BAS CEO: Pay more attention to grass production for animals

THE recent ashfall experienced in Barbados from the La Soufrière volcano in St. Vincent, has emphasised the importance of having adequate quantities of forage in storage, to meet the needs of livestock animals.

So says Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), James Paul. His comments came in an interview with The Barbados Advocate, as he reflected on the ashfall that blanketed the island last month. He noted that had the country been affected by the ashfall for any extensive period of time, farmers would have been hard-pressed to have sufficient forage on hand.

“One of the points I want to make is this – this situation indeed should have taught us a lesson, where we need to pay more attention to the quality of the grasses that we have in this country, and not only that, but to the whole question of harvesting grass and promoting it. This is needed so that we can start to produce grasses that meet the nutritional requirements of our animals more. This is an issue, of course, that we need to address,” he said.

With that in mind, the BAS official said that it is equally important that the country is able to maintain consistently appropriate levels of grass production.

“We have to plan, so when things like this happen, we’re not in a situation where we don’t have adequate stocks of forage around that will help to keep our livestock well supplied in line with their nutritional requirements,” he stated.

The Chief Executive Officer of BAS made the comments as he said that the ashfall created serious headaches for the farming community in general, but in particular livestock farmers, as the ash had the potential to be harmful to the animals if ingested. As such, he said they are very grateful for the showers that the island has been having in recent days, and are hoping that it continues.

“When the ash had first fallen, you could not harvest the grass because it was a dust storm in those fields. When you put the harvesters in the fields, they were actually kicking up the ash, so that didn’t make any sense. However, since the rain started to fall, the ash has become more integrated into the soil and you’re finding that the dust is not a problem as much now, and we are able to start to harvest the grass. I’m pleased about that,” he said.

Paul noted that with some forage harvesters actually starting to harvest again, they are able to build up the supply, ensuring that farmers’ needs are met.