AGRICULTURAL
meat is the end product.
Each of these production systems require
particular management knowledge about
health, feed, biological productivity,
record-keeping, marketing and risk man-
agement, in addition to basic similar cattle
management practices, in order to be
successful.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?
The advantages of a cattle component as
part of grain farming are as follows:
➊ Diversification or mitigation of general
risks, but particularly price risk: Grain
and specifically maize and milling
products such as Hominy Chop, are
the primary source of energy for ani-
mals in South Africa. A low grain price
is a favourable price f or animal produc-
tion.
➋ Optimal utilisation of land: Natural graz-
ing on overlapping land - or planted
grazing on marginal land for grain pro-
duction can be used productively for
animal production.
➌ Additional sources of feed: The basic
resource determined for the capacity
of animal production, is feed. Grain
farming provides different sources of
feed, which are not at the cost of grain
production and which can be used
productively for animal production.
➍ Capacity for feed production: Silage is
at the cost of grain production, but can
be used as a feed bank for the cattle
component in a strategic and cost-ef-
fective manner.
➎ Effective utilisation of resources: Animal
production requires specialised equip-
ment, but some equipment, labour and
management capacity used for grain
farming can also be used for the cattle
component.
➏ Efficient financial management: An ani-
mal factor enables the farmer to man-
age cash flow, income tax and costs
more effectively.
KNOWLEDGE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
REQUIRED
An animal production component requires
specific equipment, infrastructure and
knowledge. The following should typically
be taken into account:
• Handling facilities such as a loading
bay, handling pens and crush, fencing
off with wire fences, and walkways,
food and water troughs.
• Feed handling and processing equip-
ment such as grass-cutting and baling
machines, silage cutters (can also be
outsourced), feed loading and trans-
porting equipment, milling equipment to
process grain and/or roughage, storage
facilities for feed.
• Labourers trained in the handling of
cattle and who are naturally attuned to
working with animals for daily supervi-
sion and management.
• Specific knowledge regarding animal
production management and manage-
ment capacity to make strategic and
correct decisions on a timely basis.
AVAILABLE SOURCE OF FEED
The primary resource which will deter-
mine the size of the cattle component, is
the available feed quantity. The following
sources are typically produced by grain
farmers, which can be utilised for animal
production:
• Maize and milling products such as
Hominy Chop, when grain is available
on the farm or in the area.
• Baled crop residue removed from the
fields and stored and fed as roughage.
• Crop residue on the field which can be
grazed after the harvesting process.
• Natural grazing on marginal soil and/or
headland (wenakkers) which is cut as
hay.
• Planted grazing which can be pro-
duced on marginal or unsuitable land
for grain production.
• Green grazing grazing as annual
crops, planted on fields for strategic
reasons, such as rotational cropping.
• Stower or dried maize which can be
milled as feed.
• Silage from maize cut in a limited area,
stored and fed throughout the year.
As soon as a decision has been made on
the best feed sources, it will be necessary
to calculate the realistic quantities and
availability of each source throughout the
year. This information is the basis of a feed
flow programme for the animal production
system being chosen and will determine
the number of animals to be fed with a
specific source(s) of feed. It will also deter-
mine the feed supplements to be used in
order to be able to provide balanced feed,
thereby ensuring maximum production.
Om die produktiwiteit van produksiestelsels
vir beeste te verbeter.
Adviesdiens vir herkouervoeding
Voerprosessering, voedingsbestuur en formulering
van voere vir volhoubare produksieprestasie
Formuleer en verskaf konsentrate om formulasies te
komplimenteer
Dr. Kobus Swart 083 262 0946 • [email protected]
SENWES SCENARIO | WINTER 2018
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