Beef cattle farming in Jamaica
By Marjorie Henry, Contributor

BEEF CATTLE farming is the other aspect of commercial pastoral farming that we are required to do. The syllabus informs us that this should be done in at least one Caribbean territory as well as the Great Plains, U.S.A. Let us briefly look at the situation in our own island. Remember, it is not possible to write everything that there is on the topic in this article so it becomes absolutely necessary for you to do your own research on the matter.

BEEF CATTLE TERRITORY

Jamaica is one of the three Caribbean territories that have beef cattle herds in large numbers. The other territories are Guyana and Belize. In Jamaica, beef cattle farming is done on lands that are classified as being marginal to sub-marginal. It is therefore necessary to improve the pastures in order to maintain this farming system for a long period of time. It would seem that the requirements for the rearing of these animals are less demanding than those for dairy cattle. Bulletin No. 3 1979, produced by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1979, has an article written by K. E. Wellington & C.M. Harris, which seems to support this. In that article, it has been stated that ­

'The beef animal (however) is able to survive and produce under conditions unsuited to high producing dairy cattle. Far less is required by way of infrastructure, capital investment and trained personnel in a beef than is the case of a dairy enterprise.'

Like in dairy cattle, Jamaica has developed its local breeds of beef
cattle, based on adaptability and high production under local conditions. The principal breeds are Jamaica Red Poll, Jamaica Brahman and Jamaica Black. The literature tells us that the Jamaica Red Poll is the most popular breed of cattle in the island and in fact is regarded as the 'greatest assets that the country now possesses.' The Jamaica Red Poll has been developed from the British Red Poll and the Brahman (Zebu) breeds. 'This has produced a tropically adapted animal with the beef qualities of European stock and the hardiness and the smooth skin of the Zebu. Rigid culling has ensured uniformity of the breed.' (Source: Jamaica Livestock Association Limited booklet)

ADVANTAGES OF THE JAMAICA RED POLL

You may wish to ask at this point ­ What are the advantages of the Jamaica Red Poll? The available literature informs us of the following:

* The docility and adaptability of these animals allow for their integration into farming systems which are applicable to large as well as small acreages and flat as well as sloping lands.

* The fact that animals of this breed can survive and produce meat, and
to a lesser extent milk, on diets comprised entirely of roughage enhances their value in the present economic
situation.

* The animals are an early maturing type

* They are able to resist the rigours of a tropical environment in terms of tolerance to heat stress, resistance to disease and ability to survive and produce on local forage.

* The breed has a high level of fertility and has been able to maintain conception rates above 90 per cent.

In the same way as dairy cattle, cattle are kept for commercial beef production on some sugar plantations. The bauxite companies have also helped in the development of the beef cattle industry by putting herds of cattle on the land which they have restored after mining.

A livestock census done in 1998 indicates that beef cattle numbered 210,000 heads.
Beef cattle rearing in Jamaica is done intensively. The animals are kept in paddocks (fenced grass fields) and rotational grazing is often practiced. This means that the cattle are kept in one paddock for just a few days before being moved into another one. Each of several paddocks is grazed in turn, giving the other paddocks a chance to recover. As mentioned earlier, beef cattle are kept on marginal lands. The quality of the animals must be guaranteed before they are slaughtered. To ensure this, they are kept in feedlots where they are fed according to a carefully planned programme which is designed for maximum weight gain in as short a time as possible. Two feedlots in the island are Lydford Farm in St. Ann and Content in St. Catherine.

Problems have been identified in beef cattle rearing in Jamaica. One of these relates to the unreliability of the rainfall. In periods of very dry weather the cattle often lose weight because of the shortage of pasture. The natural pastures are often not of the best quality. In many cases these have been replaced by planting Guinea grass and Pangola grass which has the advantage of being drought-resistant. Jamaica does not satisfy all of its beef needs and so both beef and beef products have to be imported to make up the shortfall.

In the next lesson, we will review this farming system in the Great Plains, U.S.A. Continue to do some reading on your own. The books I used for reference are:-

Principles of Geography by Norrel A. London & Mike Senior
Jamaica A Junior Geography by Marjorie Allen-Vassell and Wintlett Browne.

* Marjorie Henry is Geography teacher at Glenmuir High School in Clarendon. Send your questions and comments to the CXC Study Guide, the Gleaner Company Ltd., 7 North Street, Kingston; or email us at jcampbell@gleanerjm.com