Thread by @SeruyaFarm

The Dark Side Of Farming Part 2.

This THREAD is a recap to the previous thread on the negatives we face in farming.

Social media is full of stories of success in farming. Others are not farmers but will pose on farms to chase clout.

Farming is not rosy

https://twitter.com/SeruyaFarm/status/1234043970642157568?s=19

Many farmers are quiet on the problems they face in farming. Success stories are good. But let us also show the newcomers what awaits them.
Farming is set to create more jobs in #PostCovid19 due to ongoing layoffs.
However, if you don't have the 9 lives of a cat, think twice.

All crops and livestocks have their challenges. However, I wont bore you with details per crop and livestock. Let me shed light on a few selected ones. If I don't mention what you want to farm, don't think you are safe. Shock still awaits you. So come prepared:

Poultry Farming:
This is an interesting option. I have reared chickens and many other poultry for years.
I have lost thousands of chickens for flimsy reasons. I lost up to 1500 heads in a butch of 2000. I reared 500 layers but wasn't keen. At 7 months, only 126 were laying!!

Remember, feeds for layers are the most expensive. A mere change in feeding program can cost you a leg.
Farmers buy day old chicks and by day 5, they have zero. Dead!
One sick chicken in a flock can wipe out everything. You will get stuck with mature dying chickens with no buyer

Maize Farming
Here, timing is good if you need to fetch good profits. Seed companies selling fake seeds are the first frustration. You will plant seeds that wont germinate. If they do, they underperform. The bags mentioned as yield in those packages are a myth. They don't yield.

I planted maize in 2017 with good timing. I could count the maize that germinated! I slashed everything and planted pumpkins!
If you get credible seeds, fake fertilizers await you. I bought 8 bags of NPK. After applying, one month later over 50% was still solid! Sand!!

Some unscrupulous sellers mix fertilizers with sand and repackage.
Some fertilizers like one from a company in Eldoret, starts dissolving into liquid few hours after you open. You store the opened sack only to find everything liquid n gone! You cant use that. It's your bill.

If you get good seeds and fertilizers, striga weed strikes!! Striga weed is a menace in maize farming. It can reduce your yield up to 80% if it attacks the whole farm.
I lost two hactres on this weed. Maize stunts and doesn't put on any reasonable fruit. Cut and feed your cows!

Tomatoes Farming
Don't be fooled by the red pictures of bumper harvests. Tomatoes can give you stroke.
This is a crop that is highly prone to various attacks. Viral, fungal and bacterial diseases that once they enter, no exiting. You will spend weeks spraying chemicals.

Losses will be on your list. Any slight mistake ruins your harvest. Diseases attack at fruiting. This is also one crop that floods the market and price per kg can reduce by 80% in a flash. You will be stuck with crates upon crates of your bumper harvest and no interested buyer.

Cattle Farming
This is one area that is full of losses. Cattle feeding is one part that you will always complain about. Those milk cows are gluttons. Some though high milk producers, they feed 24/7. Feeding machines. Labour intensive. You will alwys get into issues with employees

Milk prices only favour milk processing companies. Farmers are just a conveyor belt in the grant scheme. You will sell your milk as low as ksh. 20 per litre in some seasons. You will also pour milk for lack of market due to excess supply. Interesting? Wait.

The milk cows are also very vulnerable to diseases. You need a standby vet on call. That thing can show signs of sickness in the evening and by morning its dead!
Then comes delivery complications. Most overfeed and the calf overgrows in the womb. Normal delivery becomes hard.

Floods can wreck havoc in your farm. You will get to the field and find all your precious plants that were glowing few hours ago swept away. Some find this n die of stroke or commit suicide. Water logging is also a serious issue. Increases soil acidity, reduce fertility.

Crops get stunted. Drainage is inevitable in farming. Ensure your farm has enough drainage if you are located in areas receivin heavy rains.
Live stock structures in such heavy rain areas need to be well built. Storms can kill your livestock. Check wind direction when constructin

If you are keen on livestock, be keen on worms. Worms kill and cause stunted growth. Pigs, goats, chicken and cattle are the most vulnerable to worms. Most worms have a secondary parasite that is more lethal than the worm itself eg Blackhead.

Market and Flooding
Market for farm produce is a challenge to many farmers. This can send you parking on your first trial. Many farmers complain of absence of markets after harvesting. Understand your market. If you are not sure of the market don't farm. Market your produce.

Farming is an investment like any formal business. Start marketing your produce even before you see it. Get contacts. Be careful with brokers. They are barriers to accessing markets but are also the key to getting your trusted customers. Don't harvest if you don't want brokers.

My first experience with brokers I did harvest capsicums. Took 10 sacs to the market. Brokers came and I refused to sell. No retailer dared come my way as they risked not getting supplies from their brokers. At 6pm, no sales. I sold to the brokers at 20% of what I was expecting.

You avoid brokers then comes market flooding! You did poor timing and by the time your crops are ready, the market is full of your likes. Trucks upon trucks of farmers lined up to offload. Prices are down by 80%. This is where you start feeding your tomatoes n vegetables to cows!

While using any chemicals be careful. A neighbour didn't read and follow instructions while spraying army worms on maize. He lost 4 acres. Everything burnt down. If you are spraying foliar, be keen. Too much of it burns the leaves. Some crops like melons require specific sprays.

I once farmed melons but didn't know I had to spray at fruiting for sweetening. I harvested pale and tasteless melons. No one was interested in buying.Also, most crops rely on insects like bees for pollination. Too much use of insecticides at flowering kills and repel bees. Avoid

PostHarvest Handling
You struggle farming and once you harvest you pose for pics and go back to the city. Postharvest losses are at 20 to 70% and could get to 100%.
I harvested 9 bags of maize in 2014. Packed and storef without preservatives. 4 months later, I lost everything!

Dry your produce well and use recommended preservatives if storing for long. Weevils are a menace in cereals. You can lose them 100%. Onions also need good drying. Keep in well aerated places. Some fruits like tomatoes need sprays that delay ripening.
#COVIDー19
#agribusiness

What are your personal experiences and perhaps how you are managing?
Welcome for the discussion. Your candid contribution is highly valued.

#dearfarmers #farmers #farming #EidAlFitr