I lost my MOST loyal staff Echeija John to HIV/AIDS today

I got the shocking news of the demise of the most loyal of farm staff this morning.

John joined my team in August 2016, after I returned from a 6-month USAID sponsored training in Ghana. Since John arrived, I have had a number of staff that joined us and left, John never left me for once or contemplated it.

Of all my staff that ever worked with me on the farm, John was one person I could trust with my life and personal belongings. John knew things about my farm, more than I knew myself. He knew my farm boundaries and that of my neighbors. I could easily call him to get things done and conclude he would do it.

Each time I needed to sleep on the farm, John would prepare my bath water, warm my food from home and wash my dishes. He cared for me, just like I cared for him. My family had confidence in him. They knew he's got my back, anyday anytime. 

With John, my security and safety was never in doubt, as I was a priority for him. Some of his fellow staff stole my things, called him my slave but he never bothered. He was simply displaying his loyalty to a man that chose to cloth him, feed him, respect him, pay him regularly and appreciate his shortcomings. 

Most of my other staff members were simply interested in their salaries than they cared about the growth of my business. John wasn't just interested in the salary I paid him, he was interested in the business growth and my welfare. 

John was the kindest staff I have ever had. He never made meals for himself alone.  He would cook and even give out his own portion to strangers. Always willing to share the little he had. John brought so many guys to work with us from his village, only for most of them to stab him in the back. 

I know a case of one Godwin that joined us, this boy took our bike same day he arrived and had an accident with it. It took weeks for his injury to heal. After a few months, Godwin and another staff left us to work in a nearby farm. Those two idiots, were lured by some friends they met while gallivanting/idling around. I knew where they were, but I moved on.

Several months later, unknown to me, those stupid guys had returned to my farm. They left their new job because they were being owed. I got furious when I got to the farm and saw them working. John had told me his brothers were with him, assisting with the job on the farm. I didn't know they were those foolish boys. When I eventually found out, I was begged to accept them. I reluctantly did, with several conditions attached. Infact, I took one and rejected the other.

In less than a month, Godwin left again. This time, he left with John's cloths and bag. Everything that was valuable to John was taken away. Godwin left us unceremoniously again. This was someone he brought to come and eat. He had brought many of them so they could avoid herdsmen orchestrated deaths in their state, Benue. He brought them to advance their economic livelihoods and be able to support their families back home.

John never told me big lies, though he faulted in some little areas. Though he wasn't entrepreneural and couldn't take some initiatives that could leapfrog our business unless he's told, he remained my most loyal staff till date. He remained steadfast despite our challenges. He reassured me all was going to be well, when things went sour.

Last year December, 2019; few days to Christmas, John was informed by his relatives that his mum had died. When he called me, he was in tears. I could feel the sobs right from where I was. John loved his mum. He loved her so much. He had bought new cloths and food stuff to be taken to his mum by a relative he brought to work with us. That lady had not arrived home for Christmas when John got the shocking news of the passing of his mum.

I knew it was a painful loss for my loyal staff. I quickly arranged some cash for John to travel back home to pay his mum the last respect. The mum had been buried before he got home. He wished he saw her.

Few weeks before John left for his mum's burial, I gave him my last used personal phone, since I got a new phone. I still had all my details (pictures, messages, etc) in it. I didn't delete anything. That's how much I trusted John with my life and personal belongings. He left the following day with my phone and promised to return in a week or two.

Two weeks after, John told me he was ready to return with his relative that left earlier. For some reasons, he could not. His relative returned and it became difficult to reach John. His phone was always switched off. Months after months, I finally lost contact with John.

I tried every means to get across to him, including through the man that brought him for me. They live in the same state but different local government area. I later concluded he wasn't coming so I stopped calling. I only asked for him to return my phone as I couldn't afford to leave those personal information on the phone with him, any longer.

My family members tried to reach him severally, including my mum, dad, brother and my wife. My mum was even more persistent. I told them not to bother again, that no man is indispensable. I was told his Aunty ordered him not to travel far again. I was told he needed to manage or care his mum's farm as a form of last respect to her. That is not hard to say na.. oga, abeg I no fit come again o, blablablabla... I would have understood. Abi I carry fire 🔥 🔥 for head ni? I gave up on seeing him again after 6-months.

Mid-june, John's call came through. He called me. He called me severally. I refused to pick his call. I was angry. Why is he calling me? He called my wife, my brother, his relatives and co workers at the farm to beg me, that I wasn't picking his calls. After a few days, I was prevailed to answer his call. I did. He begged to  return. I accepted with more conditions attached. This is a company and not a charity organization, I told him.  Where does it happen? You think you can leave and return anytime? No way! Let it never happen again.

John returned on June 22, 2020. He looked worse than he left. I picked him up at the bus park, my wife in her usual way, arranged some food stuffs and off he left for the farm. When next I visited, things were improving. He had mobilised other direct and indirect staff to set things in place. I was happy I took him back.

Suddenly, two weeks ago, I was told he was sick and needed to see a doctor. As usual, I referred him to a health centre close to our farm, in a nearby village where they administered several drips and drugs on him. I spoke with him and eventually paid his treatment bill. He left for the farm, only to be told he didn't get any better. I asked that he be taken to a bigger hospital in the town. They did.

After they returned from the hospital, I was called to arrange for him to return home. I was wondered why. They said he could not be treated here. What will they do in Benue, that we can't do here? His relatives with us begged me to let him go. I asked why? Apparently, they knew what was going on and didn't want me to bare the cost and pains. They advised I should let him go. 

They said he didn't offer certain sacrifices to appease his mom after the burial. His mum hadn't forgiven him. They said he was seriously sick. John had told me he was seriously sick and home, that as a matter of fact, he ran away from home to return to the farm. Who would he want to return home again, and so soon! Since they said it wasn't medically related, I sent money to him to travel home immediately. They arranged to take John to his sister who lives some 60kilometres away.

Later, one of his relatives confided him that John may never return that the sickness was serious. He didn't tell me what, until John embarked on the journey to his village. After much pestering, he told John tested positive for HIV/AIDS. What, how and when?! 

John loved alcohol, but women never! People could tell me about his liquor drinking prowess, but never about stealing or adultery. I could vouch that John never stole or fornicated with any lady while he was with me. But John was very popular for drinking and falling on my bike. He had many nicknames. He was very popular. More known than me. John was very respectful, loved by young and old. His only bad part was the alcohol he learned how to drink with the idle village men. John was not a perfect gentleman, but I knew I could count on him on so many fronts.

When John returned last two months, I reminded him about the distance between Benue and Ogun state and why he needed to be more serious with his life and not give-in to drinking alcohol. He told me he had changed and won't even roll with the villagers who usually lured him to their liquor base.

John got home (his village) two weeks ago. I tried to reach him again but I could not. But one of his relatives confirmed he got home safely. I was waiting to hear from my most loyal staff when I received the news of his demise.

I can't come to terms with the fact that John Echeija is now late (dead). I have lost a friend, a gist partner and team member. John was my confidant. He knew my plans and dreams.

John could be likened to a pigeon (eiyele). He stayed with me during the thick and thin. It is painful he died from a manageable disease like AIDS. If I knew earlier, I would have encouraged  him to disclose it, so he could get the necessary treatments free of charge. I would have advocated for him. He who have lived longer. He would have lived to take care of his only son and aged father.

Adieu my most loyal staff, team mate, gist partner and friend.

You will be greatly missed.

God be with you, till we meet again.

© Adeniyi Philip Ayoola

GOAT FARMING BUSINESS

Goat business is profitable. with some guidance and patience anyone will sure make a living from it. the market for goat is high and will continue to increase. yet many young folks are not looking into this direction. whether you desire to go into goat farming or simply rearing for personal purposes, we are willing to provide guidance. 

Or if you simply want to go into buying and selling of goats,  which is very lucrative!

Decide what type of goat business you want to do.

👉Goat business is a diversified business. Goats
produce diary and meat, aside the excreta and hair.
Goats can also be breed to sell. As a business
owner explore these different aspects of the business and make money. Decide on which areas you want to
focus your attention on.
Identify the purpose of your goat farming business.
these are no hard things and anyone can do it with a bit of commitment and guidance.

👉Do one need big money to start goat Business? no as you will discover later on.
👉Can one even start with zero budget ? yes.
can one start small ? yes as you will discover later on.
👉what about feeding issue any ways around this without big budget? yes .
👉shelter and security ? yes serious issues but there are ways around them.
👉need for training ? yes formal or informal ,
👉on the job or otherwise
Risk ? yes. moderate to high but can be mitigated .
👉profitable ? sure , profitable with ready market year round without religious, cultural or medical limitations.

RAW BASICS!

1. decide your area of interest. I suggest you settle for goat meat production including live goats.

2. decide that you will run it as a business. give a name to it: e.g Brazil Goat company ltd, after you have enough fund you may register it later. but have record books .treat it as full fledge business entity even if you are doing it part time.

3. you can do it full time or part time  but you need to schedule your time to see the goat daily. don't delegate yet. start part time. later employ attendants.

4.start small to gain experience at least for few months. do it at this stage alone. start with 10 goats of mixed breeds but don't worry too much about breeds at this stage. if you start with 50 goats chances are high that you will fail or be discouraged except you hire experienced hands which will increase your budget.

4. secure a space for your goat.
do you really need a large space for goats ? do you need grazing pasture ? is the extensive system of goat management still profitable for commercial goat business ? what is the current trend that is profitable in the long term ?
I will tell you. you don't need this kind of space people talk about. they are "old school" and rustic stuffs. from experience, culture, research and the science of goat you don't.

4. secure a space for your goat.
the popular belief is the that goats can be economically maintained ONLY under semi-intensive and extensive systems with a provision of grazing. however contrary to this , goats can be and has been raised successfully under intensive system of management both here in africa and elsewhere. in fact most commercial goat farms in India are under extensive system.

so non access to grazing resources and large expanse of Land should not discourage intending commercial goat farmers.
the question therefore is this: how do you handle the issue of feeding without access to free large expanse of grasses?

You can consider

👉 hydroponic fodder growing
👉you can start fodder beds around your home
👉make sure to understand goat feeding so you can use alternative supplement feeding!
✍🏻just note that you can raise goats for profit without large expanse of land . in fact it is more profitable

question comes: are you saying that my large backyard is still OK for 10 goats? yes if you can secure them properly with good ventilation and protection from rain and adverse weather conditions. in fact there are several reasons why you need to start from your backyard or nearby space. don't go buy big farmland yet until you grow big after starting from your back yard or nearby space.

so you have no reason not to go into goat farming. 

👉so your next assignment is to go prepare your backyard or lease your neighbours backyard.
👉construct open sheds backing the wall of your fence. that is where to keep the goats.

✍🏻Shelter
Goats need to be confined at night for a number of reasons:
👉To provide shelter from bad weather
👉To prevent theft
👉To prevent predation.

✍🏻If animals are kraaled but are not provided with a shelter they will be exposed to the weather and will not be able to choose a place that is more protected from rain or wind. For this reason, it is important that the kraal owner provides the necessary shelter and protection.

✍🏻In building such a structure it is important to consider the following aspects:
👉A roof to protect from rain
👉Walls/sides to protect from wind
👉Drainage or cement floor to prevent the ground from being too muddy after rain
👉Provision of raised areas (preferably slatted to allow droppings to fall through) where goats can escape from wet, muddy conditions
👉It is also important that it is possible to clean the kraal in order to prevent the build up of disease-causing bacteria and parasites in the dung and dust.

STOCKING IN GOAT BUSINESS.🐐🐐🐐

Dont start your goat business with one goat. Plan on getting at least two goats. Normally if you have enough fund get ten goats.
Goats are social animals, and are
more likely to be uncooperative or try to escape if kept alone. Always keep at least
two goats in each enclosure.

👉Dont keep uncastrated males (bucks)
with females (does) in same enclosure all the time except for planned breeding purpose.
👉Decide how many male and female goats to purchase.

✍🏻There are three
main types of goats divided by sex:

👉females, called does;

👉uncastrated males,called bucks;

👉castrated males, called wethers.

Does need to be impregnated by
a buck before they produce milk and kids
, but raising a buck can require a lot of extra work.

Bucks require a separate enclosure,
may develop a strong odor, and are often
aggressive.

For the easiest way to start your
goat farm, buy two does, and pay another
goat farm for the opportunity to breed your
does with its buck.

wethers are not able to breed or produce milk. Many goat farms end up with
wethers when their goats give birth
to extra males.

so you should consider castrating the extra males and keep just one male for between 25 and 50 females.

If you do purchase a buck, consider one with the ideal traits in goats without any defect so as not to introduce defects into your herd .
👉It is a wise management decision to choose a buck to breed selected does and run only that buck with the females.

Different goat breeds
✍🏻Goat breeds can be divided into three categories:
👉1.   Indigenous  breeds  which have been naturally selected for adaptability to harsh environments and which are generally used for meat production, but are also important for cultural purposes.   

👉2.   Meat  breeds  which have been specifically bred for meat producing characteristics. Such breeds available in  Africa include Boer Goats, Savanna Goats and Kalahari Red Goats. It is generally accepted that they are more susceptible to disease than non-improved goats.

3.   Dairy  breeds  which are all imported breeds and include mainly Saanen goats and  Toggenburg goats.  These are breeds that have been selected for milk production and are used for the production of milk and processed milk products such as cheese and yoghurt. It is generally accepted that these breeds are very susceptible to diseases and parasites. 

Basic information for indigenous goats!!
👉Length of gestation period (pregnancy) 150 days (approximately 5 months)
👉Birth weight 2.5 kg
👉Weaning weight (weight when kid stops suckling) 12-15 kg
👉Mature mass of female 35-40 kg
👉Mature mass of rams 45-50 kg 
👉Breeding age for young ewes 9 months
👉Main kidding seasons (April–June) or (September–December)
👉Ram/ewe ratio 1 ram to 20 ewes (5 rams for every 100 ewes)
👉Lifespan (10-12 years).

Goats can be kept healthy by: 
👉Ensuring that they have access to enough feed of the correct quality
👉Ensuring they have access to clean water
👉Following a vaccination programme against common diseases
👉Keeping internal and external parasites under control
👉Keeping sick goats separate so that disease does not spread to healthy goats
👉Making sure that any goats introduced to the flock are disease-free
👉Sheltering goats from adverse weather. If a goat does get sick it needs to be treated. More importantly, it is essential to keep a record of  goats  that  you  treat  because  if  a  particular  animal  gets  sick  often,  it  should  be  culled  as  it  is a weak individual and is not only costing you money but is also passing on its genes to the next generation.

How do I know if my goat is sick? 

If the goat is sick: 
👉It will appear dull and listless
👉It may have obvious symptoms of sickness such as coughing or diarrhoea
👉It may not follow the rest of the flock when they go out to feed
👉It may have an abnormal temperature – either too high or too low.

✍🏻Key equipment The goat farmer should have access to:
👉Cooler box
👉Goat book
👉Animal Health Book
👉Burdizzo
👉Ear tag applicator
👉Hoof trimmers 👉Tattoo applicator, ink and alphabet
👉Knapsack sprayer
👉Scale or weight belt
👉Mask
👉Gloves
👉Blades
👉Digital thermometer
👉Antiseptic handwash
👉Gauze swabs.

✍🏻Consumable medicines and equipment
The goat farmer should have on hand:
👉Disposable syringes (5cc, 10cc)
👉Large syringe for drenching/dosing (60cc)
👉Non disposable syringe
👉Needles (20 gauge or 22 gauge but preferably 5/8 or 1 inch length)
👉Antibiotic eye powder
👉Antibiotic powder (such as Terramycin powder)
👉Broad spectrum dewormer for wireworms, tapeworms and flukes, (e.e  Prodose Orange and Eradiworm )
👉Dip – a conventional one to be mixed with water (such as Tactic)
👉Wound spray with fly repellent
👉Coopers Wound oil
👉Tick grease
👉Long acting antibiotic (such as Terramycin LA)
👉Short acting antibiotic (such as oxytetracycline 120)
👉Sulphur based antibiotic (such as Disulphox) for treating coccidiosis
👉Injectable solution for mange, lice (such as Ivermectin)
👉Iodine spray
👉Iodine drops (for newborn kids)
👉Copper Sulphate (for foot baths)
👉Vitamins (such as Multivite).

✍🏻Record keeping Part  To  be  able  to  manage  your  goats,  you  need  some  basic  system  of  record  keeping.  Your  system should be able to give you the following information:
👉The exact number of goats that you have (broken down into different age categories)
👉The dates when your ewes give birth and the number of kids born
👉The number of goats that die (and the age when they die and cause of death)
👉The exact goats that have been treated (for what and with what)
👉Who the mother of any particular kid is
👉When a particular ram was brought into the herd
👉The age of any particular goat (the year it was born)
👉The number of goats sold, time when they were sold and prices obtained.

Why not try goat farming today???

As shared by Anthony peter ® in WhatsApp

Credit: The Entrepreneur Hub

AGRIBUSINESS: HOW TO CHOOSE ANIMALS AND CROPS TO HAVE ON YOUR FARM

So you've made a decision to start a small farm. But you just aren't sure what animals to raise or what to plant. How do you decide?

1. What Appeals to People?

It seems obvious, but the most likely candidates for farm animals are those who you're drawn to naturally. If goats seem odd or unusual, maybe they're not for a person. Perhaps you have fond memories of petting cows on your own grandparents' farm, or have some sort of fondness for pigs.

If your goal should be to start a business with your own farm, think carefully about markets to your product, and do some research to see if you experience demand for it. If your own goal is self-sufficiency, you'll want to consider what kind of food your self like to eat. Don't raise pigs if you never eat pork!

2. Be Wary of the Unusual

Often, people are drawn to unusual or exotic animals. Their way of thinking is often that something this is simply not "what everybody else is doing" will likely be marketable. This isn't always some sort of logical conclusion. While specialty crops can be a powerful way to generate income, sometimes this can backfire. Be sure there's market for your unusual animal, natural herb, vegetable or fruit before investing a lot of cash in it.

3. Make a List

Make a list of your own potential animals and crops. Keep room for notes, and always list the reasons why you are looking for this particular animal or plants. Use this list to gather tidbits of information because you get further into the research process.
Read About It

See a library or your local independent bookstore and look at everything you'll find about the animals and crops on your own list. Use the Internet looking for basic information on raising just about every animal. At this point, you might start narrowing lower your list as you get more information details. Whenever you lose concentration, look back at your goals to your farm and ask yourself: does this animal or crop additionally my goals?

4. Talk to Farmers

You've pondered it, learned about it, and thought some more about this. Sometimes you just have to experience things to understand your path, and nowhere is usually this more true than producing.

Find some local farmers who're raising the animals or plant life you're considering. Ask them regarding their successes and their issues. Go pet the animals, view the housing and fencing that the particular farmer has chosen, experience the particular animals in three dimensions.

Now you've had a chance to thoroughly explore some potential animals and crops for the farm. You're ready to choose some in the first place! How exciting!

Source: www.thespruce.com

FRUIT FARMING : HOW YOU CAN MAKE 1000 USD PER MONTH ON 1/8TH ACRE LAND GROWING STRAWBERRIES

Strawberry farming has huge income potential and can easily turn you from a job-seeker to a job-creator or from an employee to an employer in less than 12 months. Would you like to find out how? Keep reading the next few paragraphs.

Strawberry

Strawberries can grow in almost every part provided there is constant water supply and stable temperature in the range of 10 – 30 degrees Celsius.

Step 1: Getting Started

Of course, you need some land to plant your strawberry crop. 1/8th of an acre would be adequate for a beginner but if you are in an urban setting you can invest in a few containers (which you can then put in your backyard) and start farming.

Once you have secured a good piece of land in a place that has adequate water supply start looking for seedlings. The best variety to go for is “Chandelier Strawberry” which is perfectly suited for the Zambian environment. I believe so too for other Southern and East African countries since it is so for Kenya (I stand to be corrected)

You will require about 3,000 seedlings for a 1/8th piece of land. Given that each seedling costs  0.094 USD (estimation only, prices change per country) then your minimum investment in seeds alone will cost you about 290 USD.

On top of the cost of purchasing seedlings you’ll need to add an extra 141 USD for transport, fertilizer and agro-chemicals.

Step 2: Prepare The Land

Till the land, remove weeds and then soften the soil. Later on, add some manure (rabbit, sheep, goat or cow manure will work) and ash to ensure a healthy supply of nutrients to your crop.

Proceed to plant your strawberry seedlings leaving a distance of 30cm in between rows. Also, leave at least 50cm space between any two sections of the farm.

Step 3: Look For Market Early Enough

It takes about 70 days for the crop to mature and produce the first fruits. But because the fruits are highly perishable (stays fresh for 4-5 days after harvesting), it is advisable to start looking for market early enough to avoid incurring losses.

Demand is readily available in major urban markets especially among green-grocery suppliers. You can also access a larger market by marketing to companies and major supermarket chains. In that case, you will require to invest in good packaging and get accreditation from the local Bureau of Standards.

Step 4: Harvesting and Selling Your Produce
harvested strawberries

A 1/8th piece of land can produce between 30kg and 50kg of strawberries per week and each kilo goes for about  1.87 - 2 USD at the current market price. Now assuming your small farm produces 50Kgs per week then that means you can make 400 USD per month using only a very small portion of your land.

Moreover, you can increase your farm’s productivity by investing in aquaponics through which you can triple the productivity of your farm to make at least 1000 USD per month on just 1/8th of an acre.

It is possible to recover your initial investment (or break-even) within just 6 months of starting the farm!

Final Word

You don’t have to be an agriculture expert to succeed in Strawberry farming. All you need to do is find a good piece of land or simply anywhere near a potential market).

Then you need to source for the right seedlings – and this is where you need to contact professionals for assistance. Alternatively, you can talk to other successful farmers in your region for assistance in sourcing for the right crop.

What about marketing? Package your product nicely, take a few photos and post on various market-based Facebook groups. Also, carry a sample of your product with you and take it directly to your potential buyers.

Invest in a few business cards or fliers that you can leave with your potential customers so that they can contact you when need arises.

If you’re out there wondering what business to do with your little capital, don’t let this opportunity pass you. Start small today and good things will come your way!

Culled from kuzabiashara.