Avoid Overmilking: Can damage teat ends and compromise udder health

The traditional practice of milking all cows completely during each milking could be leading to teat damage in your herd.

Overmilking can damage teat ends and compromise udder health—putting cows at greater risk for infection. But a simple test can help you determine if you are over- or undermilking.

The recommendation to milk all cows completely—every time—has been revised due to recent research and field experience. It is impossible to milk a cow completely dry. There will always be some milk in the udder, even after “complete” milk out, because she is constantly making milk.

In the past, it was believed that all milk needed to be removed from the udder to maximize milk yield. However, breeding for high milk yields has provided cows with a high alveolar capacity. Due to this, cows are more efficient as milk producers.

Overmilking starts when the milk flow to the teat cistern is less than the flow out of the teat canal. Fluctuations within the mouthpiece chamber vacuum can occur. If the vacuum in the cistern is higher than beneath the teat, reverse pressure across the teat canal may increase bacterial infection.

Reverse pressure gradients occur only during milking of empty teats, and overmilking will therefore increase the possibility of bacteria entering the teat.

Teat-end health is also greatly affected by overmilking. Hyperkeratosis of the teat, which is a thickening of the skin that lines the teat canal and external orifice, is often experienced in herds with long unit-on times.

Hyperkeratosis doesn’t allow for teats to be thoroughly cleaned and can lead to bacteria being left behind—which also can lead to an increased somatic cell count.

The good news? A simple strip-yield test can evaluate the completeness of milking, and it can be done by anyone on the farm—either by hand or with a unit.

To test by hand, immediately after milking, hand strip each quarter for 15 seconds, collecting the milk in a container. A properly milked cow should have about 1 cup of milk left in the udder. If there is more or less, then a milk-out problem may exist on your farm.

Performing this test with a milking unit requires a little more precision and a milking meter. Reattach the milking unit within 30 seconds of automatic removal and apply downward pressure. Continue applying pressure for 15 seconds before removing the unit. Record the amount of milk that is harvested. Once again, about 1 cup of milk should be left in the udder.

If you discover a problem, many factors could be at fault. Milking machines must be properly maintained, and if automatic detachers are being used, adjust for timely removal of the milking unit. If your farm manually detaches units, employees must be more consistent in removing the unit as soon as “end of milking” is reached for each animal.

Timely unit attachment and proper let down, quiet cow handling and timely unit adjustment, and proper alignment are also critical.

A few simple steps can prevent overmilking and can help decrease your overall herd somatic cell count. By following these guidelines, your herd can reach optimum udder health.

Lucy Mwaniki has embraced mechanisation in her potato farming venture, boosting her yields.

Lucy Mwaniki, the owner of the two-acre potato farm, stands on the edge, near where several bags of harvested potatoes have been placed, looking at the ongoing work as she smiles.

She is among the few farmers in the potato growing region who have embraced mechanised farming.

“I have been using tractor-driven planters and harvesters for the last one year and so far I am happy because my costs have come down,” says the businesswoman.

The tractor, hired from Nyandarua county government, is fitted with the different machines to suit all stages of potato production.

The machine ploughs, plants, applies fertiliser and harvests, making her work much, much easier.

“My parents gave up on potato farming in 2015 and I began figuring out how to use the land,” she recalls.

While potato farming was her agribusiness of choice, she feared how she would manage the many workers associated with the farming yet she lives away in Naivasha.

She sought advice from agricultural extension officers on land preparation, seeds and management of the crop.

Lucy later bought pure Shangi variety seeds from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Organisation in Ol Joro Orok and planted for the first time in February last year.

Her initial capital was Sh260,000 that went on leasing the land from her parents at Sh25,000 a year, land preparation and buying of 40 50kg bags of seeds at Sh2,000 each.

EMBRACED MECHANISATION

The crop did well, but she spent Sh25,000 to pay 10 workers who harvested the produce for 10 days.

“This was besides the Sh1,500 I spent on fuel every day while driving from Naivasha to the farm. The harvesting stretched for 10 days because it was then raining and at some point, the workers refused to work and demanded that I must cook lunch for them,” she recalls, noting the food cost her an extra Sh3,500.

Due to delayed harvesting, she further had to hire people to sort out potatoes, some that had already started rotting or had blemishes.

“Since they were using hoes, some of the workers cut the potatoes rendering them unsaleable that I had to give them.”
She had targeted 300 50kg bags but ended up with 220 which she sold at Sh2,000 each to traders.

Later, she learnt that if she had used machines to do the work, she would only had paid Sh10,000, Sh5,000 per acre, for the work that would have taken three hours.

She has embraced mechanisation since then. Two weeks ago, she harvested 140 110kg bags of potatoes and 50 50kg bags of seeds, thanks to machines.

“Mechanised farming is the best way to overcome post-harvest losses and save time and money. The harvester does not cut potatoes minimising losses,” Margaret Mungai, an agricultural officer in the Nyandarua says.

She adds machines are sanitised and, therefore, cannot infect the soil unlike jembes which are used from one farm to the other.

“You cannot plant manually and try to mechanise the harvesting. It will not work. Use have to use machines all through,” she advises.

By RACHEL KIBUI

Nicholas Kirimi is making Shs. 20,000+ per month from 2 Friesian cow’s in Meru county Kenya

A few kilometres from Meru town, off the Kithirune market in Nkando village, South Imenti, sits a farm known as Home of Friesians.

The over half-acre farm owned by Nicholas Kirimi, 31, hosts a cowshed, napier grass, maize and sweet potato vines for the animals.

“Many people here keep cows as a tradition and concentrate on tea farming but I have taken a different path by commercialising my venture,” says Kirimi, who set on the project three years ago on the land he inherited from his grandfather.

He used his savings to buy two Friesian heifers at Sh50,000 each, and employed two workers to manage the project for him as he toiled in employment at the county government, where he works as a cameraman.

“I got the two workers because then I was green in farming. I learnt from them how to take care of the cows,” says Kirimi, who holds a diploma in photography.

He now has eight cows, seven which are Friesians and one an improved Ayrshire. He milks the two cows that he started with, getting 20 litres from each every day.

“I bought the Ayrshire to find out its production. If it will not be good when it calves, I will stick to Friesians.”

He has invested in a generator-driven chaff cutter which he uses to chop the napier grass and potato vines into smaller pieces.

PATIENCE AND RESILIENCE

“When I am feeding the cows with dry maize stalks, I add molasses to make them palatable. I also feed them dairy meal to boost milk production for those that are lactating. I offer them the bulk of the feeds in the morning and little amounts in the afternoon.”

With dairy farming, he notes he can choose where to supply his milk.

“Tea farmers at times have to sell their produce at low prices to avoid incurring more losses. But with the milk, I can add value if I feel the prices do not favour me,” says Kirimi, who sells his milk in Meru town at Sh55 a litre and makes about Sh20,000 profit in a month.

The farm, according to him, now sustains itself.

“My aim is to have about 15 cows to make the venture more profitable as I improve my breeds.”

His challenges include high cost of commercial feeds and artificial insemination that goes for between Sh1,000 and Sh7,000.

“My dream is to go into dairy farming fully in the near future. There used to be a notion that farming was only for retired teachers and civil workers. As young people, we have the energy to do this kind of work when we still have the energy,” he opines.

“Most youths consider farming dirty but with the rising levels of unemployment, it is the best bet as long as one is resilient and patient. Definitely, it will not pay overnight but it will surely do.”

Meru County Director of Livestock David Mugambi says Ayrshires and Friesians are good breeds and do well in many areas across the county, including in Meru.

He attributed low production of milk to underfeeding cows.

He adds the best feeds for increased milk production are silage and Boma Rhodes grass.

 Good quality cow that offers farmers much better returns

1. Friesians have distinct colour, usually black and white or black red.
2. They are famed for their large dairy production, averaging 23,285 litres of milk per year.
3. Healthy Friesian calf weighs 40 to 45kg or more at birth. A mature one, on the other hand, weighs 580kg  and stands 147cm. Friesian heifers should be bred by 13 to 15 months.
4. This will enable them to calve at between 23 and 26 months.
5. The gestation period is about nine and a half months.

By DAPHINE BILIMA

Mango Farmers Find Market in Kenya's Chinese Community

It was good news to more than 500 Kenyan farmers who sold 24,000 mangoes in a record two hours directly to the Chinese community in Nairobi. In a show of solidarity on Saturday, the buyers came in droves to purchase the mangoes, which had been packed in boxes and transported from Muthetheni, Machakos County, about two hours from downtown Nairobi.

The fete organized by the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) and Kenya Chinese Chamber of Commerce (KCCC), saw the farmers sell a box of apple mangoes for $5, which is more than four times what they conventionally earn from middlemen.

"The move targets to uplift the rural economy while triggering the start of a cottage industry that is missing in Kenya," said William Zhuo, KCCC chairman. He said women and youths are direct beneficiaries of this move since it has given them direct access to consumers.

Also present during the event was KCCI chairman Kipruto Kittony and Han Jun, chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in East Africa and CEO of the Kenya Agribusiness and Agroindustry Alliance.

In his speech, Kittony said the African landscape has been transformed with the support of the Chinese and it was therefore sensible for farmers to not only be able to easily reach the market but have direct access to consumers.

"We are not only witnessing the benefits of people-to-people interactions but also the start of a journey to bridge the gap between our balance of trade," he said. China exports to Kenya reached $3.2 billion last year.

The Chinese business group noted that there were plans to build the local farmers' capacity to increase productivity. "We want to import Chinese agricultural experience here to boost this sub-sector. We also hope that we would start exporting the mangoes to China," Zhuo announced.

Kenya's mango season starts officially in November-December and runs all the way to March-April each year. According to statistics from the International Trade Centre (ITC), Kenya has seen an increase of over 400 percent in mango exports over the last five years. Key export markets are countries in the Middle East, such as the United Arab Emirates, which takes about 56 percent of the total, followed by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.

Museveni Wants Parliament to Enact Biotechnology Bill

By Dan Wandera

Luweero — President Museveni has repeated his efforts to boost food security and household income with a promise to ensure that the Biotechnology and Bio-safety bills are passed by Parliament to boost modern farming practices.

President Museveni, who on Monday toured a demonstration farm at Kawumu State Lodge in Luweero District as part of his efforts to boost modern farming practices in the former war zone which brought the NRM government into power said the NRM party Caucus would soon sit to ensure that the Biotechnology Bill is passed to help improve farming practices backed by modern research and technology.

"The Biotechnology Bill will help us resolve some of the problems we have in the agriculture sector. The NRM caucus will soon convene to finalise on this matter. We should not be held back on this matter," Mr Museveni told journalists on Monday.

Earlier in the day, President Museveni toured several demonstrations on the farm plots at the State Lodge where modern farming practices have been developed through establishment of coffee, banana, pineapple and fish ponds.

HE.President Y. K.Museveni at  the Banana  demostration farm  

Mr Museveni said his last visit in Makulubita Sub-county where he encouraged residents to use water bottles for irrigation was misinterpreted by many people yet he had a point for the rural poor who cannot afford the bigger and sophisticated irrigation methods.

HE.President Y. K.Museveni at  the mushroom farm

"We have been using water bottles to irrigate the coffee, banana, passion fruits among other crops on this demonstration farm. You are witnesses to what has happened. You should be able to help me preach this gospel of improved farming practices, the President told journalists on Monday.

At Kawumu demonstration farm, President Museveni has 400 banana plants, 450 coffee trees and a demonstration garden for pineapples. The farm also has four fish ponds.

The demonstration plots are supposed to help the people in the area learn better farming practices. The demonstration plots were established in November 2016 when Mr Museveni camped in Makulubita Sub-county to monitor Operation Wealth Creation activities.

Severe Drought Causes Famine in East Africa

Drought has plunged East Africa into the worst food security crisis Africa has faced in 20 years. More than 11.5 million people are currently in need of food aid in Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. The number is projected to rise, and this image illustrates why.

The image shows plant growth during the growing season for the crop normally harvested in June and July. The image was made with observations from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on the NOAA-18 POES satellite, which records the amount of light plants in a broad region absorb during photosynthesis. Where there were more leafy photosynthesizing plants than average, the image is green. Brown indicates that plants were sparser or growing less than average. Broad swaths of East Africa are brown, pointing to poor plant growth during the growing season.

The crop grown during this period is typically planted in March or April, when the first rains of the year fall. In 2011, the rains were late, falling in late April and May, and inadequate. The crops were planted late and are only now being harvested. In southern Somalia, currently the most severely impacted region, the harvest is expected to be 50 percent below average, says the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). Pastures are also sparse, putting stress on livestock.

The poor harvest and lack of pasture in July compounds existing food security problems. The previous crop, harvested early in the year, was also poor. In Somalia, the harvest was less than 20 percent of the average harvest, and people began to run short on food in April. Another bad harvest reduces food availability even more, which means that food prices will likely rise more in the coming months.

On July 20, the United Nations declared a famine in parts of southern Somalia, where 2.8 million people are in need of life-saving assistance. Surrounding regions in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti are in a food crisis or food emergency. The United Nations declares a famine only when “at least 20 per cent of households in an area face extreme food shortages with a limited ability to cope; acute malnutrition rates exceed 30 per cent; and the death rate exceeds two persons per day per 10,000 persons.”

Over the past three months, tens of thousands of people have died in Somalia, and, as the image shows, the current harvest is unlikely to bring relief. Based partly on satellite images like this one, FEWS NET predicts that famine conditions will spread across all of southern Somalia in the next month or two.

The food security crisis is the worst since 1991-92, says FEWS NET. The drought behind the crisis is the worst in the region in the last 60 years, with some areas experiencing one of the driest years on record. The drought is tied to the strong La Niña conditions that prevailed in late 2010 and early 2011. La Niña shifts ocean temperatures and air pressure over the Pacific Ocean, and its effects ripple through weather patterns around the world. In East Africa, La Niña causes drought. La Niña conditions have ended, and FEWS NET predicts normal rains for East Africa later in the year, though it will take far longer for the region to recover.

East Africa faces catastrophic famine - we must act now

In Somalia, 110 people died in two days at the start of March as a result of the ongoing drought, according to the Somali Prime Minister. These deaths should have been entirely preventable. Droughts don’t kill people, droughts don’t have to become a famine or a crisis. What kills people in a drought is a lack of food or water. We can’t make it rain, we can’t change the weather, but we can stop people going hungry and thirsty. It is simply a matter of political will, resources and funding. Today, that will seems to be lacking. It risks condemning thousands to a slow, painful, unnecessary death in a catastrophic famine.
Repeating mistakes from famine in Somalia six years ago

Six years ago, famine gripped Somalia. The famine came as no surprise. Agencies on the ground had been warning for months about the severity of the situation.
Unbelievably, today we are at risk of repeating exactly the same mistake once again. And this time the scale of the disaster is even more daunting. 

But by the time the world paid attention to the calls for help, famine was already devastating the region. The aid that arrived came too late to save thousands of lives. In total, the famine led to the deaths of an estimated 250,000 people.

Unbelievably, today we are at risk of repeating exactly the same mistake once again. And this time the scale of the disaster is even more daunting. There are now 20 million people across East Africa facing hunger in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya and Somalia.

In South Sudan a famine has already been declared. Both Somalia and Kenya have announced national emergencies, and across East Africa thousands of children are malnourished.

Famine response is underfunded and inadequate

Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN has called on the world to act now before it is too late. The UN appeal for the region is massively underfunded.

ActionAid staff on the ground are doing what they can but lack the money to make things happen at the scale they need. The world knows this is happening, presidents and prime ministers have been told. Some have released funding, sometimes substantial amounts, sometimes a token gesture. Some have done nothing.

Deaths of children are preventable if we act now

Every day the world waits, every delay in committing and delivering resources has an impact, an impact that will be measured in suffering, in hunger, even in deaths. Deaths of children, of mothers, of grandparents. Deaths that we can prevent.

In Somaliland (a region of Somalia), Irfah Mohammed, 30, is finding it difficult to breastfeed her one-month-old baby girl Nima because she does not have enough food herself – her body is weak and exhausted

In Somalia , Irfah told us:

"We had fifty camels but all our camels died. We cried when the camels died – they are our responsibility – they belonged to us and they died. It was very hard.”

"My husband is out with the rest of the livestock looking for food and water. I am scared our children will die next. They are getting weaker."

For people who are already hungry, immediate action to provide aid will not just keep them alive but can prevent serious health problems developing in the long term. For people who are currently at risk, early action can help them cope now, protect their livelihoods and reduce the need for emergency aid in the future.

Women and girls are especially at risk during an emergency

Inevitably, women and girls are likely to bear the brunt of the emergency. They are trying to survive and care for their children whilst at risk of increased sexual violence and exploitation. Women have to travel ever further distances away from the protection of their communities in search of water, meaning they can expose themselves to increased risk of sexual attacks. Our response to this crisis must respond to these threats too. 
 We had fifty camels but all our camels died. We cried when the camels died.... I am scared our children will die next. They are getting weaker."

We must not wait for the appearance of shocking television images of emaciated children before anything is done. To do so would show that the world has learned nothing from the famine six years ago and a string of other disasters. We know what is happening now, we know what can happen, we know how to stop it. Why would anyone not act now?

How to help people facing the food crisis in East Africa

ActionAid is distributing food and water, but the situation is critical.

Please donate now to our East Africa food crisis appeal, to help us reach even more vulnerable families with life-saving essentials.

Famine Threatens East Africa.

A persistent drought has left nearly 23 million people across the Horn of Africa without enough to eat. In South Sudan, hundreds of thousands are trying to survive famine. Nearly half the country—or 4.9 million people—are now going hungry. That number will grow when the “lean season” arrives in July, just before harvest and as food reserves have been exhausted.

The world’s last declared famine, which lasted from 2010 to 2012 in Somalia, resulted in 260,000 deaths.

The drought is compounded by decades of violence that many hoped would end in 2011 with the country’s independence. Instead, a civil war broke out, and millions have been forced from their homes and farms. Many have fled to neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, in Somalia, also plagued by decades of civil unrest, the newly elected government has declared the current drought a national emergency, with rains over the past 2 years that have been either insufficient or, in many places, nonexistent. The United Nations is warning that without enough rain by the end of April, famine is likely there too.

The Red Cross in Kenya says 2.9 million people are facing severe hunger. And in Ethiopia, 5.6 million people will be dependent on food aid until the next harvest.

How Catholic Relief Services is helping

South Sudan

Catholic Relief Services is providing food assistance to hundreds of thousands of people in Jonglei State, where there is severe hunger, but famine has not been declared. “There’s really only a marginal difference in how bad off people are,” says Jerry Farrell, CRS country representative in South Sudan. CRS provides food in exchange for labor to build community infrastructure such as dikes and roads, and we supply direct food aid when violence prevents work on these projects.

“In the end, the community gets food, and they have new roads or other assets—a benefit to the whole community. Working together also strengthens the social fabric in a country that has known decades of war,” Farrell says.

In partnership with the U.N. World Food Program, CRS airdrops food supplies into areas that are difficult to reach because of insecurity or a lack of infrastructure. CRS staff then hike for days to reach those locations, and coordinate the distribution of food.

“There’s a lot of excess food in the world, but it’s a logistical challenge getting food to the right places at the right time,” Farrell says.

CRS also teaches people to repair boreholes, a water source.

“We respond to emergencies because we’re a humanitarian organization but we also understand that, at the end of the day, people deserve dignity and self-respect, and that requires an expanded approach,” Farrell says. In addition to delivering food, water and health services, CRS provides supplies including seeds, tools and fishing nets.

“If people have a means of harvesting or fishing, it means that after they get enough to eat, they plant or fish. This way, we can avoid having the same conversation a year from now. It builds people’s resilience and it’s not that expensive.”

Somalia

In Somalia, CRS uses U.S. government funding to provide emergency food aid for those displaced by violence and the threat of the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab. CRS also assists growing numbers of climate refugees. We provide cash, transferred via mobile phone, allowing people in rural areas affected by drought to buy food and water.

CRS’ emergency response focuses on the rural areas in south central Somalia and near the Kenyan border to help keep farmers—many whose livestock are dead or dying—from giving up everything and migrating to overcrowded, strained temporary camps for displaced people.

Kenya

In Kenya, CRS helps improve families’ access to water in some of the country’s most arid regions. This work, also funded by the U.S. government, includes providing water to animals and using innovations like solar-powered sensors that indicate when wells are low. In the coming months, CRS hopes to build upon this groundwork to help rural families—both farmers and herders—to cope with the drought and prevent violent conflict over scarce resources.

Ethiopia

CRS is partnering with the Ethiopian government to provide food aid in exchange for work on roads in rural communities. The ultimate goal is for people to get out of extreme poverty and become self-sufficient.

While this support has helped many people through a devastating drought caused by El Nino last year, serious food and water shortages continue to affect parts of southern Oromia and the Somali regions. CRS is assisting nearly half a million people through emergency food aid and water distributions.

Why is east Africa facing a hunger crisis and what can be done?

As hunger spreads in east Africa, famine threatens to take hold beyond South Sudan. Lucy Lamble explores the background and response to the crisis

A combination of drought and conflict has left the lives of more than 20 million people in east Africa in the balance. As the danger grows that other countries will follow South Sudan into famine, Lucy Lamble examines how the biggest crisis since 1945 has evolved and what can be done to tackle the situation.

She is joined by Guardian reporter Ben Quinn, who recently visited some of the worst affected areas of Somalia, in the self-declared independent state of Somaliland. He describes his journey across the parched landscape stretching from Hargeisa to Burao, and offers his thoughts on the speed and scale of the humanitarian response.

We also hear from Simona Foltyn, a freelance journalist who describes what she saw at food distribution sites in South Sudan’s Unity state, one of the areas hardest hit by famine, during a recent visit. She discusses the need for more consistent access to the state and tackles the issue of whether donations will end up in the right hands.

Source: The gaurdian