The Sunday News
Mhlupheki Dube
LAST week, I attended the national bull sale in Harare. This is a premier event for the livestock farmers in general and bull pedigree breeders in particular. It is an event which any livestock enthusiast should not miss, especially so for the smallholder livestock farmers who seek inspiration to make it in the industry.
I picked a number of lessons from the event which I intend to share. First and foremost one immediate lesson that one picks when moving around the show stands is that we have passionate stud breeders in this country. These are farmers who are able to produce top-notch animals even under the difficult economic environment.
These are farmers who are fully aware that besides the economic benefits that accrue to them as individuals from their production, they are also contributing to the larger national outlook. One breeder from Bulawayo brought 19 bulls to the show as well as some heifers. This against the cash and currency transitional problems that we are experiencing.
This, to me shows great dedication to the livestock industry. The guys could have easily withheld their bulls and sold them at farm gate using farmer to farmer negotiated currency. Not exactly a legal process but one being adopted by most livestock farmers anyway.
It was therefore, no wonder that this Bulawayo breeder had highest selling bull at $17 200 because this vindicates the level of commitment and passion that the breeders have. I wish to appreciate the quality of bulls across different breeds that breeders brought to the national bull sale. It was top-drawer stuff and you would struggle to make a decision if you are a new farmer trying to select a breed to major on. It is not in contest that the Brahman is by far the most popular breed in Zimbabwe.
It had the highest number of bulls present and it sold highest. However, other breeds like the Beefmaster, Tuli, Simmental and the Boran gave a good account of themselves. Just to mention a few. Another lesson coming from the national bull sale is that the adoption of estimated breeding values (EBVs) as basis for performance measurement among stud breeders is picking up.
The Tuli society is leading in this aspect with Tuli breeders providing comprehensive EBVs for their animals.
Some breeders have not embraced this concept and one might suggest that the Zimbabwe Herd Book should be more stringent on breeders without adequate performance records.
There was a sizeable number of animals on sale but which had blanks on the catalogue in terms of the performance records.
Records should inform buyers and help them to make inferences on what they are buying.
It was also refreshing to see the support given to the national bull sale by other exhibitors especially from the input suppliers.
Farmers had the opportunity to learn and compare products on offer by the various private sector players who were exhibiting.
It was, however, surprising to note that the price of stock feed, pen feeding meal had a price difference of up to $53.
The basic composition of the stock feed is usually the same in terms of crude proteins and other nutrients, the packaging is of the same size, that is 50-kilogramme bags.
What then necessitates such differences in prices? Perhaps it’s about time we ask for standardisation of the stock feed manufacturing so that we do not get outrageous price differences.
New innovations were showcased, like the mobile spray race for dipping animals. This is something that has been in the market for a while but it’s always nice to have a local company producing and promoting it. Another product on display which I found interesting and handy for most farmers was the herbicide for controlling bush encroachment.
Traditionally herbicides are used for controlling weeds in crops but this one is for controlling shrubs and bushes you do not need in your veld. This will prevent or manage bush encroachment and hence ensure that you have enough grass species on your veld thereby increasing your carrying capacity.
I have seen a lot of small-scale farms that have reduced their carrying capacity drastically because of increase in woody species in the veld. This product could help such farmers to reclaim their farms! In conclusion the national bull sale is a premier event for livestock farmers especially pedigree breeders. It is my suggestion that higher institutions of learning will benefit a lot by taking their students to attend such events. In fact, if you are a breeding lecturer and you and your students do not attend such an event, what are you teaching each other?
Uyabonga umntaka MaKhumalo.
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