Improved pastures for meat and milk production (Script of a slide presentation)

Animal production in the Caribbean , inclusive of sheep, goats and dairy cattle, has for too long depended on concentrate feeds. Most of the region's farmers consider forages solely as a source of roughage for their livestock, whereas Australian and New Zealand farmers have long relied on forages to provide most of the nutrients for meat and milk production. This concept is not new to the region, however. Jamaican farmers have relied for many years on their grass pastures for economical meat and milk production. The challenge we face now is to encourage farmers to make greater and better use of the available improved grasses and legumes. In this way, animal productivity can be improved (Proverbs, 1985). Native grasses, overgrazing, poor weed control and lack of proper management, characterise most local pastures, resulting in reduced milk and meat output per animal and per hectare. In any animal production enterprise, the need to establish high quality improved pastures cannot be over-emphasised.