NEADAP webinar on forages in dairy, including the launch of Forage Finder.

More and better fodder is the core pathway to meet the growing demand for dairy products in East Africa in an environmentally sustainable way. NEADAP is organising this webinar to update dairy professionals in East Africa on the priorities and approaches in improving fodder production.  This includes the launch of two new tools for improving fodder production: the Forage Finder and the Forage Cost Calculator.

Programme

Start Dec 6 at 10:00AM East Africa time (8:AM NL time) via Zoom

The programme has been updated as follows

1. Welcome by moderator Wim Goris, NFP
   
2. The importance of forage for the dairy sector, introduction by Geert Westenbrink, NEADAP
3. Presenting the BAMSCOS case, Jos Creemers, ProDairy East Africa
   
4. Introducing the Forage Finder and the Forage Cost Calculator, Peris Chege, ProDairy East Africa.
5. Q&A after each presentation.

Background

The Forage Finder is a list of improved forage varieties available for dairy farms. It is a new guide which can help farmers and stakeholders to select suitable varieties for their farm location. The current pilot version was developed specifically for Kenya and may be expanded and complemented for use in neighbouring East African countries. The Forage Finder provides information on yield, nutritional quality, ease of establishment, adaptability to climate and soil conditions, tolerance to drought, pests and diseases, palatability, and suitability for different feeding systems (these are cut and carry, grazing, haymaking, and silage-making).

The Forage Finder serves as a comprehensive guide to improved forage varieties available in Kenya and Ethiopia. While the current version in Excel is tailored for these countries, the tool can be expanded for use in neighbouring East African countries. The Forage Finder provides crucial information on various forage aspects, including yield, nutritional quality, adaptability to climate and soil conditions, drought tolerance, resistance to pests and diseases, palatability, and suitability for different feeding systems.

The Forage Cost Calculator Tool is in the last stage of development. The tool will also be Excel-based and enables farmers and farm coaches to calculate the cost of establishment, maintenance, and harvesting fresh fodder as well as the cost of hay and silage making. This, together with the yield per acre enables the farmer or farm coach to calculate the cost per unit of energy (ME) and per kg of protein (CP) of different forages produced on the farm. The Forage Cost Calculator Tool will be the first of its kind in East Africa and together with the Forage Finder provides a big step forward in supporting efficient and cost-effective production of fodder combined with providing balanced diets to dairy cattle, realising a good household income for dairy farmers. Both tools will be improved and expanded, following user feedback.

During the NEADAP webinar on December 6th, ProDairy East Africa will talk about the two tools in combination with a case study on the year-round supply of good-quality fodder with the BAMSCOS cooperative in Kenya.