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Sheuneni Kurasha-Farmer’s Diary
In animal husbandry, particularly in goat and sheep farming, meticulous record-keeping is an essential aspect for success and sustainability, much like in any other business venture.
Proper and accurate records enable farmers to track the health, breeding and productivity trends of their livestock, empowering them to make informed decisions promptly and manage their operations efficiently.
As one renowned livestock farmer aptly puts it; “In farming, what gets measured gets managed”.
Efficient farm management relies on informed decision-making, and records play a critical role in achieving this.
Farming records are invaluable for determining the profitability of each business activity, making timely decisions — especially at strategic levels, comparing the efficiency in using inputs such as land for pastures and forage crops, labour, and capital, informing future business strategies, improving the efficiency of farm operations, and ensuring compliance with any food safety and traceability requirements, particularly for those engaged in goat milk and related products.
The imperative of record-keeping in small livestock farming places a significant responsibility on the farmer to continually collect and meticulously document relevant information regarding important activities and tasks at the farm.
This includes, not only the performance of the animals but also economic developments and production metrics.
Farmers should diligently record details such as health treatments, breeding activities, feeding regimes and financial transactions in order to create a comprehensive repository of data that serves as a valuable resource for informed decision-making and strategic planning.
Data is also crucial for providing a historical account of the farm’s operations, allowing farmers to track trends over time, basing their decisions on evidence, identify areas for improvement, mitigate risks and adapt their practices to changing circumstances — especially given the ever-changing climatic and economic conditions due to factors such as climate change.
Indeed, record-keeping is the backbone of effective farm management as it empowers farmers to optimise productivity, enhance efficiency and ensure the long-term sustainability of their livestock operations.
Record-keeping in small-scale livestock farming can present challenges, particularly for farmers with limited resources, especially in rural areas where infrastructure may be less developed.
In those situations, they may be faced with several barriers in their bid to implement or sustain record-keeping systems, including time constraints, technological barriers, and a lack of knowledge and training.
To overcome these challenges, we advise farmers to prioritise simplicity, accuracy, systematisation and user-friendliness in their record-keeping practices and to avoid expensive methods of data collection and storage.
Technology significantly improved the options that are at the farmers’ disposal, with innovative solutions, such as digital record-keeping applications that have simplified templates which, allow farmers to streamline data management effectively.
Gone are the days when losing a hard copy of a file meant losing all records; now, records can be stored online and accessed from anywhere in the world.
Farmers have a variety of paid and free electronic applications available, which incorporate integrated livestock information management systems. They should choose the option that best suits their context.
There are various types of critical records that goats and sheep farmers should keep, including identification, breeding, production, feeding, disease and treatment and financial records.
Breeding Records
Tracking breeding activities is essential for managing reproductive cycles and genetic diversity. Detailed breeding records should include mating dates, sires used and outcomes such as pregnancies and births.
For example, a farmer should document each breeding event in the flock, noting the buck or ram used and the resulting offspring. This information enables planning future breeding decisions effectively.
By tracking breeding activities, including mating dates, pregnancy outcomes, and offspring performance, farmers can make informed decisions regarding herd or flock expansion, genetic selection, and breeding strategies.
Detailed productivity records, encompassing factors such as weight gain, milk production, and wool yield, enable farmers to identify high-performing individuals, optimise feeding regimes, and maximise overall productivity.
Breeding records are also essential for evaluating livestock for selection and culling, breeding planning, controlling inbreeding, and selecting animals with the right traits for breeding and herd improvement.
Health Records
Monitoring the health status of individual animals is paramount for disease prevention and management. Health records should include vaccinations, treatments administered and any observed symptoms or illnesses.
Every farmer must maintain meticulous health records for their goats and sheep, recording vaccination dates and treatment histories.
In the event of an outbreak, these records serve as invaluable references for tracing and containing diseases.
By meticulously recording information such as vaccinations, treatments and health observations, farmers can monitor the health trends of their livestock, promptly identify any emerging issues and implement targeted interventions.
This proactive approach not only ensures the well-being of individual animals but also minimises the risk of disease outbreaks in the entire herd or flock, which can have serious economic consequences for the farmer.
Additionally, health records facilitate the easy detection of abnormal conditions or diseases within the herd, help identify commonly occurring diseases and help to ensure timely precautionary measures.
Next week we will continue to explore other important records that a farmer needs to keep in order to make small livestock farming more efficient and profitable, including financial and production records.
Sheuneni Kurasha is the managing director of Chivara Farm, a diversified farming operation which specialises in stud breeding for small livestock (Boer goats, Kalahari Red goats, Damara sheep and Meatmaster sheep) as well as Boran cattle. For feedback, kindly get in touch on email: [email protected]; X: @chivarafarm or WhatsApp: +263 77 2874 523.
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