Cut and carry is the agricultural practice of cutting and carrying fodder crops away from the field that they are grown in to feed to livestock. Fodder trees, shrubs or grasses are sources for livestock feed in this practice. Cut and Carry is a key CSA practice where overgrazing is a problem. This practice takes pressure off grazing land at critical periods, reduces land degradation caused by livestock and increases soil organic matter, while still feeding livestock for productive outcomes. This practice can also be used in more intensive livestock production where livestock are kept housed for periods stretching from half a year to a year and improved nutrition is required. However, fodder production can be costly in terms of cultivation, requiring significant management over and above the livestock themselves. Fodder is collected from sites where it grows naturally, or it can be grown in fodder banks, hedges, boundaries, etc. Feeding livestock using this approach can ensure the supply of a large quantity of high quality and palatable fodder within a short time, as well ensuring soil is not disturbed through open grazing systems, thus a good CSA practice. It can be adapted to the farmer’s needs and can provide a way of introducing the farmer to the concept of improving livestock at the same time as conserving soil.
To effectively implement cut and carry systems:
- Step 1: Cut and carry commences with the cutting of the crop.
- Step 2: Cut crop when plants are fully mature (vegetative growth and plant sugars are at their peak). This ensures that protein, digestible energy and dry matter percentage are at their highest potential.
- Step 3: Fodder can be fed directly or dried as hay or preserved as silage to conserve its value and be fed to livestock during the dry season or other critical times throughout the year.
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), no date. Alternatives to Fencing Grazing Systems. Rome, Italy.
- Shamba Shape Up, 2014. Biogas, ECF, Seeds & Fodder. eries 7, Episode 10.
Benefits
- Improves fodder production and farm income.
- Growing fodder crops in rainy seasons encourages fodder conservation for dry season feeding.
- Can be combined with crop rotation and intercropping to form part of positive farm management practices.
- Cut and carry can relieve pressure from pasture and grazing land, contributing to control of over-grazing, while improving soil quality.
- Can create job opportunities and income generation for youth farmers.
Drawbacks
- The practice will require additional labour resources.
- Can be costly in terms of management.
- Farmers must have enough land to grow fodder on or have access to communal land.
- Soil condition in the fodder fields must be carefully monitored to ensure that soil nutrients aren’t depleting.
- Fodder storage must be monitored to ensure bacteria and mould do not affect the quality of feed.
