf. This is specifically important when you plan to produce your own stock. Fertile animals will stay longer in a productive herd, translating into fewer replacements. Thus, the cost of growing replacements to productive age is reduced. Growth rate When selecting a beef breed, growth rate is of paramount importance. A beef breed with a high growth rate is desirable as it reduces the cost of production by cutting the time it takes to be on the farm to attain the requisite market weight. Once again, this is affected by many other factors, key among them being feeding. Cost of feed/efficiency Feeds will account for the greatest cost in beef production. It is, therefore, important to know where you will source the feeds, the quality and how much it will cost to get them to the farm. On-farm production of hay and silage is a great option for reducing the cost of feeds. Feed efficiency is a genetic trait of great importance in beef production. It is a measure of the amount of feed required by an animal to gain a certain increase in weight. This is also determined by other factors like the type of feed and level of animal husbandry. Market preferences This is an important factor to consider when going into beef production. You are producing for the market; remember, the desirability of the beef product determines the buying price by the consumers. Niche beef markets are on the rise in Kenya for particular consumers about what they desire from beef. Generally, consumers desire lean and tender beef as opposed to fat and bone. Dr Othieno is a veterinary surgeon and the head of communications at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Kenya. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of FAO but his own

Things to consider for a beef production venture

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