Mar-Apr

www.livestockeastafrica.com
ANIMAL FEEDS
ANIMAL FEEDS
By Tobias Belle, bellehtobias@gmail.com
Photos; Tobias Belle
Beefing up
Beef Farming;
The Feedlot System
I
t’s 5 pm. No, it’s actually
approaching six, and
the sun is about to
set over the beautiful
landscape in Kiganjo,
Nyeri County. With
its final golden rays it
blesses the ecosystem,
no doubt with a promise
of a better tomorrow.
I rarely see this epic
environmental beauty back in Nairobi,
but my host here, One Dr. James Gakuo
Mwangi seems indifferent. His familiarity
and touch with the nature is visible. He
says something funny, and we both laugh
heartily, making me forget I’ve waited for
him the whole day for this interview. You
see Dr. Gakuo is one of those people who
have the ability to wrong you but disarm
you in a second with a smile. His charm
and positive energy makes me further forget
I have close to four hours to travel back to
the city. A cunning old man this daktari.
But then I forgive him, I mean with the few
veterinary officers in the country, I totally
understand why his services were urgently
required in Laikipia for the better part of the
day. Anyway, that is none of your concern
right? I’m here to write about the feedlot
system of finishing beef animals, and as Dr.
Gakuo ushers me into his expansive facility,
I instantly acknowledge it has been worth
the wait.
Beef Deficit
It might be a shocking revelation to most
people, the fact that Kenya has a beef
deficit of 18% despite owning an estimated
17.5 million cattle, a significantly higher
number in comparison to neighboring
countries. The problem? People are not
producing for the market. This could be
blamed on the unavailability of sufficient
market information, lack of resources, poor
marketing strategies, and lack of quality
animals or just downright laziness by cattle
keepers. Whatever the cause, this is a trend
that Dr. Gakuo Mwangi seeks to reverse. He
co-owns this feedlot facility, which currently
has 400 cattle, and which supplies several
institutions in the country with beef. You
might be wondering, and rightfully so, what
on earth is a feedlot and why I’m making
such a big deal out of it.
Feedlot
A feedlot, also known as feed yard is a type
of animal feeding operation which is used
in intensive animal farming for finishing
livestock, especially beef cattle prior to
slaughter. The cattle are normally transferred
to a feedlot after obtaining a given entrylevel
weight. Once in the feedlot they are fed
on a specialized animal feed which usually
consists of corn, corn byproducts, milo,
barley and other grains as well as roughages.
“The feeds given to the animals must have
all nutritional components, and after 90
days optimum in the feedlot, an animal
is usually ready for slaughter,” quips Dr.
Gakuo. It is basically a type of zero-grazing,
which is why feedlots are often referred to
concentrated animal feeding operations.
The motivation behind the feedlot
system is that the feedlot diets are high in
protein, to encourage growth of muscle mass
and the deposition of some fat (known as
marbling in butchered meat). The marbling
is desirable to consumers, as it contributes to
flavor and tenderness. This meets the market
value specifications hence boosting the beef
trade. The feedlot system comes with its fair
share of merits, from the ease of monitoring
animals closely for diseases, the fact that
it doesn’t require very big piece of land to
install, the quality of products that come
with it, to its independence from weather
fluctuations. The implications of these facts
are nothing less than revolutionary for beef
production prospects in Kenya and the
region. It is however not devoid of a few
headaches here and there.
Animal feeds in Kenya
Dr. Gakuo asserts that getting feeds is
among the key challenges since Kenya does
not produce animal feeds or grains which
make starting a feedlot capital intensive.
Coupled with a constant need to buy cattle,
maintaining a feedlot may not be an entirely
a walk in the past. “This is not a one-time
event. Once you venture into it feedlots you
need to be consistent because there will be a
market waiting for a consistent supply,” he
adds, denoting two very essential factors in
maintaining a successful feedlot. One, a farmer
must have a ready market guarantee before
venturing into the feedlot system. Secondly, he
must be consistent thereafter. It’s imperative to
note that the benefits that come with a wellmanaged
feedlot far outweighs the challenges
and the resources it requires to set up.
One of the key concerns as entails
feedlots is the need to define the inputoutput
relationships of feeding beef cattle
under commercial conditions. This involves
characterizing the response of various breeds
to the system. From Gakuo I learn that the
Charolis breed, the Hereford and the Boran
are among the best beef cattle breeds when it
comes to good response to a feedlot system.
The East African Zebu on the other hand is not
so suitable, perhaps because of its slow pace of
maturity. Thankfully the most dominant breed
in the region is the Boran. My little expedition
in Nyeri County ends, but I leave convinced
enough to try desperately to convince you here
as well that feedlots is the way to go if our beef
industry is to be revived and if we really are
committed to taking our rightful position in
the global beef market platform. And the good
thing is, you don’t have to start large scale. A
piecemeal but a consistent effort in this venture
could just transform your life.
It’s now 8pm, when I finally leave Dr.
Gakuo’s facility. How did I get so carried
away? Well, I guess a positive and progressive
discussion does that to you. Being the good
doctor he is, he gives me a lift up to Karatina,
still a town in Nyeri County, from where I will
get an express vehicle to Nairobi. As he carefully
navigates the road, we once again venture into a
discussion, not primarily on feedlots, but once
again I appreciate the significance of spending
some time with the elders. He is one hotbed of
wisdom I tell you. Being the sneaky journalist
I am, I ask one more question; ‘So all said and
done, what does it take for anyone to start a
feedlot system?’ and he lets an experienced
chuckle before giving the response he knows
too well is more than satisfactory. “The same
thing it takes to start anything Tobias, passion.
It’s all about the passion.”
Kenya has a beef deficit of 18%
despite owning an estimated
17.5 million cattle, a significantly
higher number in comparison
to neighboring countries.
Dr. James
Gakuo
Mwangi
28 Livestock East Africa March - April 2016
Learn • Breed • Earn
Learn • Breed • Earn
March - April 2016 Livestock East Africa
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