Zambia Agribusiness Society

This one comes with a lot of estimates and guesses because over the laying period of a hen, the price of feed will fluctuate, the price of eggs will fluctuate, the price of an off lay hen depends a lot on how many you need to sell and where. It’s also depressingly common for percentage egg production to fail to meet expectations due to any one of a multitude of factors. So, take it as a base on which to do your own costs not as a fixed thing. It’s a moving document. Put it into excel and play with the figures. What are the effects of having more birds per employee or of getting a better price for off lay or having them in lay for an extra six months or a year? What is the effect of having ten times the number to save on transport cost? What is the effect of an increase or reduction in average egg price or feed price or off lay hens? If you cannot run these scenarios and figure out the boundaries, best choose another way to gamble your money. Budget for 1000 layers Income ...

Cassava products can be used in livestock feeding. Large quantities of cassava roots and cassava waste are utilized in the cassava-producing countries for this purpose. Let us take a look at some cassava products that are used in feeding livestock. 1. Chips This is the most common form in which dried cassava roots are marketed and most exporting countries produce them. The chips are dried irregular slices of roots which vary in size but should not exceed 5cm in length so that they can be stored in silos. They are produced extensively in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and some parts of Africa. Processing the cassava chips The present method of processing chips in Thailand, Malaysia and some other countries is very simple, consisting of mechanically slicing the cassava roots and then sun drying the slices. The recovery rate of chips from roots is about 20 to 40%. However, the products are considered inferior in quality by some quality-conscious feedstuff manufacturers, although ...

Sowing Carrots cannot be transplanted which means it must be sowed directly into the soil. Before sowing, the soil must be prepared properly. Loosen the soil thoroughly by ploughing to a depth of 30 to 40cm to allow for good root aeration, root penetration and drainage. Sow seeds about 4 to 5cm apart and if more than one seed is sowed wait a week after the carrots emerge then use the technique called Thin out to remove carrots that are too close to each other, this must leave out a 4 to 5cm space between the carrots. Apply a fertilizer mixture of 2:3:2 (22) with Zn before planting and work it into the top 10cm of the soil. After successfully sowing the carrots seeds, apply a top dressing of 10g LAN per meter of row after 3 weeks and again after 6 weeks. Note : Do not use manure or compost for carrots. In terms of irrigation, the soil should never be allowed to dry out. Irrigation water should be applied once or twice per day. Harvesting For a good harvest make sure the car...

Amaranth can be used as a high-protein grain or as a leafy vegetable. The seeds are eaten as a cereal grain. They are ground into flour, popped like popcorn or cooked into porridge. The seeds can be germinated into nutritious sprouts. The leaves are cooked alone or combined with other local vegetables such as spider plant and pumpkins. The leaves are rich in calcium, iron and vitamins A, B and C, but fairly low in carbohydrates. There is no distinct separation between the vegetable and grain type since the leaves of young grain type plants can be eaten as greens. 1. Varieties Of all the indigenous tropical leafy vegetables, amaranth has the largest number of species and varieties. The choice of variety varies widely among regions and is dictated largely by the species available. Regardless of species, the choice of variety is influenced by individual preference for leaf colour and taste. Some of the most common commercial amaranths are selections of A. tricolour which come in var...

Chicken diseases are a common occurrence in poultry farming. These illnesses can be fatal if not treated immediately. Thankfully, most chicken diseases are preventable with careful biosecurity practices . Chicken diseases are caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites. Viral diseases are the most common and are easy to prevent with injection vaccination. Bacterial infections are also common, but your poultry can be vaccinated against that as well. Parasitic diseases are rarer but treatable with medications. The main external parasites that are problematic for poultry are  mites and lice . Mite parasites feed on the blood of chickens and can cause anaemia and possible death, while lice feed on dander and feathers. Also, infection is another common cause of chicken diseases. Most chicken diseases occur due to poor sanitation; this allows infections to spread rapidly. These are some of the common poultry diseases and their treatment that farmers should know about to avoid the spread ...

This is just a guide for farmers who want to get the full yield potential of maize seed varieties. Seed companies will always say their varieties have a potential yield of 8 – 12ton/ha but this tonnage is mostly achieved by commercial farmers while small-scale farmers only achieve 2 – 3ton/ha which is just peanuts for a variety that has a yielding capacity of 8 – 12ton/ha. In order to achieve this yield potential farmers need to make sure that in their production they don’t exclude the aspect of crop protection (Agro chemicals) and nutrition (i.e. fertilizer). Below is a guide on good maize management. Take note that this write up is based on 1 hectare and the prices attached are subject to change depending on the time of purchase. 1. Seed              Maize seed has a lot of varieties on the market, contact Seed Companies for the best variety to plant in your area. Few recommended medium varieties which are usually mor...

1. The choice of land preparation matters. Ploughing does more harm than good (ok this one I learnt from Sebastian Scott a few years back). 2. There are other basal fertilisers other than compound D which perform much better than compound D in maize production. 3. Plant spacing matters when it comes to attaining high yields. 4. Organic matter in the soil plays a big part in providing nutrients to your plants and protecting your soil.  Manure ,  compost   etc. use it (the Agronomists re-iterated the knowledge passed down to me from my ancestors). 5. Soil testing  and  liming   your yields is an often ignored activity which is basically the difference between high yield and poor yield. 6. There is an element called Boron which is essential for the growth or should I say fruiting/cobbing of your plants. 7. You can achieve better yields on small fields with good management practices than on large fields with limited knowledge and trying to str...