By Deon Schlechter
WINDHOEK – Agra ProVision’s hugely popular farmers’ days under the theme Winter Supplementation in conjunction with Feedmaster is now moving to the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs) where hundreds of farmers are expected to attend these information days.
The first will take place on August 5 at the Kavango Regional Council Auditorium in Rundu. This will be followed by a information day on August 7 in the Community Hall in Onghumbula in the Okankolo Constituency and on August 8, farmers will gather at AgriTrading in Okahao in the Omusati Region. With these gatherings, Agra ProVison strives to make life easier for farmers in the NCAs by providing them with expert advice on winter supplementation. By participating, communal farmers also stand a chance of winning a set of winter supplements.
The so-called “Winter Blues” for livestock farmers has been the focus of Agra ProVision since this last month when Christo du Plessis, Marketing Manager of Feedmaster, gave a presentation on winter supplementation based on a research conducted on Namibian rangeland about three years ago. So far, these meetings have attracted a diverse audience, from livestock producers and financial institutions to agricultural feed producers.
According to du Plessis, the research was carried out to determine what nutrients need to be supplemented in the sandy and rocky veld areas. The results from the research revealed that in summer there is more protein than needed, whereas in winter, there is a need for more protein which is lacking on the rangeland. This means that in the summer season, food intake takes half a day to digest, whereas in winter, it takes about three days for the livestock to digest. He concludes that “based on this research, Feedmaster developed feed supplements which are tailored to the needs of Namibian livestock” further advising producers to use the right supplements for the livestock in their areas, based on the nutrients which are lacking. A product guide with all types of supplements by Feedmaster was then distributed to the audience for reference.
The theme, winter supplementation was introduced to the audiences by Erastus Ngaruka, Junior Technical Advisor for Animal Production at Agra ProVision answering the question: “Why do we feed animals?” He emphasised the need to feed the lacking minerals during the winter season and the diseases to watch out for. He cautioned the producers not to substitute the natural resources (rangeland) with the feed supplementation, as supplementation caters for the missing nutrients. “A winter recipe should enable animals to maintain optimal body condition and health; enable them to walk long distances in search of food and water and enhance the ability of the digestive system to utilize the available feeds,” he said.
Participants are also updated on the progress of Vocational Education and Training (VET) to be registered under the National Training Authority (NTA) by Dr Peter Lenhardt, Advisor of Agriculture at ProVET.