Hardy crops for fodder in Namibia

Although most parts of Namibia are not suited for fodder production or planted pastures due to insufficient rainfall, underground water or quality, some possibilities do exist. In Namibia, fodder crops and pastures are mainly planted for the following reasons:

•Fodder availability for periods of drought

It must be stressed that drought in Namibia is never predictable in terms of when it will occur and the duration thereof. From this point of view, it is doubtful (especially for cattle) whether a build-up of hay would serve its purpose. As a fodder bank for drought, it can be considered to bale grass (some veld grass hay is also very valuable) or produce silage or haylage (hay that has been silage).

•Quality hay or fodder for times when the veld is not able to supply quality grazing

This would be mainly for highly productive animals (lambing ewes, calving cows) or for finishing slaughter animals for an off-season market. Many possibilities exist. Quality hay, silage or haylage may be a consideration, but the grazing of (planted winter) pastures is another possibility.

•Veld management it has been stressed already that rest of veld in the growing season is advantageous.

With highly productive planted pastures ( summer grasses) available, it is possible to withdraw animals from natural veld in the growing season and keep them on pastures.

•Supplementary feeding Cash crops like maize and legumes like cowpeas can be planted, harvested and mixed into supplementary feeds for cattle and small stock in the winter season.

Planted pastures

Dry-land planted pastures in Namibia will, due to the summer rainfall nature of the area, be summer grasses. it is generally accepted that at least 400 mm to 500 mm of rain annually is needed for planted pastures, and under these conditions only very few suitable grasses exist, e.g. perennials:

• blue buffalo grass( blou buffelgras);

•wool grass(borseltjie gras); •finger grass(smuts vinger gras); and annuals:

•columbus gras; •sorghums(e.g.cow candy).

Under irrigation, the possibilities are much larger and planning should include aspects such as time available, planned use (grazed or zero grazed), purpose (some planted pastures include estrogens and are not suited for breeding animals), etc. Naturally, with all cultivation many aspects of climate, soil, parasites, etc. should be considered beforehand. expert advice and specific literature should be consulted.

Drought-resistant fodder crops

It is possible to grow some kinds of crops with fairly little water and even with water with a high salt content. This practice was fairly common in the past, but is not practised anymore. The most important decision to make is to plan the integration of these crops into the production system. Most commonly these crops are used to provide fodder in times of drought, but careful calculations have to be made beforehand regarding how many animals can be supported for how long. drought in Namibia is generally not a question of a few weeks without rain, but normally a case of one or more years with very little rain.

Fodder crops can be helpful to keep animals in a fair condition for a period of time until the opportunity arises to sell rather than to feed animals (especially cattle) until enough grazing is available on the veld again.

Oldman saltbush

Saltbush is normally established in seed trays and only planted when about 30 cm to 45 cm high (six months of age). some irrigation will be necessary in the beginning and to obtain higher production. utilisation can take place one year after planting. Sheep can browse saltbush, but it is recommended to cut and feed the bushes to cattle, as cattle tend to be very destructive when browsing saltbush. saltbush is frost- resistant and can be established on deep soils and even brackish soils.

Spineless prickly pear

Be sure to establish only spineless prickly pear as other prickly pears can be invasive and some have been declared problem plants. Establishment is easy. Blades are planted and will form roots within weeks in fairly favourable conditions. Again, some irrigation during establishment and for higher production is advisable. Prickly pear is very juicy and less saline and is preferred to saltbush by animals. Some cutting might be necessary to make prickly pear available to sheep and, again, feeding is preferred to grazing to protect the established plants. Prickly pear is fairly sensitive to frost.

Mexican agave

Establishment is done by planting tubers that appear around old plants. Agave is often planted to combat erosion, but also serves as good drought fodder. leaves are chopped off close to the stem, the thorny tip and the thorny sides are removed and the rest of the leaf is chopped into blocks before giving it to the animals. Plants must be four to five years of age before leaves can be harvested as fodder.

Pods

Pods of various acacia species (especially camel-thorn) and prosopis (mesquite) are good sources of protein and energy in a ration. An animal nutritionist should be consulted on how to fit these components into a feed. Camel-thorn pods contain prussic acid (especially when green) and may cause poisoning if fed in high concentrations. Camel-thorn pods have to be milled. The seeds have to be broken to be of real value to the animal. Prosopis pods should be stored for one year and be milled before feeding to avoid infestation of veld by prosopis through the dung of the animals.

Makataan and Tsamma

Both makataan (a type of watermelon) and the indigenous tsamma grow with fairly little water in sandy, less fertile soils in a warm and dry climate. Both supply fair amounts of juicy fodder and can be incorporated in a feeding programme during dry periods of the year. As they can only be stored for a limited period of time (three to four months after harvest) they are less suited as a drought fodder, but may make a contribution as a juicy fodder during a part of the dry time of the year.