Don’t give a cow what you can’t eat and other lessons from farm clinic

Young and old, men and women, the farmers trooped to the Uasin Gishu edition of the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic in Eldoret town last Saturday, eager to quench their thirst for knowledge.

Some came from the neighbouring Nandi and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties, while others travelled from as far as Murang’a, Nakuru and Kisumu.

Ready to answer farmers’ queries were dozens of experts from various institutions, including Egerton University, the University of Eldoret, Mavuno Fertiliser, Elgon Kenya, CMC Motors Group, the County Government of Uasin Gishu, Isuzu, Kerio Valley Development Authority, Kenya Dairy Board and New KCC.

The others were Yara international, Cooper K-Brands, World Animal Protection, Techno Relief Group, Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project, New Holland Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Agroz, Cosmos, Eldoret Technical Training Institute and African Institute of Research and Development Studies.

The farm clinic’s theme was Climate smart agriculture; fostering resilience for food security, and farmers did not disappoint in their quest for knowledge.

Here is a sampling of questions asked and answers supplied by experts.

Rose Chemutai, crop farmer from Ainabkoi, Uasin Gishu

Q. How can I protect my farm from locust invasion, we are worried because the insects are spreading across the country?
A: John Nganga, crop protection specialist from Egerton University

There are several biological control methods that can be adopted to tackle locust invasion and prevent loss of insects such as bees, which can be killed through aerial spraying of chemicals.

One can use pheromone (PAN) or fungi known as green muscle and green guard, which are eco-friendly and are effective in early developmental stages (nymphs).

Locusts cause destruction when they are swarming as opposed to when in a solitary state.

Pheromone confuses the swarm and breaks it into solitary state, causing less destruction on the farm. This innovation has been used successfully in Australia, South Africa and Brazil to control the pest.

Daniel Ochieng, poultry farmer from Kisumu County

Q. I plan to venture into dairy farming, alongside keeping poultry. Can the two ventures interfere with each other in terms of diseases, particularly?
A: Dr James Ondieki, animal health specialist from Egerton University: Chickens are non-ruminant while cows are ruminants, that means what the cows are not able to feed on (left overs) can be fed to chickens.

There are minimal diseases between the two. We encourage keeping of dairy cows and chickens to maximise production.

George Maina, a farmer from Kesses, Uasin Gishu County

Q. I have planted passion fruits and tree tomatoes but their leaves often turn yellow and wilt

A: Carol Mutua, horticulture expert from Egerton University

A number of things lead to such challenges. One is using planting and top-dressing fertilisers at the same time, which should not be the case.

Second, for a crop to thrive, it requires plenty of water. The crops might not have been watered well. You also need to collect soil samples and take them for testing to check which nutrients are not available in the soils.

Collin Bett, 20, dairy farmer from Emgwen, Nandi County

Q. Does feeding cows on rotten maize due to scarcity of feeds cause any harm?

Dr James Ondieki, animal health specialist from Egerton University: Don’t give cows what you cannot consume because you end up eating it indirectly.

Such produce contains fungi, causing aflatoxin, which is linked to cancer and cannot be eliminated even if you boil or burn it. The best option is to dig a seven-foot hole and bury the maize waste.

I always advise farmers to make their own feeds at home to guard against buying poor quality feeds from some unscrupulous manufacturers.

We also encourage farmers to make silage since it is three times cheaper, compared to hay.

Robert Wakhu, farmer

Q: Once I have vaccinated my cows against diseases like East Coast Fever, can they contract it?

A: Dr Ondieki: Breeding a cow from foundation to pure pedigree helps boost immunity.

However, it is important to vaccinate your cows regularly to boost their antibodies. If you don’t then there is high chance that the cows will be reinfected.

A: Dr Evans Kitui from Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute (Kevevapi). There has been an outbreak of foot and mouth and lumpy skin diseases in the region because many farmers carry out late or reactionary vaccination.

There is need to vaccinate livestock when they are healthy. To curb lumpy skin, you need to vaccinate every year. As for foot and mouth disease, it is usually recommended every four months.

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Technologies on display

From organic foliar, solar pump to queen-rearing technology and beehives, a number of technologies were showcased at the Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic.

Queen rearing technology

This technology involves incubating the queen that lays eggs, and on the eighth day, the eggs start to hatch into a new generation of bees.

It is an improvised pipe that can hold up to 3,000 live bees for farmers with over 70 beehives, said Joel Masobo, an apiculture expert from Egerton University.

In the past, farmers relied on the naturally occurring queens to colonise the beehives, which can lead to unreliable bees.

Milking can

Natwinder Singh, a sales manager at Techno Relief Group, displayed a stainless steel milking can fitted with a valve which is used in dispensing milk.

Organic foliar

To make organic foliar, one can use animal or farm waste then mix with water and leave it for a few days, said Elisha Maiyo from the Emsoo Technical Training Institute, Nandi County.

After that, one sprays the foliar on vegetables and other crops such as tea.

Drought-tolerant pasture

Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) displayed a new variety of African foxtail (cenchrus ciliaris) grass, which is drought-tolerant and grows well in arid and semi-arid regions.

David Biwott, the agribusiness manager, said, “The grass is drought-tolerant, highly palatable, highly marketable, early maturing, quickly responds to low rainfall, approved for commercialisation and is good for hay making. With good management, it can produce up to 200 bales of hay per acre.”