Division of Animal and Range Research

The Animal and Range Research Division carries out research in six program areas, namely Beef Cattle, Dairy, Small Ruminants, Feed Resources, Range and Pastures and Livestock Production Systems. Research activities include animal breeding involving the crossing of indigenous and local breeds and development of a composite breed. The identification and nutritive quality enhancement of locally available feed resources, evaluation of feed rations using feedlot animals; assessment of botanical composition of range resources, grazing systems agronomic evaluation of pasture and fodder crops, establishment of introduced pasture and fodder crops, restoration of degraded rangelands; evaluation of livestock performance in communal areas and smallholder dairy production.

Highlights of research under the Division of Animal and Range Research are as follows:

The early weaning project, whereby Friesian dairy calves are introduced to solid feeds to reduce milk consumed by the calves has shown that calves introduced to solids at six weeks grow at the same rate as those weaned at 12 weeks. Analysis of the data to determine the economics of early weaning is still in progress.

Under the milk processing and marketing project, the Department has completed the establishment of three Milk Collection Centres at Kumakwane, Oodi and Bokaa. The Kumakwane Centre has been in operation since September, 1994, and dairy farmers around the village sent their milk to the Centre for sale to the public. The Department continues to monitor the project to determine its sustainability.

Investigations on the processing on lablab as hay using the RIIC chaff cutter revealed the following:

(i) Chopping fresh hay with the cutter and drying it reduced drying losses by as much as 62% compared to the stocking method used by farmers. However, the nutritional value as measured by protein, calcium and phosphorus content of the forage remains the same.

(ii) Partial budget analysis for the chopped hay was P 5 868,30 compared to P 2 149,60 and based on this, it was estimated that to justify the investment in the chaff cutter, a farmer will have to grow at least six ha of lablab. Since most small farmers have far less than six ha for all their crops. It will be advisable for farmers to own this machine in groups.

Stocking rate trials using 2,4,6,8 and 12 ha/1su at two ranches showed that the performance of the animals and the range is optimized at 8-12 ha-1su. At 6 ha-1su, the animals did not lose weight but gained very little during the drier months.

Grazing Systems studies utilizing 1 paddock (continuous grazing), 3 paddock and 9 paddock rotational grazing showed that the continuous system was better than the multi paddock systems.

Results form a rangeland rehabilitation study, whereby exclosures are installed at 4,8,13,15,18 and 23km along a degradation gradient from a water point to study the rate of range recovery showed that exclosures nearer the water point, i.e. up 8km recovered very slowly and below the 4km distance the range is dominated by poor annuals, an indication of lack of propagules for good forage species.

A growth trial using 18 month old intact males of Brahman and crosses of Sussex, South Devon and Charolias with Tswana cows was carried out. Animals were fed three levels of sorghum stover roughage at 40%, 55% or 65% mixed with ground maize grain. At 40% roughage, South Devon and Charolias had comparably higher daily gains (1,5kg/day) than Sussex (1,3kg/day) and Brahman (1,1kg/day). Increasing the level of roughage in the diet resulted in the crossbred gaining lower, but equal to the Brahman. Crossbred needed a higher concentrate in their diets for optimum performance.

The first Botswana's own beef composite breed produced 18 females and 4 males. Females were bred at 24 months as part of the multiplication process.

The indigenous Tswana cattle, sheep and goats selection and conservation programs are going well. Selection is based on survival, mothering ability, growth rate and structural boundness. Cattle comprise of two herds of 300 breeding females and selection done at 7 months or 18 months of age. Sheep and good flocks comprise of two herds each of 250 breeding ewe/does where selection is done at 4 months or 12 months of age.