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Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development Nghe An Province Sustainable Village Based Beef Cattle Development, Training and Extension Programme Baseline Data Report Milestone 3 Nove

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Nghe An Province Sustainable Village Based Beef Cattle Development, Training and Extension

Programme

Baseline Data Report

Milestone 3

November 2007

Table of Contents

Part 1 - Background 1

Part 2 - Project Intervention Report 14

Part 3 - Training Needs Analysis: 19

Part 4 - Situation Analysis for Cattle in Nghia Dan District: 22

Part 5 Feed Conservation 28

Part 6 - Pastures and Feed: Situation Analysis and Options 32

Baseline Data Report

Part 1 - Background

Introduction

Nghia Dan District

Mr Long – Vice Chairman of the Districts Peoples Committee

Mr Hai – Director of Agriculture

Mr Hong – Vice Director of Agriculture and Forestry Department

Mr Toa – Director of the District Extension Office

Mr Lie – Senior Extension Officer

Nghia Dan District located in the north of the Nghe An Province in a hilly area It has 75,000

of fertile land The main production is Sugar cane, rubber, coffee, oranges, water melon and cattle It has: - 30,000 Buffalo

54,000 Pigs The district is one of the most fertile in the province with good basalt soils with ph ranging from 5.8 to 6.6 The potential for development of beef farming is very good The district has had in place a cattle breeding strategy for the last 4 years with the introduction of Sindhi cattle via AI and natural mating Most villages have a f2 – f3 Sindhi bull

Main crops: - sugar cane, rice, oranges, water melon, corn, cassava, pineapple and peanut

In the area there are processing plants for: - Sugar cane, Pineapple, Cassava

Village 1 = Nghia Son

Mr Tu General Secretary (also Chairman of People’s Congress) Location in Nghe An District 1km from 19 May co

Population 3000

No Families 800 (80% agricultural worker)

Families with beef cattle 160 families have beef cattle (total 400) 600 buffalo

Average No of cattle 2.5 (lto 20)

Village Divided into five sections (sub-villages)

Technicians 1 x Agricultural and 1 x Animal for village – all men

Technicians 1 x Farmer for each section – all men

University Students 20 students studying at university

Average price of cattle At sale – 2,000,000 VND

Associations Farmer Association in place but no Farmer Cooperatives Poverty Line 5% of families are below the provinces official poverty line

Village 2 = Nghia Lam

Mr Nhan General Secretary (also Chairman of People’s Congress)

Mr Sinh Chairman of Village People’s Committee

Location in Nghe An District 2km from 19 May co

Population 8000

No Families 1400 (80% agricultural worker)

Families with beef cattle 350 families have beef cattle (total 700) 1300 buffalo

Average No of cattle 2.5 (lto 20)

Village Divided into seventeen sections (sub-villages)

Technicians 1 x Agricultural and 1 x Animal for village – all men

Technicians 1 x Farmer for each section – all men

Average price of cattle At sale – 2,000,000 VND

Associations Farmer Association in place in each section but no Farmer

Cooperatives Poverty Line 25% of families are below the provinces official poverty line

Village 3 - Nghia Yen

Mr Phu (Phan van) General Secretary (also Chairman of People’s Congress)

Mr Phue (Hoang van) Chairman of Village People’s Committee

Md Chu Chairperson of Woman’s Federation

Location in Nghe An District 5km from 19 May co

Population 6000

No Families 1200 (85% agricultural worker)

Families with beef cattle 350 families have beef cattle (total 780) 1600 buffalo, 1800

goats, 3500 pigs Average No of cattle 2.0 (l to 53)

Village Divided into fourteen sections (sub-villages)

Technicians 1 x Agricultural and 1 x Animal for village

Technicians 0 x Farmer for each section, only starting training in livestock Average price of cattle At sale – 2,000,000 VND

Associations Farmer Association in place in each section but no Farmer

Cooperatives Poverty Line 53% of families are below the provinces official poverty line,

this is the poorest village in the area

Summary of Base Line data

Introduction

Twenty-three smallholder farmers were interviewed over a one week period from 1st March

2007 The farmers selected all had beef cattle as a production system This selection was not totally random as we tried to get a cross section of smallholders

Three different villages were selected in a 12Km radius of the 19 May Co The villages were approximately 25Km from Nghia Dan townships, and therefore were classified as rural villages

The three villages were very different ranging from 5% under the district poverty line to 52% All villages had a high percentage of ethic minority people

a cut and carry system reducing labour, but increasing feed costs

House type, age of house was similar for Nghia Son and Nghia Yen, however, Hghia Lam had more modern houses and with average age of 12.1 years vs approximately 20 years for the other two villages

Electric water pumps, refrigerators, freezers and phones were also a good indicator of wealth and development (see Figure 2)

Land use differed greatly between the three villages Nghia San had very little land for rice, most of the cash crops were fruit trees, with very little land set aside for Elephant Grass Nghia Lam had good areas of rice land, large areas of sugar cane, water melons and most farmers had an area of Elephant Grass for feeding cattle

Nghia Yen had good areas of rice and larger areas of land for cash crops (sugar cane, cassava, rubber, coffee) It was the only village with large areas of timber trees (see Figure 3)

Although the smallholders selected were all beef producers, the area of land dedicated to growing crop and pasture for cattle was very low (3.3% on average) This represented 132 m2

by cattle owned (7 per family) This highlights the reliance that the farmers place on crop residue, bi-products and grazing common grazing land

If beef production is to increase there will need to be a small increase in dedicated land for growing cattle feed However, crop residue and bi-products will still form the majority of

cattle feed Therefore the project will focus on conservation of this type of feed and improvements in the feed quality

The average number of cattle per smallholder for the twenty-three farmers interviewed was 7 cattle When asked what the restrictions to growing the cattle enterprise were, the orders of responses were: -

• Lack of food over the Dry Season

• Lack of labour to graze with cut cattle feed

• Lack of investment money to buy more cattle

• High risk with Foot and Mouth and price fluctuations been experienced over the last few years

4 Nghia Son LE VAN HANG 5 2 5000 80% 3 X Not recommended

NGUYEN THI

6 Nghia Son DOAN THI HIEN 6 3 10000 70% 5 Y Strong recommendation

9 Nghia Lam DINH BA KIP 4 2 6120 50% 4 Y Strong recommendation

10 Nghia Lam PHAN DINH KY 5 3 30000 30% 5 Y Strong recommendation

11 Nghia Lam PHAN DUC HAI 4 2 30000 80% 7 ? Medium recommendation

12 Nghia Lam PHAN VAN BAY 5 4 20000 30% 9 N Not recommended

15 Nghia Lam TRINH HAI LY 5 3 20000 30% 2 Y Strong recommendation

NGUYEN VAN

17 Nghia Yen LE MINH LY 8 5 80000 80% 16 Y Strong recommendation

18 Nghia Yen LE VAN KIEM 4 4 20000 80% 15 ? Medium recommendation

DINH PHUOC

20 Nghia Yen BUI HUU SON 54 1 80000 50% 21 Y Strong recommendation

21 Nghia Yen HOANG CHI 4 1 60000 60% 3 N Not recommended

FIGURE 2

Base Line Data Family name

Total Area House

Wet Land (Rice) Rubber Coffee Oranges

Lichie Fruit

Other Fruit Trees

Sugar Cane

Water Melon Cassava Corn

Other Cash Crops

Elephant Grass

Other Pasture Trees Project 10/06 vn Ho va ten

NGUYEN VAN THO 15000 500 7000 8000

10 Nghia Lam PHAN DINH KY 30000 200 1600 28000 500 1000

12 Nghia Lam PHAN VAN BAY 20000 200 500 3500 16000 500

DINH PHUOC

20 Nghia Yen BUI HUU SON 80000 400 1500 10000 30000 4000 40000

21 Nghia Yen HOANG CHI 60000 400 2500 5000 20000 14000 1500 20000

FIGURE 3

Base Line Data Family name Chickens Goats Pigs Buffalo

Cattle F – 12m

Cattle M – 12m

Cattle F – 12m-2yrs

Cattle M – 12m – 2 yrs Cattle F +2yrs Total Cattle

FIGURE 4

Base Line Data Family name

House Type

No of Rooms

Age of House

Water Supply Pump Kitchen Cooking

Phone / Cell Fridge Freezer TV/V/C Cart

Tractor/

Truck Motorbike Electricity

Toilet Outside Project 10/06 vn Ho va ten

1 Nghia Son NGUYEN VAN THO T1 5 25 W N O WG YP N N TV/V N N Y1 Y O

NGUYEN THIEN

3 Nghia Son NGUYEN VAN CAP T1 1 25 W N O WG N N N TV/V N N Y1 Y O

4 Nghia Son LE VAN HANG T1 1 20 W N O WG YC N N TV/V N N Y1 Y O

8 Nghia Lam NGUYEN HUY THE T2 3 7 W N O W N N N TV/V Y N Y1 Y O

9 Nghia Lam DINH BA KIP T2 3 17 W Y B WGE YP N N TV/V Y N Y1 Y O

10 Nghia Lam PHAN DINH KY M4 3 4 W Y B WGE YP Y Y TV/V Y N Y1 Y O

11 Nghia Lam PHAN DUC HAI T2 3 16 W Y B WGE YPC Y Y TV/V Y N Y1 Y O

12 Nghia Lam PHAN VAN BAY M4 3 3 W Y B WGE YPC N N TV/V Y N Y1 Y O

13 Nghia Lam DUONG VAN TINH T1 2 30 W Y B WGE YP N N TV/V N YTK Y1 Y O

14 Nghia Lam PHAN DINH DUNG T2 3 20 W Y B W YP N N TV/V Y N Y1 Y O

15 Nghia Lam TRINH HAI LY T4 2 2 W Y I W YC N N TV/V N N Y1 Y O

16 Nghia Lam NGUYEN VAN HIEN T3 2 10 W Y O W YPC Y Y TV/V Y N Y1 Y O

17 Nghia Yen LE MINH LY SOLD N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N N/A N/A N/A N N Y1 Y O

18 Nghia Yen LE VAN KIEM T3 2 4 W N O W YPC N N TV/V N N Y1 Y O

19 Nghia Yen DINH PHUOC SON T1 4 30 W Y O W N N N TV/V N N Y1 Y O

20 Nghia Yen BUI HUU SON T1 2 20 W Y O WG YC N Y TV/V N N Y1 Y O

21 Nghia Yen HOANG CHI T1 2 22 W Y O W YC N N TV/V N N Y1 Y O

22 Nghia Yen NGUYEN VAN NHO T1 2 20 W Y I W YC N N TV/V N N Y1 Y O

23 Nghia Yen NGUYEN DUC LUU T2 2 20 W Y I WG YPC Y N TV/V/C N N Y1 Y O

Nghia Yen Total 7.0 2.3 19.3 100% 100% 33% 33% 66% 16% 16% 100% 0% 0% 100% 100% 100%

Ho va ten

tong so nguoi

so con trong gia dinh

tong dien tich dat

ti le chan tha

Part 2 - Project Intervention Report

The project team has identified a range of interventions that are targeted at improving beef production of the project farmers and the Nghia Dan District

The interventions are:

1 improve supply of quality food to beef cattle over the dry season through the ensiling (fermentation) of a variety of feeds with additives

6 improve farm management and beef profitability through training in nutrient balancing, feed budgeting and farm management

7 introduction of pedigree recording and liveweight monitoring of beef cattle

8 improve extension of technologies through capacity building of technicians and farmers in modern extension methods and the development of farmer (discussion groups) field schools

9 improve marketing of beef cattle through the development of farmer association cooperatives

1 Ensiling:

All farmers have identified the lack of forage over the dry season (November – March) as a major restraint to their beef farming enterprises The main source of

forage over the winter has been dry maize stover, rice straw, sugar can top and a range

of concentrate feeds (home made) Over the wet season and early autumn there is a wide range of product available that could be ensiled and maintained in a relatively good nutrient state as cattle feed over the winter The project started to introduce the silage technology in March 2007 and the results to date have been very successful in most cases

The project team is excited about the potential for ensiling fodder especially the wide range of crop residues that are available within the District The most promising opportunity for improving beef cattle nutrition is in using a combination of pasture and crop residues in silage mixes To date the team has introduced elephant grass mixed with maize stover, (with additives); elephant grass mixed with cassava leaf (with additives) and maize stover mixed with cassava leaf (with additives)

All of these products are readily available within the District and utilisation of these products at present is relatively low It is estimated that there is approximately XX hectares available within the project villages Each hectare has the ability of producing approximately 10 tonne (wet matter) which is equivalent to 2.8 tonne/hectare of dry matter Cassava leaf has high protein at approximately 22% CP, however green cassava leaf has high level of cyanogens , which means it can not be used without ensiling to reduce this toxicity

The use of processed bi-product does have potential as a source of cattle feed, however, there are major issues surrounding the use of these products by small farmers at the present time The supply of product i.e cassava pulp is intermittent and seasonal, making it difficult for farmers that are not close to the processing plant to access product The real potential for utilising these products is for a joint venture between a large corporate company and the processing company The project has made silage from pineapple pulp mixed with maize stover; the process was relatively successful, however, supply of product was difficult to arrange and had started to deteriorate prior to ensiling Again the potential for large scale ensiling of this product is outside the scope of most small farmers

The estimated long-term potential is very good; there is approximately 1,000 hectares

of cassava grown, also 1,000 hectares of maize grown in the 3-project villages This provides the opportunity for approximately 5,000 tonne of DM to be available to provide cattle fodder over the dry season (i.e 150 days) This has the potential to provide dry season food for approximately 8,000 cattle This is a 250% increase on the present 3,000 cattle that are in the project villages

For more detailed information on progress to date see report on nutrient balancing and ensiling

2 Tropical Pasture Species:

The forages used in Nghe An are generally only an average or below average sources

of energy and are low in protein Elephant grass is grown by many families but cut to maximize bulk instead of quality Wild grasses, sugar cane tops and dried corn stalks are other major feed sources There is a large surplus of feed during the summer wet

period, while feed is short for the late summer and cool season

To improve beef cattle performance higher quality diets will need to be provided The pasture and feed consultants on this visit had a focus on pasture species options There are opportunities to improve cattle diets by both introducing new pasture species with

a proven performance in north east Thailand to sow new areas and in time replace elephant (Napier) grass used by many farmers

A number of species of pasture plants have been identified that have potential to improve the nutrient value of pastures available to beef cattle The two main species identified are Mulatto II and Ubon Paspalum Both these tropical grasses originated from Brazil but have been introduced by Dr Michael Hare, Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand (project tropical pasture specialist) Both these pasture species have the potential to produce between 20,000 – 30,000kg of DM/ha/yr This is a lower bulk than elephant grass but due to very high leaf to stem ratio and protein levels, it provides higher levels of ME/ha/yr

3 Tropical Legume Species:

Protein shortages may be alleviated by the increased use of forage legumes as either long-term or as annual crop; or forage shrubs as a protein source Due to the lower production of legumes; there is some resistance from farmers to the large scale use of many of the tropical varieties of legumes The project has identified Ubon Stylo as the best tropical legume for this area It has the potential to provide a specialised high protein product for young calves and lactating cows

Hamata Stylo is a leafy annual legume, which has potential to be sown on common grazing land and waste areas This legume is self seeding and has the potential to increase total feed supply on a village wide basis for the common good

4 Crop Inter-Planting:

There are opportunities to inter-plant tree crops, especially acacia as well as wide-row rubber and oranges plantations with legume or other forage crops Land shortages means that legumes have limited application except where they provide a direct benefit to other cropping systems Inter-cropping options needs to enhance the soil and assist with weed control Legumes provide the best option for inter-planting due

to their nitrogen fixing capability At present calypo (traditional legume vine) is being grown between a small area of orange trees as a ground cover crop This legume is a strong growing vine that provides good ground cover but due to relatively high fibre and taste it is not readily eaten by cattle However, it does have the potential to be made into silage, especially if combined with green maize stover or elephant grass

There are a range of other legumes that maybe well suited to this role and the project team has identified stylo, as well as cow peas as potential inter-planting varieties to trial

5 New Genetic Material:

There are approximately 29,000 cattle in the Nghia Dan District with the majority of these being beef animals Approximately two thirds are traditional local cattle and approximately one third is Sindhi (Indian) cross local

The local breed is small with low milk production The Sindhi cross local in larger but has a poor meat to bone ratio and meat percentage of 42%

The majority of farmers still rear cattle under the traditional system Under this system manure production is the main priority transferring crop residue into organic fertiliser Bedding and food is supplied in such a way as to ensure a damp environment to assist with the breakdown of fibre and the adding of animal manure to increase its usefulness as a crop fertiliser The traditional rearing system involved 6-8 hour grazing of cattle on the hills surrounding the village (common grazing land) and the cutting and carrying wild grass back to the house to feed with dry yellow stem corn (maize stover)

The level of nutrition is directly related to the season and the number of cattle reared

is governed by the feed supply over the dry season in October-March feed for 4-5 months of the year The number of cattle is also governed by the labour available to cut and carry the wild grass Feeding levels of cows are very low due to the very small size and low maintenance requirement

Most cattle become an-oestrus over the winter dry season and do not start cycling until April or May and calf in January-February the following year Individual farmers do not keep a male animal and use the village bull or a friend’s bull

The focus for cattle breeding over the last 5-years has been the introduction of the (Sinh) Sindhi breed to increase the size and milk production of the local cattle The strategy was based on the hope that a dairy production industry could be established

in the area, using ½ Holstein/Local cross (Sindhi) cattle, rather than development of a cattle breed for beef production

The Sindhi cattle programme has been successful and the (Sinh x local) cattle can form a very good base for a beef industry The Sindhi x local cattle have improved milk production, size, good heat tolerance, disease resistance and easy calving However, the Sindhi cattle have a poor meat to bone ratio and a poor killing out percentage

The project team has spent quite a lot of time looking at a range of options for the introduction of new genetic material With a range of in-country advisors a SWOT analysis was undertaken and a set of breeding objectives The set of breeding objectives indicated that the semen should be sourced from within Vietnam if at all possible (to ensure price stability) The three options are available that meet the criteria set These are Brahman, Draughtmaster and Red Angus The first choice for the project would be Red Angus, however, semen for these will not be available until

2008, and therefore the project will start by introducing Brahman and Draughtmaster

in 2007

These breeds will be introduced through frozen semen and AI technology; however,

as soon as ¾ bred bulls are available a village bull system will be developed

6 Nutrient Balancing:

There is little understanding of nutrient balancing and the need to improve protein feeding levels over the dry period The traditional use of dry rice and corn straw is still seen as the low cost option for winter feeding Changing this approach and the introduction of a change in management style to the farmers will be essential to improving the beef industry

7 Pedigree and Performance Recording:

Farmers have kept very few records, or recorded performance of their cattle Detailed recording is optional for small farmers but will be essential for the project to monitor change

Part 3 - Training Needs Analysis:

Introduction:

The farmers in Nghia Dan District have been raising cattle for many years and have a strong background in traditional village based cattle production Therefore they have some understanding and basic management i.e reproduction, grazing, nutrition and housing

The training needs for the project is to build on this skill base as well as undertake training on the new interventions that the project introduces The four key interventions that the project will introduce are: (for detail see report)

1 new pasture species and pasture management

2 conservation of crops and bi-products for dry season feeding

3 introduction of new breeds via AI

4 improve nutrient balance of feed

The training programme will also focus on capacity building of local farmers, technicians and leaders High level training will focus on the 9 key farmers and the ToT technicians within the district However general training and workshops will be open to general farmers in the three project villages

Training events will include:

1 hands on demonstration of new interventions on the 19th May Co land and at each of the key farmers houses These will/have covered the following:

a silage making from

c sowing pasture seed direct into land for long-term feed supply

d transplanting of pasture cuttings from nursery’s into paddocks

e pasture cutting and plant management of new species of pasture

f animal recording, ear tagging of animals, age estimation and pedigree recording

g Oestrus detection of reproductive management

h in-cropping of legume into existing crops

2 Project based workshops at 19th May Co teaching room – subjects will include:

a Nutrient balancing of feed

b Use of pasture as animal feed

c Silage making and fermentation process

d Cattle reproduction management

e Introduction of new breeds

f Inter-crop planting of legume into orange tree crops

g Pedigree recording and liveweights of cattle

h Pasture management

i Seed/seedling production and marketing of seed/seedlings to other farmers

j Marketing of beef cattle and development of farmer cooperatives

k Development of farmer field schools and possible benefits

3 Special in-country training for farmers and technicians:

To build capacity and training farmers in new technologies is important to expose them to other farmers who are already using new management techniques Also introduce them to in-country expertise This will be done through undertaking two in-country training programmes over the projects The first special in-country training will be a 3-day training programme held at BFCRC in Bavi in October 2007 and run by the centres technical and scientific staff (see appendix A for full programme)

4 Special in-country skill based capacity building training for key technicians: Train one technician in AI at BCFRC Bavi for 35 das and then provide one on one supervision and training in the Nghia Dan area for 3-months

Train on technician at 19th May Co in pedigree recording and data storage and management using both manual and computer software

5 Targeted out of country training – needs identified to date:

4-day training course at Thailand Ubon Ratchathani University on village based pasture seed production This training will expose 6 key farmers and 4 technicians to modern village based beef and dairy farming systems in a tropical region in Thailand This training and farmer visits will be undertaken

by Dr Michael Hare

A 10-day visit to NZ for 2 people to expand their overall knowledge of beef farming and farm management systems

Two junior agricultural graduate students from Hanoi Agricultural University

to undertake 2-month training at Massey University

Conclusion:

The above training needs analysis will deliver a broad based training programme that should help to lock in the new technologies and technical skills in the district

It will build capacity and expose a range of Nghia Dan District farmers and technicians to new beef farming methods

At present the training needs analysis has not focused on the radial extension of the project outside the 3-project villages in the Nghe An Province This is a weakness in the training programme that will need to be addressed over the next year

The project is not funded to undertake an extended “Road Show” of seminars around the Province, however, it will be important to at least run a seminar at Nghia Dan District Extension Centre and run a full one day seminar at the project site for all beef farmers and technicians in a 20-30km radius

Part 4 - Situation Analysis for Cattle in Nghia Dan District:

There are approximately 29,000 cattle in the Nghia Dan District with the majority of these being beef animals Approximately two thirds are traditional local cattle and approximately one third is Sindhi (Indian) cross local

The local breed is small with low milk production The Sindhi cross local in larger but has a poor meat to bone ratio and meat percentage of 42%

Red Sindhi

Also Known By: -

Malir (Baluchistan), Red Karachi, Sindhi

The Red Sindhi originated in the Pakistani

state of Sind but due to its hardiness, heat

resistance and high milk yields they have

spread into many parts of India and at least

33 countries in Asia, Africa, Oceania and

the Americas

Under good management conditions the

Red Sindhi averages over 1700 kg of milk

after suckling their calves but under

optimum conditions there have been milk yields of over 3400 kg per lactation

The average height of a Red Sindhi cow is 116 cm with a body weight of 340 kg Bulls average 134 cm in height and a body weight of 420 kg They are normally a deep, rich red color but this can vary from a yellowish brown to dark brown Males are darker than females and when mature may be almost black on the extremities,

tail

Local Sindhi Cross

Under Local Nutritional Conditions

Breed Birth WT 12-month WT Mature Female Mature Male

Traditional Cattle raising System:

The majority of farmers still rear cattle under the traditional system Under this

system manure production is the main priority transferring crop residue into organic

fertiliser Bedding and food is supplied in such a way as to ensure a damp

environment to assist with the breakdown of fibre and the adding of animal manure to

increase its usefulness as a crop fertiliser The traditional rearing system involved

6-8 hour grazing of cattle on the hills surrounding the village (common grazing land)

and the cutting and carrying wild grass back to the house to feed with dry yellow stem

corn (maize stover)

The level of nutrition is direct related to the season and the number of cattle reared is

governed by the feed supply over the dry season in October-March feed for 4-5

months of the year The number of cattle is also governed by the labour available to

cut and carry the wild grass Feeding levels of cows are very low due to the very

small size and low maintenance requirement

Most cattle become an-oestrus over the winter dry season and do not start cycling

until April or May and calf in January-February the following year

Individual farmers do not keep a male animal and use the village bull or a friend’s

bull

Change to the Beef System over the last 5 years:

The Nghia Dan Ministry of Agriculture has had a beef development project for the

last 5-6 years, which has started to change the traditional ways of rearing beef The

Ministry of Agriculture introduced a cross breeding programme using AI and putting

F1, F2 bulls into villages as “village bulls” This strategy has been very effective and

approximately 1/3 of cattle are now Sindhi cross and all “village bulls” are cross bred

(F2 – F3)

In the 3 project villages approximately 50% of farmers have used AI and sometimes

natural mating The level of conception rate report ranged from 30% - 100%; the

average being 40-55% This is a very high rate for village based AI with considerable

time and effort was taken to verify this figure The true conception rate is likely to be

in the 40-50% range and reflect well on the local animal extension officer (Mr Li)

About 1/3 of farmers have moved to a cut and carry system Sugar cane top is a large

source of food from November – April Wild grass is plentiful during May, June &

July Maize stover (yellow stem corn) is the main source of fibre, 2-3 crops of maize

can be harvested each year 10% of farmers interviewed reported using green feed maize (the smaller plants) as cattle feed

The wealthier farmers are moving to cut and carry and are prepared to buy some cattle

food and bi-product The poor farmers rely totally on self produced feed and grazing

No farmers in this area have used silage or have made silage, however, some had heard about silage and knew of people who had made silage

Estimate of Feed Intake of Beef Cattle (kg DM/day)

Breed 12mth

Winter

12mth Summer

Female

2-yr Winter

Female

2-yr Summer

Considering that the visit and assessment was in March at the end of the Winter the

situation was not bad The high area of sugar cane in this district is likely to have a

positive effect on the cattle

Development of a new Cattle Breeding Strategy for the District:

The focus for cattle breeding over the last 5-years has been the introduction of the (Sinh) Sindhi breed to increase the size and milk production of the local cattle The

strategy was based on the hope that a dairy production industry could be established

in the area, using ½ Holstein/Local cross (Sindhi) cattle, rather than development of a

cattle breed for beef production

The Sindhi cattle programme has been successful and the (Sinh x local) cattle can form a very good base for a beef industry The Sindhi x local cattle have improved

milk production, size, good heat tolerance, disease resistance and easy calving

However, the Sindhi cattle have a poor meat to bone ratio and a poor killing out percentage

The Sindhi crossing programme has been successful and most of the farmers are managing to feed these slightly larger cattle If a successful beef production industry

is to be established in the district on a new breed strategy and programme will need to

be established Any new breeding strategy will have to go “hand in hand” with an increase in nutrition for the animals, farmer training, and the development of a more sustainable marketing system for beef

The local success rate and technicians skill for AI is high enough to sustain a new breeding programme Also the “village bull” concept is well established The introduction of a new specialised beef breed (or crossbreed) will require considerable thought and care The project team will not make any recommendation for another 6-months, until a good understanding of the local situation is understood and a high level of consultation has been undertaken at all levels – district, provincial and national

An AI breeding programme has very long-term effects and is very important to the long-term success of the beef industry in this area However, there is some urgency in making the selection of a new breed as the present (Sinh x local) breed will not produce high quality beef, or meat to WTO standards that are expected by the National Government

Any new breed (or crossbreed) will need to address the following points:

• Improve the killing out % of local x Sindhi cross cattle

• Be well muscled and have good early growth (200 day LWT)

• Have a medium mature list that does not increase the mature WT of the female cattle too high, and fit the nutrient availability if the district in the future

• Be easy calving with a low birth WT factor

• The breed will need to have average to good milking ability so when a 3 way cross cow is introduced it can be used as a beef breeding animal

• The breed (or crossbreed) must be sustainable for tropical conditions and have been tested and proved suitable

• Be tolerant of most of the tropical cattle disease and meat steers

• Be pleasing to the eye of the local farmers i.e mostly red in colour (not black and white)

• Semen supply of a new breed needs to be readily available and future supplies available by the Provincial Government in the future at a reasonable price

• The breed will be approved and recommended as suitable by the Ministry of Agriculture in Vietnam

After discussions with the local Extension Officers; the Provincial Animal Breeding Centre, Vinh City; the National Bull Breeding Centre in Hay Tay Province the project team has recommended Red Brahman, Draughtmaster and Red Sindhi as the base breeds for introduction and development within the project area Red Angus maybe considered in the future when it becomes available in Vietnam The project recommends an upgrading programme that will take approximately 5 years to achieve