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Come Learn How To Preserve, Earn From Pastures At Expo

by Jacquiline Nakandi
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By Joshua Kato

When he was born, his parents named him Allan Iga. However, after earning a bachelor of science in agricultural extension, he adopted a new name — Mr Fodder-man!

This came after he ventured into solving a major challenge faced by cattle keepers: the lack of pasture and fodder.

His office in Matugga, on Bombo Road in Wakiso district, is a ‘beehive’ of pastures! During the 2025 Harvest Money Expo, Iga will train farmers on the commercial viability of growing pastures.

The expo will be held from February 14-16 and is organised by Vision Group in partnership with the Embassy of the Netherlands.

At the expo, the entrance fee is sh10,000, with an additional sh10,000 for those interested in attending the training sessions.

This will be the first time a training session, specifically focused on pasture production, will be offered.

According to Iga, many cows cannot build sufficient body reserves (particularly energy and protein), due to inadequate feeds.

As a direct result of feed shortages, dairy cows produce low milk yields, suffer poor body condition, experience severe weight loss, or fail to conceive.

Improving dairy cattle diets, Iga notes, will enhance reproductive performance, herd productivity and the economic status of households.

“The demand for high[1]quality pasture seed to develop livestock feed resources is rapidly increasing in Uganda. This demand is driven by the expanding beef and dairy production, spurred on by population growth and improved incomes, especially in urban centres,” he says.

Dr Jolly Kabirizi, who will also train urban dairy farmers on innovations at the expo, agrees, emphasising the importance of good-quality pasture seed to meet the growing demand for meat and milk in the country.

 She adds that restoring degraded natural pasture, the primary source of livestock feed, through reseeding and over-sowing interventions, is crucial to ensure the availability of large quantities of good-quality seeds.

However, Iga points out that the production of adequate quantities of quality pasture seed is hindered by inadequate knowledge of proper agronomic practices among farmers. This is why attending the pasture-growing session is essential for livestock farmers.

“I worked for several organisations before quitting to start my own company in 2017. Many farmers want to keep cattle, but lack space to grow pastures. So, I decided to help these farmers get feed for their animals. I advise farmers on the nutrition of their cattle,” he explains.

Iga grows pasture, such as napier, maize, brachiaria, and Chloris gayana, which he processes into silage or hay for sale. He also processes molasses from sugarcane waste, which serves as livestock feed.

Iga started his venture by visiting Kenya, where he received training in pasture management and livestock nutrition.

“At the time, Kenya had a more advanced commercial pasture management sector,” he says.

He now grows pasture on over 10 acres.

“I also help farmers process their own pastures into hay or silage on their farms,” he adds.

Iga has acquired equipment, including silage choppers and hay balers, to assist in processing the grasses. In addition to managing his own pasture fields in Wakiso district, Iga also works as a consultant for Valeria Farm, a modern dairy enterprise in Mukono district.

What to expect

During his training session on the afternoon of February 25, Iga will guide participants through the value chain of growing and earning from pastures.

“You can grow pastures and earn from them without keeping livestock,” he says.

The session will cover seed selection, farm preparation, farm management and the harvesting and processing of pastures into hay or silage.

“We will also discuss the equipment needed for farmers who want to scale up pasture production commercially,” he adds.

Business models for hay

According to Dr Kabirizi, there are two business models in commercial hay production:

  • Producing pasture hay using contract services for machinery (e.g planting, harvesting and baling).
  • Producing hay using personal machinery, while contracting out mechanised farm operations.

Marketing pasture hay

Pasture hay should be transported in clean vehicles and it should be covered to avoid contamination. The following particulars shall be legibly and indelibly displayed on the label.

  • Type of hay (species)
  • Name and the physical address of the producer n Net weight per bale (kg) n Batch number n Date of harvest/production
  • Expiry date n Instruction for storage
  • Nutritional information (moisture, energy, crude protein and crude fibre)
  • Instructions on how to use the hay Building a commercial hay value chain could provide significant economic benefits for both hay producers and dairy farmers.

To build a strong commercial hay value chain, suitable credit products are necessary to enable investments in machinery and storage facilities.

Financial institutions could benefit from technical assistance in understanding the hay sub-sector and designing suitable products. Extension services for pasture hay producers and dairy farmers (e.g in feed ration balancing) could substantially improve yields per acre, hay quality (such as protein content and digestibility) and dairy productivity. Pasture hay producers see great potential in the commercial hay value chain. Creating a “ready-to-feed” product by chopping hay — normally done by dairy farmers — and adding ingredients, such as molasses, could provide additional value-added opportunities.

The product could be easily stored in bags, provide extra income and create employment opportunities (e.g for youth) within the value chain.

Silage as a business

Iga and Kabirizi explained that the introduction of small-scale silage-making technologies and affordable motorised forage choppers has made it possible to produce, store and transport silage without any loss of quality.

Silage is now an alternative to pasture hay for dairy farmers, who rely on purchased feeds.

“Small and medium-sized farmers rarely produce silage for sale or have excess amounts to sell, though this technology presents business opportunities for larger farms,” Kabirizi said.

To address these challenges, Iga emphasised the need to increase awareness, knowledge and skills in forage cultivation, processing, preservation, and crop residue management.

“Smallholder-friendly inputs could include silage additives, such as molasses, chemical and biological crop residue treatments, affordable and effective silos, forage harvesters, choppers, and compactors,” he said.

Cultivation is carried out like any other crop at the beginning of the rainy season and pastures are cared for like any other crop as well.

“Apply fertilisers as recommended and ensure no other herbs compete with the pastures,” Iga said.

He also emphasised that timely harvesting is crucial for the quality of hay and silage. The typical harvesting time for pastures for silage or hay is five months.

Costs incurred in hay production

  • Fixed costs: Tools, equipment, rent and depreciation n Enterprise size land area (acres)
  • Land preparation labour. This involves clearing the land of vegetation and stones. Tractors are used for ploughing and planting. Herbicides and fertilisers are applied on many farms to boost yields. Hay is harvested and baled 2-3 times a year depending on forage species, climate and management.
  • Cost of planting materials (bags of seeds or cuttings/splits/acre)
  • Manure: Ttruck loads per annum (shs/ acre)
  • Seasonal manure application labour (man-hour)
  • Planting and manure application labour (man-hour)
  • Weed control labour (man-hour)
  • Harvesting, drying and compaction labour (man-hour)
  • Transportation costs (shs/trip/ton)
  • Quantity of bales of hay per acre in season 1 (tons)
  • Quantity of bales of hay per land area in season 2 (tonnes)
  • Average weight per bale (kg)
  • Annual production (tons)
  • Price (cost/bale shillings)
  • Gross field benefits (shs)
  • Variable input and establishment costs (shs/acre) bush clearing (shs/acre)
  •  Storage costs

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