Evaluating and Improving Pasture Nutrition in Jamaica

In Jamaica, changing climate and weather patterns have diminished forage production and availability, which has been detrimental to the ruminant industry. A reduced access to nutrition means farmers must supplement feed with costly grain-based products and other ingredients. Hence the need for technical assistance from Partners of the Americas’ Farmer-to-Farmer Program to Jamaica’s Rural Agriculture Development Authority (RADA). In June 2019, Robert Spencer volunteered to serve as a Pasture Nutrition Specialist in Jamaica to evaluate current farming practices and provide suggestions on opportunities for improvement.

During the first week of his assignment, Spencer met and worked with in-country staff from the host, RADA, Bodles Research Station, and numerous farmers at their farms. Bodles Research Station, whose focus included meat and dairy animals, played a great role in Roberts Trainings as the site has multiple forage plots and uses irrigation, so he was able to observe best practices that could be applied to farms all around the country.

Jamaica is divided into fourteen parishes; Spencer spent time visiting farms in the parishes of Saint Andrews, Saint Catherine, Saint Mary, and Saint Thomas. Farm situations across the parishes varied from dry-lot feed operations to abundant forages; and seemed to vary with location and elevations. Inner-city and outlying urban farmers tended to maintain dry-lot operations feeding minimal forages harvested along roadsides, and supplemented nutrition with grains and byproducts. In the more rural mountainous areas, farmers had access to sufficient grazing materials and rarely fed grain-based and byproducts. All of these have benefits and drawbacks. He also observed urban farm situations where access to fresh vegetation was almost nonexistent and there was a need for cut forages and supplemental grain-based feeds. In comparison, farms in the rural areas where forage production tended to be more than sufficient had minimal need for supplemental feeding.

The objective of the first training in Manchester aimed to introduce the basic aspects of dairy goat production and management, a blooming interest in Jamaica. The workshop addressed dairy goat breeds, health management, and value-added products, as well as small ruminant nutrition, forages, reproduction, parasitism, and other relevant concepts. Roberts trained farmers, field officers and additional agriculture professionals, along with agriculture students from two universities. 

Attendees were able to receive hands-on training for body-condition scoring, determining weights based on tapes and with phone applications. They also learned to use the FAMACHA method to identify anemia in small ruminants, the main symptom of barber’s pole worm infestation. This is done by comparing a sheep or goat’s bottom eyelid color to the color on a scoring chart.

The final day of his assignment on forage production and management, Roberts conducted another training on forage production, options, quality, and establishment and management through rotational grazing. Hands-on practical exercises involved tools for measuring forage availability, consumption, and rotation. During his assignment he trained more than 100 people. All his workshops were well-received, involved questions and discussion, and an expressed appreciation from all those involved. 

"I always enjoy working with farmers, seeing them grasp new concepts, and realizing how they can implement them. Appearance of comprehension and resolve is what I look for in farmers and trainees. Over the years I have learned to observe facial expression and body language, questions as indicators of comprehension and resolve during presentations, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. This skill set has carried on to and benefited my work with people in U.S. when conducting other trainings. To sum things up I was satisfied with all aspects of this assignment and opportunities for improvement. Knowing I left these farmers with better opportunities than when I arrived provides much satisfaction!"