Herdsman Farm Stories

 

 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Ilri kapiti plains   Life will be a full plate always.and challenges ;storms,wind,and floods will often be the icing. But to us who practice the faith in Christ. He becomes our firm foundation. And though we are not spared of the full plate of life.its good and bad, we shall not be shaken because we have the right foundation,the centre piece of our life. Hallelujah.

 Last week an incident happened a man posted in our church men WhatsApp forum making a distress call over issues that were weighing him down.honestly I never came to know what the issue really was but it was really a frustrated cry of a man who had reached his end of the rope. By coincidence we share the same baptism name with this distressed brother and he has used his name to identify his contacts.   A few years ago I was personally knocked off and was at ground zero for quite a time but that's a story for another day.  So my fellow men naturally misconstrued this incidence as mine and so that day all day I recieved all manner of calls from several of them. But from those calls I can tell you A man must love himself,because he's the only one who truly can. It's like expressing emotions or admitting you need help as a man is weakness. The first call was from a brother and his first words were,"You are a man why are you crying?" Another one, "Do you want us t...

 Another day has ended and I can finally sleep after a day of rising bile and acids.  You see am a teacher in a public school and a class teacher and today we were on high gear preparing to release the girls for the much needed christmas break. And as usual parents send fare to the class teacher who forwards to the learners who inturn pay to some appointed teachers who finally hand over to the designated drivers to felly students to their various destinations. Actually am more of a bursar than a teacher; since from the first week we open, am supposed to correct deposit slips, pocket money, remedial fee etc. Then do follow ups with erant parents who don't understand why teachers should be paid extra fee to give extra tuition to their girls who they on same breath want to be top academia. So in the mere, I mixed up my personal money with these other collections and found my self with five thousand hole in my account. And the child has to go home and our big leader is like a moth...

  Today,I arrived home physically beaten,bruised broken.like literally. you see I was riding a bike last weekend and out of nowhere due to heavy wind current, and my small frame, the helmet I was shielding my head with lifted and completely blindened my way. Ànd in a span of a moment I was roughing up the terrain and fortunately landed in a ditch. Let me not continue. So I arrived home afew minutes ago, and my boys and wife came face to face with their dad, all patched up almost everywhere with many more black scars I didn't even know I had sustained. My son smiled to see dad home but immediately broke into tears at the sight.the mum was abit uptight but I saw her go to the bathroom after serving me tea and her eyes red when she was back.  Am a sorry sight? I must be but my spirits are high. For two things, like every other man, am proud to have a home to go back to after and recieve love. And two I have a son who will one day hold my head when am old and weary,God help me get...

 

-There are two methods that are followed for the housing and management system of layer hens -They are mainly; floor production and the caged layer production. Caged poultry unit -Remember you should keep your chicken farm away from other enterprises and have good drainage system with clean water which is a must for the poultry farm. -Provide enough light intensity, -The poultry house must allow a plenty of sunlight and ventilation. Removable doors or curtains can be used so that the openings can easily be opened when the climate changes. -You need to keep the house comfortable and clean by ventilating from all the sides except the wind ward side to prevent draught (strong air currents).  -layer kept in a poultry battery cage should be supplied with enough food and water to each cage. -1 cage should contains a maximum 4 or 5 hens. *N.B -poultry cages come with full accessories: Nipple drinking system, Medication tanks, Adjustable foot plates for leveling, Water pipe, Pipe connect a...

Today I woke up to a social media post from my favorite Farm Enthusiast @caleb karuga on how he a few weeks ago lost 800 fowls in a span of two weeks, and I thought “that is horrific.” And this has inspired me to write about my own experience a few years ago when I first ventured into broiler chicken farming, and let me start by indicating here that am in no way doing this to discourage you my fellow farm enthusiast. Am just reminiscing on the ups and downs and the daily experiences of a farm away from the rosy manicured television stories that make most of us think it will take a little investment, regular phone calls from the comfort of our office chairs and a rare Saturday dash to the farm, to start minting millions from dairy heifers from south Africa, or the improved chicken from Uganda.  Back to my broiler story, I started quite humbly with a makeshift housing unit on my rented compound using offcuts and chicken wire which I must confess was a big undoing. The structure was...

  Arrow roots a.k.a Nduma as Kenyans like to call them are tubers which were indigenously grown. They were highly regarded in ancient times. Due to the increased lifestyle diseases, many Kenyans are urged to eat healthy and one of the most recommended source of starch is arrowroot. arrow root farming was previously regarded as a hard crop to grow since it required you to be near a river or a swamp. However, there are hybrid arrowroot varieties especially from Burundi that can grow anywhere including uplands and doesn’t need much water. Arrow roots Rwanda variety Arrow roots have few calories. 100 arrow roots have approximately 65 calories; which is lower compared to cassava, yams and potatoes. The powder made from arrow roots is fine, has no smell and it’s granular starch that is mostly used as a thickener or stabilizing agent in the food industry. Some of the health advantages of the Arrowroot (Nduma) include the following: Circulation Issues: The rich nutrient mixture in arrow ro...

  Cattle fattening business is a very profitable business and many people are making money all over the world by doing cattle livestock farming business. Cattle beef fattening involves the feeding of beef cattle with a protein balanced, high-energy diet for a period of 90 days under confinement to increase live weights and improve degree of finish and thus obtain better grades at the abattoir. Beef fattening enables the cattle to express fully their genetic potential for growth. To build a successful, sustainable cattle fattening business, you require sufficient knowledge of how to efficiently do cattle pen fattening i.e cattle fattening techniques, good management skills, and a good business plan. Cattle fattening farming is a lucrative business, but there are some essential things you need to do before you venture into the livestock farming business. You have to decide on the size of your livestock project i.e. the number of cattle you want to keep per cycle; location of the busi...

  To many people, farming has been reserved for people living in rural areas and those with large tracts of land. Success stories of wealthy farmers dominate Kenyan media regularly, but most tales involve heavy spending and a big workforce. This article will make it easy for you to find the crop with highest profit per acre in Kenya while providing important details of its cultivation process. Vegetables and fruits are the best profitable option for farmers, but require thoroughness and a constant assessment from a professional especially for upcoming farmers. Nonetheless, some crops such as passion fruit might not require that much attention compared to apples or tomatoes for a first timer. For starters, a yield of 50,000 kilograms has once been recorded in Kenya. With a kilo going for 50 shillings that farmer made Ksh. 2,500,000. Here is a more in-depth look at some of the most lucrative crops to grow in Kenya.   Passion fruit farming   It is considered the most pr...

  Pig farming in Kenya is now one of the most lucrative agribusiness ideas that is sure to make you smile to the bank. They are mostly kept for pork or processed products like bacon, sausages, and brawns.  It is a highly attractive husbandry practice compared to other husbandry practices because pigs attain maturity in a very short period (6months), have a short gestation period (3months, 3weeks, 3days), and have high prolificacy (up to 15 piglets per cycle). Pigs also need minimal attention and are thus not labor-intensive. However, to create a success story out of pig farming, farmers should consider the following key requirements. Breed selection Always choose the best breeds with a superior genetic constitution to maximize production output. There are many breeds of pigs but the following three are the best breeds for an enterprising farmer; large white, landrace, duroc jersey. Large white is a strong breed with a good daily weight gain, low feed conversion ratio, motherin...

  Poultry farming is a lucrative agricultural enterprise whose scope includes a wide range of birds, including turkey, chicken, quails, ducks, geese, and guinea fowls. In Kenya, chicken farming is the most common form of poultry production involving egg or meat production. It is a very fulfilling venture if done right, but agri-preneures must understand the following basic requirements before venturing in the poultry production business.   1. Thorough market research and analysis The most important aspect of market research any farmer must consider is the demand that needs to be met in a given market segment. What is a given market demanding at any given time? Is there a high demand for eggs,  kienyeji  meat, or broiler meat? Many aspiring farmers have fallen to rich quick schemes by copy-pasting what neighbors or friends are doing, or the massaged television stories on smart farmers, remember the scam that was quails? Take time to talk to clients, do a market ...

  Agriculture is a constantly evolving industry that keeps changing and growing to meet the ever-increasing nutritional demands for the human population. While the food requirements keep on ballooning each day, the space resources and time available for food production keep reducing, bringing up the need for new innovative ways that are less dependent on natural factors as rain, soil, and temperature to produce. Let's look at a few examples of innovations that we can practice in minimal input requirements: 1. Modern Storey- gardens Storey farming is an innovation that targets to utilize vertical space in the production of vegetable crops and herbs. Some common crops suitable for storey farms include; Coriander, Capsicum, Tomatoes, Okra, Amarantha, and kales. The method is a very cost-effective model that helps in water conservation, disease control, weed control, and can utilize locally available materials to construct. These materials could be; old sacks, plastic containers, and ...

    To run the enterprise on a positive balance sheet, there are several tips that Murimi would have utilized and which all of us who are aspiring or practising farm enthusiasts can benefit from. 1. Draw a Farm plan and SWOT Analysis Farming is a business and more so dairy farming. Therefore developing a detailed business plan and an Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of the program and the resources at your disposal, is the first and most critical step to a successful farming project. It should include aspects like; how many animals to work with, where to market your product, the number and skills of employees to work with, your financial requirements after the business obligations are met. The business plan should also factor a cash flow analysis to monitor costs of production, thus help you rationalize your expectations. 2. Work with Experts in the Dairy sector It would have helped Mr Murimi to consult experts in animal production in the d...

  Technology is the employment of scientific knowledge for practical applications to achieve defined purposes in our everyday life. It can be said to be the force behind innovation in service delivery including automated voicemail service, ATM service, fax machines, and internet connectivity, weather forecasting, market research, and biosecurity control in crop and animal production. intelligent drones spraying agrochemicals in a farm: photo courtesy   High efficiency- technology in the agricultural delivery chain increases efficiency and effectiveness when performing tasks, while at the same time eliminating errors. An example is the use of Mobile phone Apps that can relay real-time weather forecast to farmers using Gps, temperature sensors, and many others, thus arming them with intelligence on crops to plant or biosecurity measures to undertake to control Pathological challenges in the farming process. Faster turnaround time- use of technology also eliminates the delays ass...