Faith Duri
Farmers in Masvingo province have been encouraged to embrace Urea Treatment of Stover to improve livestock production for smallholder farmers to protect and develop the national herd.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (MoLAFWRD) Dr John Basera said this during a Urea Treatment of Stover and Pfumvudza field tour held in Ward 13 Masvingo District on September 26, 2023.
“Masvingo province has close to 20 percent of the national herd which needs to be protected in view of our livestock recovery and growth plan.
“Farmers are encouraged never to lose any livestock due to poverty and deaths, the urea treatment of Stover will help animals maintain their condition in distress periods thereby improving productivity in the sector.
“All farmers are encouraged to embrace urea treatment of Stover for growth of the sector, therefore extension officers have a task to follow up beneficiaries of the programme and ensure good agronomic practices are religiously followed for increased production and productivity,” said Dr Basera.
Dr Basera also added that all extension officers ensure that the treatment is administered correctly so that no cattle dies from it.
“Our extension officers are going to make sure that no livestock dies with this urea treatment since they are going to be there when you will be making the treatment to instruct you in every step,” added Basera.
Acting Deputy Director in the department of Livestock Production and Development Rutendo Nyahoda explained to farmers on how to prepare the urea treatment.
“To prepare a urea treatment, one needs mealie-stocks or straws which they cut into small pieces not longer than 10cm using a knife or a machine then dig a hole which has a length of 4m and a width of two meters and one meter deep.
“Basic ingredients needed for urea treatment are 50kg of urea for protein, 200litres drum of water and mealie stocks that can make about 1 tonne food and optional ingredients needed are sugar for energy and salt but if one doesn’t have these ingredients they can use the basic ingredients.
“We all know that if cattle eat food with urea they die since it is poisonous to animals, so if you prepare this process correctly nothing will happen to your cattle.
“We have instructed our extension officers to make sure that they train you to make the urea treatment, so make sure that whenever you want to make the treatment an extension officer must be there to instruct you on how to make the treatment, after the treatment is done you incubate under plastic sheeting for 5weeks
“After 5weeks you put them under a tree for one week for aeration then give your cattle 2kg each per day” said Nyahoda.
Masvingo provincial veterinary officer Kramer Manyetu also added that farmers must not give 2kg straight, they must at least give them 1kg each to see if the treatment have been made correctly.
“We must not give the cattle 2kg straight, farmers must at least give them 1kg for cattle and quarter a kg for goats and sheep to see if you have made the treatment correctly if the treatment is not made correctly there are signs that cattle will make within the first three hours of receiving treatment.
“The first sign that shows cattle have been affected is the nervous sign, so each farmer must have at least 5litres of vinegar when they are about to give their livestock the treatment.
“If your cattle is affected you give them 2litre of vinegar but giving them 500ml after every 30mins,” said Manyetu.
Urea treatment of maize Stover is a feed technology developed to improve the nutritive value of high fibrous crop residues for efficient utilization of available feed resources.
