The Sunday Mail
Word From The Market
Chipo Tachiona
FARMERS need knowledge.
They often do not know if a season’s worth of rain will be excellent or bad, what prices they will get for their produce and whether diseases would affect their livestock. Although farmers cannot control these hazards, some, especially those who consider farming as a business, create strategies to manage risks or minimise damage.
There are many things to think about when running a cattle business.
While food and shelter are essential, tools, machinery, safety precautions and routine maintenance are also necessary.
The problem is that, on a farm, one incident can set off a chain of issues, which, before you realise it, endanger the entire enterprise.
A disaster could be just around the corner unless the farmer is aware of the hazards and how to mitigate them.
Below are some of the risks that are associated with cattle farming and how to minimise them.
Diseases: A cattle disease like foot-and-mouth can diminish herd fertility. It can also result in weaker herd structures. The disease affects access to markets as well. Theileriosis (January disease), on the other hand, can wipe out a whole herd.
Injuries: In most cases, cattle are exposed to many potential sources of harm in pastures and feedlots.
Even if cattle succeed in avoiding harm from feed bunks, fences, corral panels, waterers and machinery, they can potentially harm each other, for example, through bull fights.
Natural disasters: Natural disasters have the potential to seriously affect farmers, as droughts, floods and lightning can ruin both crops and livestock.
Rustling: Cattle theft has become rampant in recent months despite efforts by law-enforcement agents to intensify operations. Cattle rustling negatively impacts livestock trade and affects farmers’ livelihoods.
Managing the risks
As part of risk management of the foot-and-mouth disease, measures should be put in place to lessen the possibility of an outbreak by preventing incursions and immediately detecting them when they occur, as well as preparing to minimise the damage in the event of an outbreak.
Regular and correct cattle dipping will reduce the risk of cattle contracting tick-borne diseases such as theileriosis.
Insurance
Untimely cattle deaths can cripple a farming business. The livestock insurance scheme has evolved as a form of security for cattle owners in recent years. With increased regularity of unpredictable weather patterns, farmers should approach insurance companies and insure their livestock to safeguard against losses. Insurance forms and promotional materials should be made available in local languages to spread awareness of the schemes.
Security
Farms can cover large areas of land and it can be difficult to make them completely secure. Farmers are advised to keep hedges, fences and gates in good repair.
Criminals usually switch to an easier target if they find a farm well secured.
Farmers should also invest in good lighting and, if affordable, consider installing a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system on the farm, at the sheds and pens.
Never feed animals in confinement or at the gate. Do not let your cattle become accustomed to eating in working pens or close to the pasture entrance. This merely teaches the cattle to congregate in an area where it is easy for criminals to pounce.
Branding
Livestock branding is a technique where livestock are marked for easy identification. An identifiable brand on a cow makes it less appealing to thieves. Ear tags, earmarks, tattoos, freeze branding and microchips are all examples of tagging.
At various intervals during the day, feed or check on the cattle. Avoid developing a routine that would make it simple for criminals to predict.
Cattle tracking has also become a reality because of significant advancements in technologies.
With livestock-tracking GPS devices, a farmer can monitor animals from any location with ease. This also helps the farmer know the cattle grazing patterns, as well as the time employees open the kraal, among other useful information.
An application for tracking livestock has been developed by a University of Zimbabwe student studying computer science.
It can serve as a digital deterrent against stock theft and inform farmers about the health of their animals.
The livestock application has several capabilities that enable the monitoring of animal movements, as well as measuring body temperature to determine their health.
Chipo Tachiona is Farmyard Investments co-director. Word from the Market is a column produced by the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) to promote market-driven production. Feedback [email protected] or WhatsApp/Call +263781706212.
