RADA Advises Livestock Producers to Set Up Irrigated Fodder Banks Amid Drought

With drought conditions taking hold, livestock producers are being advised to establish irrigated fodder banks so their herds continue to receive adequate feed. Lower rainfall is expected to weaken the nutritional value of pastures and forages, which would affect the quality of meat available to Jamaican consumers.

Maxine Brown, Senior Livestock Specialist at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), said the greater risk of forages drying out means farmers must act now. “You have to make sure these forages are getting access to water. If not, they’re just going to get dry and of low nutritional value to the animals if you’re not adding water to it. So, you must put in your irrigated fodder bank at this time. You are also going to be keeping data on your animals because when we have dry times and we have heat stress, the younger animals and the older animals are going to be more susceptible,” she said.

Speaking in a recent interview with JIS News, Ms. Brown stressed that careful record-keeping and close observation of livestock are especially critical at this stage. “From your records, see if you have animals that were not as productive before, maybe you want to take them out of the system. By the time you get into what is now considered the drought time, the data that you have would help you to do that, because we find a lot of persons tend to be reactionary. When they’re in the middle of the drought and they see their chickens falling over… they’re complaining that they don’t have enough water to give all the animals,” she said.

Farmers are also being reminded to monitor water quality and keep clean drinking water available. Lactating stock should be given greater access to water, and owners should watch how frequently young animals feed, adding suitable supplementation where needed. Local farm stores can supply electrolytes for mixing into drinking water to support hydration.