The top performing team of dairy extension officers in Githunguri, Kiambu County, who took part in 'maize for silage' competition, have been honoured. Food packaging materials manufacturer Tetra Pak ran the competition in collaboration with Githunguri Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society (GDFCS).

Tetra Pak, in partnership with GDFCS, ran a competition for the extension team at the Fresha Model Farm to mentor them on practical aspects of establishing maize for silage.

The competition was to encourage the preservation of forage during excess production for use as feeds during periods of drought while stabilizing milk output. This move enhances farm profitability and the economic sustainability of the small-scale farmers.

After the theoretical training on maize establishment for silage it was necessary to do practical training to embed the knowledge.

“We have learnt valuable lessons from our partnership with Githunguri Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society on the Fresha Model Farm. We intend to continue to scale our partnership and efforts to save on energy and water to bring down utility bills and in the process increase milk volumes for the benefit of farmers in Githunguri," noted Jonathan Kinisu, Managing Director, Tetra Pak East Africa.

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Francis Muhande, Quality Assurance and Extension Services Manager, GDFCS, proposed the establishment of some of the plots at the Githunguri Model farm to cultivate maize. This contest transitioned into a competition for the extension team members.

Each group prepared its plot, established the maize, and maintained the crop before the maize was harvested, and the individual silage crop yield was measured.

The maize crop was harvested, measured, and chopped into silage bags in early August 2024 and the silage was tested for quality by using the ProDairy portable scanner to determine the nutritive value of the silage to help calculate the potential liters of milk that each plot can produce.

The award ceremony, held at the Fresha Model Farm, showcased the results realized by the extension team with the reference farms and the group training being done with farmer-centric discussion groups, recent developments at the model farm including the arrival of the first cows on site, and conclusion of the initial two-year TOR agreement between Tetra Pak and GDFCS.

The ultimate results for the best plot of maize were decided by the amount of milk produced per square metre of the plot. According to the organisers, the competition will be conducted annually.

“We have the capacity to produce up to 400,000 litres per day but we are currently operating at 70 per cent hence the need to scale silage production among our 11,500 dairy farmers," noted Fredrick Muriithi, General Manager, GDFCS.

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