Dairy Board Pasture Development at Minard

The Minard Estate Farm, located in Brown’s Town, St. Ann, became renowned in Jamaica for the work of the agricultural scientist, Dr. Thomas Lecky, who developed several unique breeds of cattle for the Jamaican farmers, which brought Minard and, by extension, Jamaica, to the attention of the world. As a cow and calf operation, the estate now houses the purest breed of Jamaica Red Poll, Brahman, and Jamaica Black. The herds are thus a major part of Jamaica’s agriculture history and an integral high-quality breeding stock for the local beef industry.

Challenge:

The main challenge faced at the estate is that animals are primarily grass-fed. Over the past five years, the rainfall patterns in the area have significantly changed. There have been fewer rainy days during what was usually the rainy season, with an extension of the drought periods. Specifically, the drought in 2018 resulted in substantial mortality.

Mitigating Measure:

Agro-Invest partnered with the Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB) to start an aggressive pasture rehabilitation project.

Objectives

The main objectives of the partnership are:

• To utilize the fodder bank to make silage, which will be stored and used during periods of drought.
• To enhance the quality of the grazing pastures.
• To ensure continuous fence maintenance to appeal to pasture rotation.

From this union, 2 projects derived.

Mombasa fodder bank established at Minard Estate