Zambia Agribusiness Society

Garlic is one of the easiest and most satisfying crops for home vegetable gardeners to grow. It yields two useful crops; the garlic bulbs themselves, and delicious green “scapes” a month earlier. Because it is usually planted in the fall and begins to grow early in the spring, garlic provides the garden with something green and encouraging, long before other crops have germinated. About garlic Freshly harvested garlic, ready for curing. Garlic ( Allium sativa ) is a member of the onion family. Garlic varieties are classified into softneck and hardneck (also known as topset) varieties. Hardneck varieties produce a false flower stalk called a scape, and generally produce fewer, larger cloves than softneck varieties. As a general rule, hardneck varieties are hardier and better able to withstand our cold winters than softneck varieties. Softneck varieties are required if you plan to braid your garlic. Starting materials Garlic doesn’t produce flowers or seeds. The individual cloves...

Please note that urea on its own cannot be fed to goats. ·          The use of urea in goats requires the following steps and mixing rations. ·          When crushing the maize we recommend hard crushing (at least 5mm screen sizes). ·          Dissolve urea in water before mixing. ·          Use a ration of 1:20 between urea and maize crush. ·          A 50kg of urea dissolve in 75 to 100 litres of water (you can do this overnight). ·          Sprinkle the syrup on a tonne of maize crush or proportionately and mix thoroughly. ·          This feed will be 13 to 15% CP and can now be fed to goats in quantities between 1kg to 2kg maximum per day. ·          Go...

Goat farming can be a very lucrative business if done right. Choose the right breeds of goats for your location and experience and you could raise superior livestock. Here’s all you need to know to prepare your goat farming business plan. Livestock production is one of the most important activities of agriculture. If you’d like to turn a profit raising superior livestock, then consider goat farming. Goats provide milk, meat and fibre. Goats have played multiple roles in the support of mankind in the last 7000 years and is one of the oldest species of domesticated animals. Many small farmers and backyard raisers have found you can earn a lot of money raising goats. So, if you are thinking of starting a goat operation, then this article is for you. An effective business plan is a must for taking hold of business opportunities. With goat farming being a highly profitable business idea, it is just as necessary to make a proper goat farming business plan before starting a farm. It...

A pregnant doe Pregnancy indicates a potential increase in the stock of farm animals. This, in most cases, is a delight to the farmer. Detecting pregnancy or estimating the gestation periods of your farm animals are things the farmer must know. In this piece, we look at how to do simple pregnancy or conception detection and the gestation period of various farm animals. Why is it important to know pregnancy detection and gestation periods? It helps to plan ahead for the incoming stock. You also get to know which of your stock is productive. You are able to prepare and manage your resources well, like feed, space and time. It also helps to keep proper records of your animals. Methods of detecting pregnancy in animals Pregnancy can be detected by; The signs showed by the female animals and you can see this externally. The symptoms of pregnancy which can be detected by examination e.g. vaginum examination. Laboratory test carried out biologically or chemically. ...

Ross Kiehne, DVM, and staff at the Swine Vet Center in St. Peter, MN, have compiled a top ten (10) list of successful farrowing tips: 1. Prepare farrowing rooms: Ensure rooms are warm enough and controls are reset for newly farrowed pigs. Ensure hot boxes are cleaned, dried and disinfected and drying agents are available. Ensure heat lamps are working and adjusted to proper location (at the rear of the crate over the mat) and height to achieve 95°F temperature on the surface of the mat. Ensure mats are in place. Ensure the tote is ready with farrowing supplies (oxytocin, sleeves, lube, etc.) Ensure the room is quiet. 2. Make sure sows are ready to farrow: Guarantee correct sow condition (18 - 19mm/0.70 - 0.74 in. backfat). Guarantee vaccinations are done according to the sow farm vaccination schedule. Guarantee sows are fed 4 lb./day starting at Day 112 of gestation. 3. Evaluate environment daily: Ensure room temperature is 72 - 75°F. Ensure pigs are laid out (not p...

1. How long does it take for lime to work? Since water is required for lime to react with the soil, effects of a lime application will be slower in a dry soil. It often takes a year or more before a response can be measured even under perfect conditions. However, a response may be observed within weeks of the application when soil pH is extremely low. It is important to apply lime immediately after the growing season or crop removal to allow lime to react, correcting soil pH before the next growing season. The reactivity time also depends on the type of lime used. Liming materials differ widely in their neutralizing powers due to variations in the percentage of calcium and/or magnesium. Usually, liming materials with a high calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) tend to neutralize soil acidity faster than those with a low CCE. The coarseness of the liming material will also influence how fast the lime will react. In other words, the finer the liming material, the greater the surfac...