October 20, 2022 (JIS)
New forage development strategies are being implemented by the Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB) following a two-day visit to the University of Florida in the United States. A four-member JDDB team embarked on a technical visit to the University’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Range Cattle Research and Education Center in Ona, Florida, in September.
Field Officer at the JDDB, Peter Myers, who was part of the team, said the aim of the visit was to examine research plants being operated in Ona. “We wanted to observe high-yielding forages, with a view to replicating their research methodology in a local context for us here,” he said. The team also comprised Acting JDDB Chief Executive Officer, Devon Sayers, and Senior Livestock Research Officer at the Bodles Research Station in St. Catherine, Dwight McKie.
One of the materials the team observed was the Crotalaria Legume, which has a high percentage of crude protein. This has shifted the JDDB’s focus on planting legumes for animals to consume. “What we are trying to do is to use this material to replace concentrates to make the feed much cheaper for farmers, provide the animals with a higher percentage of crude protein and to provide much more feed for the animals. We have started working on this because we have roughly 40 acres of the Mombasa grass at Bodles Research Station, with some of it being reaped,” Mr. Myers said. He advised that the team also benefited from a presentation on the current research in warm season forages by Forage Specialist in range cattle research, Professor Dr. Yao Benjamin.
“Some of the grasses which we have been using out here from Tropical Seeds were developed and researched on by Dr. Benjamin. One of the main ones is Mombasa, which is in high demand out here. So we provide a lot of it to our dairy farmers, beef cattle farmers, and even our small ruminant farmers,” he said. Mr. Myers also said the new cultivars are being developed to produce a higher percentage of crude protein.“Most persons tend to know the older grasses that we are used to. A lot of these grasses are forages and they give you more than four or seven per cent of crude protein. But these new cultivars that have been developed, can give you up to 14 per cent and higher,” he indicated.
Meanwhile, Mr. Myers said the JDDB has moved to using the Cayman and Mulatto II grasses in Jamaica. “The Cayman grass is in high demand and withstands waterlogging. When most grasses are under water for a couple weeks or so they tend to die, but this one can stand waterlogging for a month and remain alive,” he pointed out.
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