Last week we discussed management of newly born piglets. The discussion today is a continuation but focused on management of weaned piglets.

Weaning is the process of stopping the piglets from suckling the sow. This is done by removing the sow from the farrowing unit or removing piglets from the sow unit to their new pen.

Weaning is the most stressful process to piglets and if not handled well, chances of losing them are very high!

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2022/01/11/tips-on-managing-weaned-piglets/

Most people can probably say, “I know how to milk a cow – I’ve been doing that all my life!” The trouble, though, is that like most people, you might have developed bad habits. This was the case with one of our friends, a small-scale dairy farmer from Odzi, who said he had to “re-train” his teenage sons to milk because, in his words, “they got lazy over the years.”

Correct milking procedures are essential for good udder health. So, today, let’s take a closer look at milking.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2022/01/09/how-to-milk-a-cow/

Goats are prone to a number of parasites, some more harmful than others.

Good management can reduce the burden to below levels of economic damage but complete elimination is unrealistic to achieve.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2022/01/07/lets-talk-goats-external-parasites/

Consumer knowledge of and interest in proteins is developing in nations with affluent populations. Meat has long been the primary source of protein, and protein consumption has expanded in developing economies in recent years. However, changing consumer behaviour and interest in various protein sources, owing to health and environmental concerns as well as animal welfare, has paved the way for the protein ingredients market to expand.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2022/01/05/rising-demand-of-alternative-protein-will-drive-the-growth-of-protein-ingredients-market/

Every broiler farmer's dream is to achieve very good weights, with low mortality, and raising birds in the shortest period possible. This helps them to get better return on investment (ROI). Let's go through some of the key points on how to achieve the best from our chicks.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/12/26/the-best-way-of-achieving-excellent-broiler-weights/

The common understanding of agriculture as a sector changed dramatically following Davis and Golberg’s release of “A Concept of Agribusiness in 1957.” Their work offered a new approach to viewing and working with the agricultural sector and laid the foundation for the modern understanding of agribusiness. From that point, the sector became viewed as the combination of many different actors and organizations working together to produce and manufacture food and fibres, i.e. it’s an integrated system.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/12/28/what-is-agribusiness-how-did-agribusiness-evolve/

Roselle can be used to treat the Common Cold, Prevent constipation, Weakness, Healthy Pregnancy, Maintains Healthy Teeth and Gums.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/12/24/health-benefits-of-roselle/

Goats can generally survive off the existing vegetation. They are a particularly useful animal to keep on areas that cannot be made arable, are rocky or with steep slopes.

The manure is extremely useful for gardens and crop fields.

They are widely kept in almost all rural areas and to a large extent serve as a small savings account with interest particularly for women.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/12/20/lets-talk-goats/

Climate change could negatively impact banana cultivation in some of the world’s most important producing and exporting countries, a study has revealed.

Bananas are recognised as the most important fruit crop – providing food, nutrition and income for millions in both rural and urban areas across the globe.

While many reports have looked at the impact of climate change on agricultural production, the effect of rising temperatures and changing rainfall has on crucial tropical crops such as the banana are less well understood.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/12/14/we-may-well-lose-our-bananas-with-climate-change/

The walls of a permanent piggery may be made of brick or stone with cement and should be of nine inch thickness. The walls should be plastered and coated with fine cement up to a height of 4 to 5ft. The corners and the place where the walls join the floor should be made smooth and round. The walls should be 4 to 5ft. high from the floor. The rest of the wall up to the roof can be open.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/12/16/pig-farming/