HARVEST MONEY | EXPO | MILK

KAMPALA - For a cow to produce enough milk, it must have a proper and comfortable shed. 

According to Hussein Kato Walusimbi, the livestock nutrition researcher at National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), cows get stressed the same way human beings do and the consequences are similar in terms of how productive they will become while under such a condition. 

Walusimbi advised that it is important for farmers to construct an open-sided, simple slope roof shed to cater for appropriate conditions for grazing of the animals, which will enable their udders to produce more milk as a result of being stress-free. (All Photos by Maria Wamala)

“I want you to imagine a scenario where students in a school are put in a dining hall that is supposed to accommodate 500 students, but this room is serving 2,000 students, the kind of stress that these students go through at that time is the same stress that cows dumped in a poorly-constructed shed for a full year go through,” he said. 

Walusimbi made this revelation while facilitating the training on dairy-keeping on Saturday, February 11 at the seventh edition of the Harvest Money expo that had the theme, Farming as a business-post Harvest and Value Addition. 

WFarmers were told that cows get stressed the same way human beings do and the consequences are similar in terms of how productive they will become while under such a condition.

The three-day exhibition that took place at Kololo Independence Grounds hosted a variety of experts in different agronomical fields; including poultry, piggery, goat rearing, bee-keeping, coffee production, urban farming and fishing, who trained participants in value addition to agricultural produce to make money from it. 

Walusimbi said most farmers have failed to understand that they are the reason their animals produce low milk because of how carelessly they accommodate them in terms of shelter and feeding. 

Farmers were told that cows get stressed the same way human beings do and the consequences are similar in terms of how productive they will become while under such a condition.

Walusimbi noted: “The animals need to feel comfortable after feeding, if a cow does not sit, you should be able to tell that it is stressed, and once it remains standing, it is mostly likely going to produce less milk even if it has eaten to its satisfaction.” 

He noted that unfortunately, most farmers believe that animal-rearing is not profitable and consider it a mere tradition and yet those who know the importance of comfort and good feeding in animals are usually eager to venture into the industry after retirement because they are sure they will earn as much as they earned while still engaged in gainful employment. 

An expo goer tours some of the livestock feeds at the expo.

Walusimbi, therefore, advised that it is important for farmers to construct an open-sided, simple slope roof shed to cater for appropriate conditions for grazing of the animals, which will enable their udders to produce more milk as a result of being stress-free.  

The expo, organised by Vision Group, was sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Agriculture Ministry, National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), Pepsi, Engineering Solutions Ltd (ENGSOL), RIELA/UPFRONT, Agricultural Credit faculty, Uganda warehouse Receipt Systems Authority, Champrisa International and State House.

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Hundreds attended the training.

Several livestock feeds were exhibited.

Different trainers trained expo goers.