GOBABIS – Namibian livestock farmers, who were forced to sell off some of their best animals while in the grip of the current relentless drought, will ultimately pay a high price. Farming has become a fine-tuned science in every aspect with strong emphasis on managing and planning those factors that are controllable, highly-respected community leader and top Simmentaler breeder, Dr Kaire Mbuende, said yesterday.
Mbuende’s stud animals took home their fair share of trophies from the judging ring at the 50th Gobabis Show that ends this weekend.
Mbuende, who also observed the general condition of livestock at the Omaheke Trade Fair in the Legare Stadium, expressed his gratitude to all participating farmers. “Especially more so while they are battling with one of the worst droughts in many years,” he said in an interview with New Era.
Mbuende said from speaking to various farmers from the area, it becomes clear that there are those that were forced to sell off animals because of lack of grazing and a cash-strapped situation due to the drought eating away at their finances.
“Every drought claims its victims. Every drought also serves as a warning and a reminder of the importance of proper farm management. Farming is a business, and it has become a delicate science due to the fact that the farmer is actually only in control of some factors. Farmers are not in control of rainfall, nor of fuel prices or the availability of grazing; they are not even in control of the fetching price of their animals. But farmers are in control of their planning and management schemes and the way they implement and maintain these plans, especially in times of drought,” he said.
Mbuende said a well-oiled management plan will prevent farmers from panicking at the first sight of a drought and guide them towards selective selling of good stock to ensure they keep their core stock to see them through difficult times.
“Those farmers that succeeded in doing so are the ones that are now financially still strong and the strong ones take advantage of the situation. They are capable of buying prime stock at sometimes ridiculous prices from panicking farmers. The strong ones will eventually get lean animals for low prices into mint condition and sell them at sky-high prices. While this is happening, the farmers who sold hastily due to various factors will also pay the price and find themselves sitting high and dry after the drought subsides,” Mbuende said.
He said every farmer in the country is right now praying for the rains of the new season to come. “We do it every year, but some of us got spoiled over the past decade with good consecutive rain seasons, and I get the impression that they forgot that Namibia is always prone to hard-hitting droughts like the one we are experiencing now. Those farmers who constantly plan and manage their stock and grazing properly are able to survive even two consecutive droughts. It’s a tough job that depends on many scientific factors but with proper management of genetics, veld conditions and the awareness of climate changes, we can do it.
“A drought is not the end of the world, but it has devastating consequences for all farmers. Those that are prepared and well-managed will survive. Namibian farmers are a tough lot, and we will see this one through as well, and hopefully learn an important lesson,” he concluded.
By Deon Schlechter