Experts' take on topical issues affecting farming

Cost of producing capsicum, onions and cabbages 

I would like to farm capsicums, onions and cabbages on an acre. Please guide me on the costs, from production to maturity. I will use furrow irrigation.
Clarence Selim

I share below the average estimates for your guidance.

Cabbage
Cost of production per acre = Sh79,137. From an acre, you can get 14,500 heads and if sold at Sh20, then you get a gross profit of Sh290,000. Net profit= Sh290,000-Sh79,137 = Sh210,863.

Onion
Cost of production per acre =Sh125,000. From an acre, you can get 14,000-18,000kg of bulb onions. A kilo goes from Sh40-Sh100.

Therefore, net profit if we use Sh40/kg as selling price will be from Sh560,000-Sh720,000. Gross profit will vary from Sh435,000 to Sh707,500.

Capsicum
Cost of production per acre varies from Sh83,000 to sh200,000. You can get 130,000 capsicum pieces from an acre. If you sell each at Sh10, then the gross income will be Sh1.3 million.

Net profit will also vary depending on the cost of production.

Remember, for all the three crops, the yields you get will depend on the variety you plant, spacing used and good management practices.

The cost of production normally includes the price of seeds, fertilisers, chemicals, labour, and in your case, irrigation cost, which I have not included in all the calculations.

- Carol Mutua
Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils, Egerton University.

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Dorper sheep

I am interested in keeping Dorper sheep. What steps should I take to begin this journey. I have 50 acres and I am planning to fence and paddock in three pieces each measuring 16 acres.

The farm is in Laikipia along Rumuruti-Maralal Road. I am planning to also put up a simple structure for 50 ewes. Water is a challenge.

The breeding rams will be sourced from nearby Laikipia ranches and my market will be auctions in Rumuruti. 
Jepi

The Dorper is a South African mutton breed developed in the 1930’s from the Dorset horn males and Black-headed Persian females.

The breed was developed for the dry regions of South Africa. The sheep is hornless with good body length and a short light covering of hair and wool.

The breed has the characteristic black head as well as white heads. The breed shows exceptional adaptability, hardiness, reproduction rates and as well as good mothering abilities.

They can have a black head with a white body, or entirely white but the black headed once constitute the larger proportion. Dorper sheep are kept for meat.

They have a breeding season that is not affected by season. Lambing interval can be 7-8 months. This means that under good management, the females can give you young ones three times in two years.

Under good conditions, the lambing percentage of 150 per cent can be achieved meaning for every 100 females, it’s possible to get 150 lambs.

The young ones are weaned at the age of three months. We can also harvest wool for sale from the sheep.

Dorper sheep can advantageously be incorporated into a well-planned range management system. Dorpers are regarded as early-maturing, and ewes can lamb at a year-old.

The fertility of Dorper ewes is approximately 0.90. The gestation length of ewes is approximately 147 days and the dressing percentage is approximately 50 per cent.

Sex ratio is 1:50 depending on whether sheep are reared in paddocks or extensive system. A ratio of 1:30 is good.

- Dennis Kigiri, Department of Animal sciences, Egerton University.

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Would bringing in a bull work?

I have a cow that has not conceived since August last year despite being served four times. It has since gone silent. I tried GnRH and PG hormones, which still didn’t work. The vet confirmed that the ovaries are fine.

Please advise on the action I should take. Would introducing a bull work?

Farmer 

Profitability of any dairy enterprise lies not only in milk production but also sound reproductive performance of the herd, expressed by regular calving activity.

The latter is influenced by a combination of factors including the health of the herd/cow, maturity, nutrition, heat (oestrus) detection and insemination, among others.

On the other hand, successful insemination relies on efficient oestrus detection in cows using a combination of heat detection aids that range from animal to management factors.

Less known to many are simple but important factors like slippery footing surfaces and muddy conditions and sores in cattle feet and legs, which can inhibit mounting activities.

All the same, when a cow does not conceive regularly, producers mostly opt for use of heat booster powders or even oestrus synchronising hormones such as gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and Prostaglandin.

Use of these hormones is suitable for cyclic females and also depends on understanding how to administer them.

They are best done by a qualified animal health assistant or veterinarian. This is where people lose it. When using the hormones, timing of insemination is also a critical factor.

Whereas it is incorrect to assume that keeping your cows separate from bulls does not allow you to detect heat, keeping/introducing a bull supplements routine visual observation and provides greater opportunity for mounting and standing behaviour to be expressed when the cattle interact.

Poor herd/cow fertility could prove to be costly and sometimes may call for culling.

- Felix Akatch Opinya, Department of Animal Science, Egerton University.

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Apple seedlings

I am from Ghana and I need Dorset golden seedlings to buy.

Steve Ella

Ella, did you mean Dorset Golden apple seedlings? If yes, you can get them from Oxfarm Organic. Reach them on +254706222888 or +254 740000044 or through their website www.oxfarmorganic.com.

If you did not refer to Golden Dorset apple seedlings, kindly clarify and resend your question for further assistance.

- Carol Mutua
Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils, Egerton University.