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Agriculture Specialist Writer
THE Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS) has urged farmers to store and preserve residue from their summer crop for use as livestock feed as well as depriving veld fires of biomass.
In an agro-tip headlined – “Don’t burn it but bale it,” ARDAS encouraged farmers to avoid veld fires and gather mulch.
ARDAS challenged farmers to start hay baling in April or May, just after the rainy season, when grass still has high nutritional value.
An agricultural expert and Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) board chair, Mr Ivan Craig concurred, saying farmers should be preserving residue from crops now.
“Hay bales have positive impacts on agricultural growth and can be used as bedding for livestock, mulch, compost and thatching material.
“When it’s ploughed into the soil, it decomposes, improving soil structure and enhancing uptake of nutrients and organic matter by plants for good growth and high yields,” he said.
Mr Craig added that baled hay was crucial for the livestock industry as it provides feed during the lean period.
“Urea treatment of stover improves the crude protein content from 1,5 percent to over 20 percent for improved livestock growth, for example, that stock feed called Mabiko,” he added.
Mr Craig strongly warned citizens against burning straw, saying that when you burn it you destroy the straw and the ecosystem.
“Fumes damage the ozone layer, living organisms in the soil and cause imbalances in the ecosystem.
“The high temperatures from burning straws kill insects and pests that help in the breaking down of matter in the soil and improve aeration,” he advised.
Mr Craig said straw helps in improving the soil nutritional value as well as the uptake of organic and chemical nutrients by plants for improved growth.
In the 2024/25 summer plan, the Government set a target of 7,6 million hay bales for 1 164 350 animals in Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands and Masvingo provinces.
A total of 5, 6 million hay bales were required from July 2024 to this season. The summer plan said animals will be given 5 kilogrammes of hay each, together with other sources such as grazing and survival meal.
The other 1 134 933 will need 2 million hay bales between October and February.
The average weight of hay bale was calculated at 18 kg and the number of days for feed supplementation was calculated at 60 days between July and October.
The summer plan also instituted urea treatment of stover in 1 620 Ward sites. A total of 80 000 times 50kg bags of urea at GMB depots were targeted under the Government-supported blitz urea treatment programme.
Online Reporter