Ngong Vet reinventing Dairy Farming

eCentury Reporter
Dairy farmers face unique challenges. For instance their cows fail to conceive more often, these may be heifers or cows. This translates to massive loses. According Dr. J. Mutea of Katheju Agencies, a Ngong based vet, a normal cow should conceive two months after calving and this means a calf per cow per year. If for one reason or the other conception fails farmers have a reason to worry.

The eCentury team accompanied Dr. Mutea and his partner Dr. Mugo on their routine trips to carry out emergencies in the farms. The farm they visited was in Upper Matasia, Kiserian location of Ngong Division owned by Sharon Looremetta, a dairy and horticultural farmer. She practices semi zero grazing. She rears goats, sheep, rabbits and poultry. She grows all kinds of vegetables, maize and horticultural crops for export.

Dr. Mugo and Mutea’s visit at Looremetta’s farm was for one reason; to inseminate two heifers which had failed to conceive and thus were barren. The vets had began ten days earlier by what they called hormone therapy. The two heifers were treated for cysts in their wombs and induced to ovulate whose climax was ten days after. It was then that they were inseminated.
According to Mutea the case of Looremetta’s heifers was caused by initial malnutrition of heifer as calves. They were not fed and managed well. The heifers were later overfed. They got fat and resulted in the condition Mutea and his colleague were treating.

“This problem affects heifers from high yielding breeds. If these heifers were the ordinary low yielding breeds nothing more much would have happened.” Mutea said.
According to Sharon her cows yield from 30 litres to over 40 litres per cow per a day, on average she gets over 100 litres of milk per day. She converts her milk into yoghurt and mala which is sold at her dairy bar in Ngong town.

The heifers which were inseminated were Sheila and Nashana, Friesian and a Aryshire breeds respectively. According to Looremetta her cows are named after her relatives, a tradition she revealed is practised by the Maasai community. Every cow in her possession has a name of a close family member.

Each heifer inseminated was issued with an AI card which showed the name of the bull, the date of insemination and the expected date of calving. Mutea had a cow calendar; a magic calendar which shows the exact date when the cow calves. The date of conception is fed into it and automatically shows the date of calving.

Sharon Looremetta was until two years ago a professional working with an international NGO whose mandate was to champion and crusade for climate change.
In her work as a climate crusader she brushed shoulders with the mighty the likes of Gordon Brown the British Prime Minister, Prince Charles and Al Gore former US vice president. She was-eCentury learned, a spokesperson for her organization and in particular the fund raising arm. She would deliver powerful speeches in her Maasai gear and flawless English.
She did not renew her contract two years ago to concentrate on her passion-farming. Her heifers did not get the attention they needed because she was always away in her international assignments.

She praised the work of Mutea and Mugo.
“Mutea and his agency have brought us from far. They have raised the standards of our dairy. They have brought us the cutting edge ideas on dairy. My zero grazing structures was their innovation” she says.

Sharon has transformed her farm using ideas from experts in farming. She has dug trenches which act as terraces and at the same time harvest rain water. She also harvests water from every roof in her compound.