Fishermen harvest fish in cages in Lake Victoria. Reports show that cages are a threat to other fish species in Lake Victoria like omena. [Isaiah Gwengi, Standard]
As the price of animal feeds keeps rising, Fred Kirui, a large-scale dairy breeder in Kericho, saw the need to work smart.
With the price of a bale of hay retailing at Sh300, he estimated that it would cost him around Sh1,000 per day to feed each of his 80 pedigree Friesian cows. And he reckoned that would eat into his profit margins. To avert that, he had to come up with a saving plan.
The owner of Segeso Dairy Farm in Kipkelion West constituency has planted maize for silage on 40 acres.
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“Maize is a source of carbohydrates. It enables a cow to support its weight and improve milk production. It makes a big component of the feeds. If I have it here, I can cut feed costs significantly,” says Kirui, an engineer.
Kirui explains that it cost him around Sh3,000 to plow an acre of the maize farm and uses 100kgs of manure from his dairy unit.
By using manure, he is able to significantly cut the cost of buying commercial fertilisers such as DAP and CAN for top dressing which costs Sh7,000 for an acre.
“I harvest around 30 tonnes of silage from an acre of maize. From the 40 acres, I get enough silage to feed my entire flock throughout the year,” says Kirui. With the feeds need to be sorted, the farmer ensures the milk production from his 30 cows remains high.
On average, Kirui’s farm produces 600 litres of milk per day. With a litre of milk retailing at Sh40, the farmer makes around Sh720,000 a month.
Moneymaker
But milk is not the only money maker for the ambitious farmer. Once he harvests maize from the 40 acres, he follows it up by planting beans.
“I harvest at least six bags of beans per acre. This translates to around 200 bags of beans,” says Kirui.
With a bag of beans retailing between Sh7,000 to Sh12,000, Eng Kirui pockets a tidy sum from beans farming which helps him supplement income from dairy farming.
Brachiaria
Kirui also has two acres of brachiaria which is a source of protein for his dairy animals. Brachiaria grass has proved to be a better alternative animal feed that has a higher crude protein content than nappier grass
“I harvest up to 20 tonnes of the grass after every three months,” he says.
According to the farmer, a cow that produces about 40 litres of milk in a day requires at least five kilos of protein which is also derived from soya beans, cotton, or sunflower.
Soya beans' protein content is 42 per cent protein which is quite high. However, Soya beans prices have nearly doubled over the last few months.
A kilogramme of Soya beans which is mainly imported from Uganda and Zambia now retails at Sh110 up from Sh60.
In the neighbouring Bomet County, Beatrice Kirui (not related to Fred Kirui) bets on soybeans as the next lucrative farming venture.
“There are companies which have started contracting farms in Bomet to grow it. Farmers should be prepared to reap from the project. Luckily, Soybeans do well in Bomet,” she says.
Kirui says dry soybeans can be ground and turned into cattle feed.
Robust tick control programme
To eradicate the issue of ticks that cause East Coast Fever, Kirui has a cattle dip for his animals.
“I have not had a single case of East Cost Fever at Segeso farm for the last two years. This is because I have a robust tick control programme,” he says. Kirui also ensures that his cows are regularly vaccinated against diseases such as foot and mouth disease.
Despite the fact that his farm has managed to deal with the huge dairy cost, there are other costs that affect his profit margins. One is salt lick which is imported.
“Half a kilogramme of salt costs Sh100. A cow which produces 20 litres of milk requires around Sh30 of salt which makes it around Sh600 per month,” he says. The cost of artificial insemination is also prohibitive. He spends up to Sh8,000 to buy semen from Kenya Animal Genetic Resources Centre in Kabete.
“Counties should start producing semen to be supplied to farmers for free. The cost of AI is a huge financial burden to farmers,” he says.
Kirui says counties must also construct proper roads so that farmers can access key markets with ease.
