22 January 2024
Changing weather patterns and climate change show that Southern Africa and Namibia will steadily become drier.
Continuous droughts and the impact of climate change on natural grazing and carrying capacity, coupled with low product prices and high feed prices, mean livestock farmers will be forced to reconsider production practices.
Effective production and feeding practices need to be explored for solutions to survive droughts. These includes pasture management within altered carrying capacity norms, bush clearing and the introduction of seeds to improve carrying capacity.
Cow/ewe efficiency must be measured in kilograms of the calf/lamb weaned per large stock unit/small stock unit (LSU/SSU). Other things to measure include feed conversion efficiency in calves/lambs, calf/lamb intervals, wool production, and the longevity and lifetime reproduction of female animals.
Lastly, precision feeding practices should focus on the animals’ needs during specific production stages to maximise the nutritional margin.
Field management
The success of economic supplements is largely determined by effective field management. Goals are needed to ensure consistent production of quality, as well as sustainability of natural resources. This can be achieved through effective utilisation of fields with sufficient rest periods that include time for seed production, seed establishment, seedling growth and the removal of dormant plant material.
Nutritional management also involves the relationship between the input cost of supplementary feeding (derived from raw material prices) and the output price of wool, meat and weaned lambs/calves. This determines the maximum margin zone or the optimal level of supplementary feeding. It is the zone where the margin will be the highest with given input costs and output income.
Practical tips
Practical steps the producer can take include:
- Drastically reducing stocking rates. Get rid of old cows/ewes, those that do not conceive, have poor conception rates or are non-functional. Now is the time for a farmer to concentrate on functional animals that can generate income.
- Implementing recovery measures, such as the introduction of seeds, as well as the eradication of unwanted plants and the implementation of scientific grazing systems (camp systems developed for specific farm and production practices).
- Allowing animals to graze in small herds and in more camps during droughts. When it rains, larger herds can be formed and shifted to fields that will incur the least damage.
- Providing good nutrition for ewes or cows in lamb or calf.
- Creep feeding for lambs and calves.
- Straw/grass hay in rings for cattle as ad lib feed.
- Lucerne, chocolate maize or drought pellets two to three times a week for ewes.
- Early weaning and putting lambs in the feedlot and calves on backgrounding rations.
- Using cheaper lick options for ewes/cows and animals that are not in production. However, maintain body condition scores.
- Still provide stimulant lick in the mating season.
- Be cautious of feeding behaviour deviations in drought animals that can lead to metabolic nutritional disorders.
Lubern’s range of products is formulated to support precision feeding practices and achieve optimal production. Inquiries: Urbanus Badenhorst, Lubern Voere, 072 610 2223 or 082 510 7491.
