First each dairy plant was briefly introduced. During the first round of presentations it became obvious that at this time of the year most dairies are short of fresh milk. Some dairies, which usually process over 100 litres of milk a day from July to January, can now only get hold of 10 – 20 litres per day.

All were therefore eager to learn from the vast experience of Georges Cothenet, who has worked in a number of countries, i.e. France, Ivory Coast, India, China … and Brazil, the latter raising its livestock in conditions that are much like those of West Africa.

Mr Cothenet had come fromBrittany as an associate ABADAS (Association Bretonne d’Aide Directe à l’Afrique Subsaharienne),an association for direct aid to Sub-Saharan Africa. He singled out three vital conditions for milk production :

1. Cows must be of a breed likely to be highly productive, such as the Goudali or the Brazilian Girs.
2. Animals must be in good health hence the importance of prevention (health care, vaccinations).
3. And of course, they must be given adequate fodder this was also the main theme of the seminar.

Mr Cothenet pointed out that the bulk of fodder for dairy cows consists of green grass. It is obviously difficult to provide this during the dry season. Therefore quality fodder must be put in storage to take the animals through this period of the year.

Dry straw is not high quality feed. The best is to harvest good grass, rich in nutrients, at the right time (at the latest at blossom and here mostly in September). This is not always easy, since the grass must first be dried and then sheltered before the rains start.

It must be remembered that good quality hay is very different from dried grass. Dry straw may help a cow survive, but it does not enable it to produce any quantities of milk.
This is because the dried grass will have lost much of its nutritional properties and also because cows are not much likely to relish a diet of dry grass only.

A cow may readily absorb 20 – 22 kg of green grass (which of course has a high water content) or 5 – 6 kg of quality hay. Both will allow her to produce 5 litres of milk per day. If given 4 kg of dry grass, it will give 1-2 litres and there will be nothing left, when the calf has had its share !
Let us therefore keep in mind that production of milk during the dry season will require an input of 5-6 kg of quality fodder a day.

Next week we will discuss food supplements – which are only just that: supplements which can never be substituted for actual fodder (grass or hay).

Among food supplements we already know of cotton seed cakes. But at present this is extremely scarce or extremely expensive ! As we shall see, soy, which is still not well known (in Burkina) can be a substitute for cotton cake (which we do know well, but which is unavailable!).

Koudougou, May 10th 2010
Maurice Oudet
Director, SEDELAN