Forages Before During After Pastures Before During After
Forages
Before

Soil test at least once every three years and apply nutrients as outlined in OMAFA Publication 30: Guide to Forage Production.
In perennial hay fields, establish species that tolerate dry conditions, such as alfalfa, reed canarygrass, orchardgrass, and tall fescue.
Include warm-season crops in the farm’s forage plan, such as corn, sorghum-sudangrass, or millet.
Consider if Forage Rainfall Insurance offered by Agricorp is the right business risk management tool to help protect your farm’s forage supply.

During

Scout alfalfa for potato leafhoppers and act if populations exceed the threshold.
If the alfalfa is tall enough to justify cutting and a 30- to 35-day harvest interval can be maintained, it can be cut. When rains return alfalfa will regrow from the crown.
Do not cut red clover or birdsfoot trefoil during a drought, as this will thin the stand.
For extra fall forage after winter wheat harvest, seed oats at 90 kg/ha (80 lbs/acre) and apply 55 kg/ha (50 lbs/acre) of nitrogen.
Call Agricorp (1-888-247-4999) to change the purpose of cereal or grain corn crops before harvesting them as forage. Check the labels of any crop protection products applied for feeding/forage restrictions.

Cereals before heading can be put up as baleage. Between milk and soft dough stage they can be chopped and put up in a silo (like corn silage).
Soybeans are difficult to ensile and are not recommended for boosting forage inventories on short notice.
Canola and other brassicas will not store as forage.

For extra forage in early spring, seed fall rye or winter triticale at 110 kg/ha (100 lbs/acre) after soybeans or silage corn harvest. Apply 55-80 kg/ha (50-70 lbs/acre) of nitrogen in the spring at green up.

After

Beware of silo gases!
Test forages for nutritional value and nitrates. Work with a nutritionist to balance rations, dilute nitrates, and “stretch” supplies if inventory is a concern.
Reduce storage losses:

In dry hay by storing it off the ground or on a well-drained base and keeping it under cover (either tarped or in a shed).
In baleage by checking the plastic for holes and promptly taping them closed. Mow grass near bales stored outside to reduce rodent pressure.
In haylage by packing the crop to at least 80 g DM/L (15 lbs DM/ft3), and completely sealing the silo.

Minimize feed-out losses:

Use a feeder to reduce forage waste.
Promptly remove spoiled feed from feeders and bunks.

Feed dry silage in January/February to counteract heating and minimize the risk of fire.

Pastures
Before

Train all livestock to respect an electric fence.
Soil test at least once every five years and apply nutrients to maintain results above 12 ppm P and 120 ppm K.
Establish species that tolerate dry conditions, such as alfalfa, reed canarygrass, orchardgrass, tall fescue, and creeping red fescue.
Implement a rotational grazing system on your farm.
Consider if Forage Rainfall Insurance offered by Agricorp is the right business risk management tool to help protect your farm’s forage supply.

During

If you are not rotationally grazing, start!
Leave 7.5-10 cm (3-4 in.) of residual grass after each grazing event.
Lengthen the amount of rest each paddock receives, so the grass plants have more time to grow 4-5 new leaves before re-grazing. Some ways to lengthen the rest period:

Combine groups of animals into one herd/flock.
Increase stocking density by offering livestock less space at a time and moving them more frequently.
Increase the number of grazed acres by using hayfield regrowth and diversifying your grazing (below).
Feed supplemental forage on pasture before livestock run out of grass.
If you run out of grazing, pull livestock off the pasture and feed them stored forage until the pasture has recovered.

Diversify your grazing:

Grain crop stubble can be good grazing for dry cows/ewes.
Cover crops can be excellent grazing. Some species are not safe for livestock to eat, while others can pose health risks if not managed carefully. Research the species in the mix before grazing.
Grain and oilseed crops may be grazed if the change of use is approved by Agricorp (1-888-247-4999). Check the labels of any crop protection products applied for grazing restrictions. Animal health risks increase once crops start grain fill. Research how to safely graze grain and oilseed crops before starting.

After

Apply 55-85 kg/ha (50-75 lbs/acre) of nitrogen to grass pastures in the early fall to encourage tillering.

Ethiopia’s leading animal husbandry international tradeshow enjoyed more than 3000 attendees, making all exhibitors satisfied with the result (quality and quantity of visitors).

Collocating the 29^th Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP) annual conference with the trade fair enabled researchers, Academia, and policymakers to meet in one platform with private sector stakeholders operating along the entire animal husbandry value-chain. 

The event was officially opened by high-ranking representatives of Ethiopian government officials and different foreign ambassadors. H.E. Dr. Fikru Regassa, State Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, said, “this trade fair creates a platform for all key stakeholders in the whole livestock value chain to meet, discuss and transact business that can improve productivity in the sector. He also mentioned that the government had set plenty of incentives for those who show interest in working and growing in the sector besides encouraging already established livestock producers to expand their production capacity and start value addition schemes to benefit themselves and the nation, in general serve the African market.

Despite having one of the largest cattle populations in Africa, Ethiopia has been struggling for years to fulfill the sector’s potential. Worldwide, five of agriculture’s top ten commodities are animal-sourced, said Dr. Daniel Temesgen, President – Ethiopian Society of Animal Production. In Africa alone, the market value for animal-sourced foods is expected to rise to USD151billion by 2050. He added that Ethiopia can unleash the huge potential to become a leader in livestock production in the World by acting now, together, and coherently.

According to Mr. Rinus Vann Klinken, Project Manager of SNV BRIDGE, the dairy processors have reached a capacity of processing 340,000 liters of milk per day from 250,000 liters of milk per day within a year. However, 340,000 liters of milk per day for a population of 117 million people is not very much, but it is a gross percentage of 20%. Thus the target is to reach a capacity of processing 1 million liters per day, which is also the ambition of the Ministry, which benefits both businesses and consumers.

The 10^th Ethio Poultry Expo (Ethiopex), and 5^th African Livestock Exhibition and Congress (ALEC) enabled 3000+ trade visitors from 20 countries to communicate with 50+ exhibitors from 6 countries. Their business conversations led to sales leads, knowledge sharing, and strong business relationships.

Even though the event industry faced many challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the outcome was unexpectedly achieving a remarkable success! The exhibitors were very happy, as a satisfying number of targeted participants visited their booth to continue discussions on existing and new projects.

International companies that recognize the huge potential of Ethiopia – like Aviagen, BigDuthman, Lohman, Babolna Tetra, Trouw Nutrition, and AVICO has participated in the trade fair with the objective of creating a network with the industry stakeholders and promoting their modern equipment’s and products as well as building their brand in the fastest-growing market. The show gives them the perfect platform to meet customers, which they have missed for the last two years due to COVID – 19.

Most of the local participants are very happy to get back to physical shows that enable them to reconnect with industry players and explore new partnership opportunities.

Following the success of the physical event, the organizers also announced a three-month-long series of the online trade fair that is going to take place from 08 November to 29 January. With a more significant number of people realizing the benefits of Digital Trade fairs, it’s highly likely for virtual events to become a permanent fixture in future marketing strategies. Virtual events offer the opportunity for attendees to browse content at their own pace and zoom in on the topics of their choosing much faster.

Register at https://virtual.africanlivestock.net/ You can Participate in the Virtual AFRICAN LIVESTOCK EXHIBITION AND CONGRESS (ALEC) AND ETHIO POULTRY EXPO (ETHIOPEX) using the following link

https://virtual.africanlivestock.net/

Listeriosis is a bacterial disease caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteria is ubiquitous in the environment and survives well in moist soil for about one year. In domestic animals the disease is most important in ruminants and most commonly seen during winter months when animals are being fed silage. Listeriosis is usually acquired from feeding of poor quality or poorly fermented silage. However, it can still occur in animals on pasture, and infection almost always results from ingestion of the bacteria.

Listeria has a predilection for the central nervous system and more specifically the brainstem, with encephalitis being the most common presentation. The organism invades via breaks in the buccal membrane often linked to shedding and replacement of teeth, from where it then ascends the trigeminal nerve. Any practice that may damage the oral cavity such as dosing injuries or the feeding hard concentrate feed can also potentially predispose to infection.

While animals suffering from Listeriosis can demonstrate a range of symptoms, in cattle and sheep the condition is mainly seen as a nervous disease or encephalitis showing symptoms such as depression, head tilt, paralysis of facial muscles causing an inability to eat, and possibly death. A number of other presentations such as abortions and the birth of weak calves/lambs, or a systemic infection resulting in septicaemia with miliary abscesses throughout body organs can manifest. Other less common conditions can also present such as conjunctivitis most likely caused by dust from feed, endocarditis and mastitis.

To read more How farmers can tackle listeriosis!