Making hay while the sun shines on maize

To many people familiar with Nakuru County’s landscape, the mention of Bahati conjures up images of a rich agricultural land famous for production of maize, wheat, tomatoes and other crops.

Bahati, Kiswahili for luck, is one of the most fertile areas in the county and is in fact referred to as the Canaan of Kenya. It experiences rainfall throughout the year.

But a dry spell that has hit the area in the past three seasons is reaching unbearable levels, especially for dairy farmers.

The diminished rainfall has seen many farmers change tactics in a bid to survive the harsh climate change and save their animals from death.

The once lush green area is now a massive swathe of dry fields as drought persists.

Mbeta Farm, overlooking the scenic Menengai Crater, some 11km north of Nakuru Town, has shifted gears to fodder farming, with owner Benson Thiru having no regret for abandoning maize farming.

The 70-acre farm on the busy Nakuru-Nyahururu Road that was once famous for maize production is now growing Boma Rhodes grass and is making hay while the sun shines.

“I do not regret it. I decided to make use of an opportunity while it lasted. After maize and wheat farming flopped due to lack of rains, I opted for hay production,” he says.

Mr Thiru says that during the dry spells, many dairy farmers who depended on rain-fed pasture suffered a lot as their animals lacked quality fodder to produce milk for domestic and commercial use.

“One dry season three years ago, I risked my cows by driving them deep into Menengai Crater in search of pasture. It is then that I decided to seize the opportunity to plant grass as I had enough land,” says Mr Thiru.

Eight acres of the farm are under Boma Rhodes grass while 10 acres are under yellow maize for making silage for his cows, 10 acres are under wheat and the rest is used as grazing land for sheep. A huge chunk of the land is under trees.

BOOST MILK PRODUCTION

He says fodder farming brought him a fortune and relief to many farmers who were able to acquire quality hay at affordable prices at their doorstep.

With the runaway sub-division of arable land, many farmers are practising zero grazing. During dry spells, they are able to buy hay at Mbeta Farm.

“This is lucrative business. I process between 700 and 800 bails of hay per acre, which translates to 6,500 bails. This is good money at a price of Sh200 per bail,” says Mr Thiru.

Besides, he bales fodder that includes wheat straws and charges Sh100 per bale.

“Land preparation is crucial if one is to get quality hay. I plough twice until the soil is fine-tuned.”

Unlike other grass farmers who mix fertiliser and seeds and plant once, Mr Thiru opts to plant each item separately.
“I use a tractor to plant, where the seeds are planted first and the fertiliser is applied in the second round. With this method of planting, I am assured of the right quantity of fertiliser and seeds,” he says.

And he has a piece of advice: “If you want to make money from hay, invest in quality seeds because what you plant is what you get. Also, harvest at the right time for quality grass”.

He says he buys his seeds from Kenya Seeds.

After about four weeks, he sprays the farm to kill weeds. The grass is ready for harvesting after four months.

“Hay is a magic crop and brings good fortune. It is harvested about five times before it is uprooted and replanted. It does not need a lot of rainfall, unlike maize which mainly depends on rain and is prone to deadly diseases and pests,” says Mr Thiru.

Mbeta Farm is a hive of activity as drought persists, with farmers across Bahati Sub-County and beyond trooping to the farm to buy hay to boost their milk production.

HARVESTED ONLY WHEN FLOWERING

But hay farming is not a walk in the park. He has invested millions of shillings in buying various equipment.

He owns farm machinery like a harvester, baler, tractors, planting machine, harrows, a rake, and a forage harvester.
“A tractor goes for Sh2 million, a silage maker Sh300,000 and a planting machine Sh500,000,” says Mr Thiru.

The enterprising farmer, whose body frame and energy do not betray his 81 years, has 22 cows. From the current lactating stock, he gets an average of 200 litres of milk each day.

He sells the produce to hoteliers and individuals in Nakuru Town at Sh40 per litre.

He plans to retire soon and pass the baton to his son, who has shown keen interest in agribusiness.

Ms Lilian Cheptanui, an agronomist at Egerton University, says that to produce hay that is rich in nutrients such as proteins, phosphorous and nitrogen, a farmer must use the right seeds.

“If farmers get it wrong by planting the wrong seeds, no matter how well their land is prepared, they will end up with poor hay that would be of little value to their animals,” says Ms Cheptanui.

At the same time, Ms Cheptanui says it is important to make sure the seedbed is fine-tuned by ploughing at least three times to control weeds.

She says farmers must apply fertiliser during planting, as well as top dressing. Also, they should harvest at the right time.

“The time to harvest is very critical. The grass should be harvested only when it is flowering since it is during this time that it has maximum nutrients,” says Ms Cheptanui.

She adds that storage facilities should be clean and that hay should be stored in good conditions with no moisture.

“The storage facilities should be well made and raised above the ground to ensure rodents such as rats do not get access.”