Deon Schlechter
WINDHOEK - After the drought, it is time for the primary resources to recover and to be followed by accelerated livestock production after an adequate lag period. Advantage is to be taken of the good years to cater to the demands of the tough years. It’s a perpetual cycle of boom and gloom but much better than a terminal boom and bust.
These words of wisdom come from Dr Axel Rothauge, a Namibian Animal Scientist and Rangeland Specialist with 34 years professional experience and owner of the consultancy company AgriConsult Namibia. The consultancy specialises in sustainable agriculture and natural resource management and utilisation. It aims to stimulate and contribute to the agricultural development of Namibia, especially in its densely-populated communal areas and focusing on adding value to natural resource products.
He says communal pastoralists often don’t do anything in response to the drought. Numerous Southern African studies have shown that this is often the most rational response given the constraints they face.
If unallocated grazing is still available, moving livestock there is also viable. Supplementing communal livestock during or purchasing replacement stock after a drought is, by comparison, less feasible coping strategies.
Commercial farmers do not face the same constraints and have many options. Renting grazing by moving livestock to farms less affected by drought is the most feasible response. Selling the maximum number of livestock early and grazing the small remainder on the farm is feasible financially but has grave ecological consequences.
The next−best option is to supplement the smallest possible number of livestock in a kraal. Kraal−feeding is expensive but protects the farm’s long−term grazing. An accumulated fodder bank makes this option more economical but buying in drought feed easily leads to bankruptcy if feeding exceeds three to four months.
Farmers forced to start feeding, with the first rains only expected in December (five months) hence, may be better off selling all livestock and mothballing the farm until rains resume.
“Feed only young pregnant cows since they can repay drought feeding over their next three to four calving opportunities. Old or barren cows should be sold off. Replacement heifers should only be retained and fed if they are of superior value, as the young cows fed will not have to be replaced soon. Males should not be fed but sold off and replaced after the drought,” he explains.
The same applies to sheep. Goats can be allowed to roam drought-stricken veld as browse is usually less affected than grass. Supplement them with 50 to 100g whole maize grain per goat strewn on the ground every second day.
Ruminants can survive a drought despite losing considerable body mass. Weaners can lose 20 percent of their mass during a drought and catch up afterward by compensatory growth. Adults can lose up to 33 percent of their mass (body condition score = 2/5) without long−term ill effect. Weight loss during gestation should be limited to 15 percent in young and 22 percent in mature females.
“Supplement poor quality grass hay with 15 percent maize, five percent high−protein concentrates like oilseed meal, four percent molasses and one percent urea, thus providing bypass and rumen−degradable protein to ensure proper digestive metabolism. Bush meal can be substituted for grass hay but is less effective at keeping livestock alive until December,” he advises.
Concentrate−based survival rations should contain at least 25 percent roughage such as bush meal and 67 percent maize, five percent oilseed meal, 1,5 percent urea and 1,5 percent minerals (mainly feed lime). Maize should be coarsely milled or fed whole. Cows mated in summer are pregnant for the entire kraal−feeding period and require better drought feed (like this concentrate−based ration), especially during late pregnancy and early lactation.
Nonpregnant ruminants have to eat the equivalent of 1,5 percent of their body mass each day to survive, but pregnant females need 33 percent and lactating females 50−60 percent more.
“When the drought breaks, continue kraal−feeding livestock until perennial grasses flower. Then introduce kraal−fed animals to systematically increased periods of daily grazing over seven to 10 days before ceasing kraal−feeding completely,” he concludes.