Smart farms

: 14 March 2019; Hits: 13943

Murang’a farmer feeds cows with yeast, improves milk production by up to three litres a day

Dairy zero grazing

Murang’a County County farmer Boniface Mwangi has been recording gradual increase of milk from one litre to two litres over time to three litres a day after consistently mixing yeast with commercial feeds.

“Yeast expels oxygen from the digestive system of the cattle, making anaerobic bacteria to increase in number. Bacteria that live in the digestive system without oxygen support breaking down of food, therefore, no nutrient waste,” said Mwangi.

He buys 10 jericans of 20 litres of yeast in two weeks from kenya Breweries Limited’s Murang’a branch at Sh200 each. This is enough to last for about a month and a half.

According to Richard Webster Nutrition Limited (RWN), a UK online agriculture repository, yeasts boost feed conversion by between 10 per cent and 15 per cent resulting to one litre to two litres milk increase.

With consistency, the milk conversion can hit three litres, the site adds. Yeast raised the stomach PH by reducing acidity, therefore, making digestion efficient.

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Although he has not subjected the milk to content analysis, he said the quality has improved as he could tell from the taste.

RWN adds that the total feed dry matter intake goes up by about two kilos, translating to more milk, healthy and fertile cows.

Because of the increased intake of dry matter, cows take in more water.

Mwangi said two kilogrammes of feeds are mixed with half a litre of the yeast.

“I may not have concrete support for my claim, but I believe that, yeast being a b- product of alcohol, the liquor elements relax the cow. When a cow in relaxed, more prolactin is released to excite the mammary glands to produce more milk,” he said.

Prolactin is one of the main hormones that enhance production of milk.

Mwangi can be contacted on +254704622279.

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: 14 March 2019; Hits: 12438

How farmers can multiply clean banana planting material from existing plants instead of buying

Farmers can multiply clean banana planting material from existing plants in their farms instead of buying to save on production costs.

According to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, the cost of one banana seedling is Sh100 for Giant Cavendish variety, Grand Nain, Mbogoya, Uganda green and Aloe Vera while Vanilla costs Sh200 per seedling.

Giant Cavendish, Grand Nain and Mbogoya are used for ripening while Uganda green is cooked, Aloe Vera is used for cosmetics and Vanilla acts as a spice.

Banana is one of the staple foods in Kenya besides maize; however, its production has been declining due to poor management practices and lack of clean planting materials.

Banana yields dropped from 1.8m metric tonnes in 2016 to 742,000 metric tonnes in 2017 according to the 2018 Economic Survey Report releases by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics last year.

Farmers can increase yields therefore by planting clean disease free material from healthy selected plants in their farms.

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banana planting

As for the sword sucker, select a healthy plant (30 to 100cm or one to three feet high with narrow leaves. For the maiden sucker, select a healthy plant of about 1.5m for taller varieties and one meter for high for medium varieties.

Remove all the roots and cut off parts showing any signs of disease or insect damage from the selected suckers’ e.g. pale or yellow leaves.

Treat the suckers by heating water to 55 degrees Celsius and then dip the suckers in it for 20 minutes.

Fill quarter drum containers with clean sawdust and sprinkle water on them and place the suckers in the middle to ensure the dust cover the corm (rhizome). After six days, suckers will grow from the rhizome.

Prepare a nursery bed and apply compost manure. Apply mulch with dry grass to keep the soil moist then cut off the suckers and plant in the nursery. Water the suckers twice during the first week and once a day for the next two weeks to allow root growth.

Transplant the suckers to the field after four to six months. At planting, space the plants nine feet by nine feet on holes measuring three feet by three feet. Separate the sub soil from the soil and mix two wheelbarrows’ of farm yard manure per hole, 200g of DAP or TSP and nematicide (Mocap or bionematon) to control nematodes in the bananas.

Put the mixture back in the hole up to two feet. Cut the plastic bag or drum holding the seedling ensuring that the root plug does not break. Plant the seedling firmly in the moisture and pour 40 liters of water at planting.

Once grown, pour 20 liters of water in a week. To prevent weeds, apply mulch by placing dry grass six inches away from the plant or intercropping with leguminous crops such as beans.

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: 13 March 2019; Hits: 13357

Mulching saves farmers Sh15,100 in maize production costs

Maize farmers who apply mulch in their farms can save more than Sh15,100 in production costs per acre.

“Mulching reduces disturbance of the soil as well as gradually increasing fertility with time. It entails use of dead matter such as maize stalks to recycle and conserve soil fertility and moisture in addition to smothering weeds,” said Festus Mutemi, an agribusiness officer.

A farmer requires about Sh6,000 for two rounds of tillage per acre ahead of maize planting. Planting with a single or no tillage saves a farmer Sh3,000 or Sh6,000 respectively.

Minimum tillage also reduces land disturbance, therefore, encouraging microbial activities which refine the soil texture. Active micro-organisms in the soil break down organic matter, converting it into nutrients ready for absorption by crops.

Decaying plants are rich in phosphate and potassium nutrients.

Maize stalks are some of the richest mulching materials with a possibility of returning up to 60 per cent of the total nutrient value after decaying.

Other organisms like earthworms in the soil boost air circulation besides breaking hard particles into simple components while regular tillage exposes them onto harsh conditions especially direct sunlight which may kill them.

It is one irrigation in two months with polythene mulching

Plastic mulching technology for enhanced yields

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Njuguna Mwaniki of Kenya Seed Company demonstrating how mulching is done in maize farming. Farmbiz Africa

"Practicing conservation agriculture with time reduces soil demand for replenishment of nutrients with chemical fertilisers in planting and top dressing," said Mutemi, who is attached to Machakos County Department of Agriculture.

According to the Kenya Seed Company, a farmer requires 120kg of double ammonium phosphate (DAP) for two and half acres (one hectare) of maize.

In one acre, a farmer needs 48kg of DAP during planting while 100kg of nitrogenous fertilisers like NPK are required for top dressing.

A farmer saves between Sh1,700 (on subsidy) and Sh2,300 that was to be spent on buying 50kg fertiliser.

Mulching in the maize field smothers weeds. Weeding of one acre requires at least Sh2,000 per a round. Two weeding rounds require double the amount, the officer said.

As the mulch is also rotting, it adds more organic matter to the soil, which binds the particles.

For regions where farmers require irrigation, mulch and cover crops help conserve water moisture by reducing direct heating.

“Regular tillage increases soil erosion due to lose soil. This leads to draining of top nutrient-rich soil, leaving a hard pan,” he said.

Intercropping with leguminous crops like beans abs clovers helps in nitrogen fixation.

The soil gets nitrogen from the legumes while phosphorus and potassium come from the dead decaying matter.

For two tillage rounds, a farmers saves Sh6,000 on the lowest side. Two weeding rounds save about Sh4,000. On the three 50kg fertiliser required for planting and top dressing, the farmer saves about Sh5,100.

Kenya Seed Company agronomist Njuguna Mwaniki at a maize mulching demonstration farm in Machakos County show ground

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