Former MP to introduce a new hybrid cow to farmers in counties

Former Marakwet West Member of Parliament (MP) David Sudi wants to introduce a new hybrid cow to farmers in all the 47 counties.

The new breed dubbed Fleckvieh is a dual purpose cow that eats little but produces more milk depending on gestation.

The concept works by using embryo transfer, which is the process of removing 7-day-old fertilized eggs from a superovulated donor and placing them into recipient cows that have excellent fertility rates.

“The recipient cow should also be able to deliver calves easily, have adequate milk production and good mothering ability.” He says.

He says the broad goal is to basically try to get more animals out of the best cows by taking embryos from the genetically superior animals and raising them in a recipient cow.

Based on a pre-arranged agreement, the producer buys the calves back, which allows producers to generate more animals beyond their typical resources.

According to animal experts, a cow usually produces 12-15 eggs a month. But if the same cow gets pregnant in a natural course only one egg is used in the entire year producing just one calf in a period of 12-15 months.

“But through this technique, we can use eggs of high milk cows to produce 20 to 25 calves a year.” Sudi said.

Through his investment network abroad, he has already secured 105,000 cows which he will soon start distributing to all the 47 counties.

He is mobilizing farmers into groups of ten in every county and every group will get the cows at a subsidized cost to support the investment.

Currently, the registration for farmers interested in the project is ongoing and the first

A cow usually produces 12-15 eggs a month. But if the same cow gets pregnant in a natural course only one egg is used in the entire year producing just one calf in a period of 12-15 months.

“But through this technique, we can use eggs of high milch cows to produce 20 to 25 calves a year. In terms of milk, one cow can produce 30 to 40 litres per day, and can also live in all climatic conditions.

He says farmers have been practicing artificial insemination (AI) for years but the success ratio is limited. So, the introduction of surrogate mothers in cows. The concept here is the same as that of a test tube baby. Embryos are prepared in the laboratory, kept in incubators for eight days and later transferred into selected cows.

The government of Kenya has been working on improved breads to increase production last year (2022) Kenya Agriculture Livestock and Research Organisation (KALRO) introduced improved breeds of dairy cattle and grass that are adapted to harsh climatic conditions as a measure to mitigate the current effects of drought on livestock.

According to KALRO’s Director General Dr. Eliud Kireger the improved cross breed between the indigenous Sahiwal and the exotic Friesian was resistant to most pests and diseases and had the potential of yielding 30 litres of milk per day.

As part of its efforts to increase milk production in the country, Dr. Kireger said KALRO through its Dairy Institute at Naivasha had begun training farmers on breeding, disease control, animal health, feed formulation, value addition and marketing in the dairy subsector.

He adds “One of the biggest challenges the dairy subsector has been grappling with is the high cost of animal feed which makes the venture non profitable. We have been equipping farmers with skills to formulate feeds from maize germ, boma rhodes and brachiaria grass,”

The improved dairy cow breeds, the Director General pointed out, fit within the nomadic pastoral system of production that is dominant in the regions, adding that KALRO was at the same time encouraging pastoralists to keep fewer animals, but with higher milk or meat production potential.