Tetra Pak rewards best Githunguri Dairy Farmers in ‘Maize for Silage’ competition

Tetra Pak held the prestigious competition in collaboration with Githunguri Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society (GDFCS).

The ceremony held at the Fresha Model Farm showcased the results realized by the extension team with the reference farms and the group training being done with farmer-centric discussion groups, recent developments at the model farm including the arrival of the first cows on site, and conclusion of the initial two-year TOR agreement between Tetra Pak and GDFCS. 

The intention of the competition was to encourage preservation of forage during excess production for use as feeds during periods of drought while also stabilizing milk production, enhancing farm profitability and the economic sustainability of the small-scale farmers.

After the theoretical training on maize establishment for silage it was necessary to do practical training to embed the knowledge. 

Francis Muhande, Quality Assurance and Extension Services Manager, GDFCS, proposed the establishment of some of the plots at the Githunguri Model farm to maize. This then morphed into a competition for the extension team members.

Tetra Pak, in partnership with GDFCS, ran a competition for the extension team at the Fresha Model Farm to mentor them on practical aspects of establishing maize for silage.

The extension team was divided into four groups of 4-5 members each, with each group allocated a plot of land at the model farm. Each group prepared its plot, established the maize and maintained the crop before the maize was harvested, and the individual silage crop yield measured.

Each group presented its own plan for the maize establishment, and the teams proceeded to establish their crops based on their plans. The crop planting was done in April 2024 and crop maintenance carried out by each team through to early August 2024.

The maize was cut, measured and chopped into silage bags in early August 2024 and the silage tested for quality by using the ProDairy portable scanner to determine the nutritive value of the silage to help calculate the potential liters of milk that each plot can produce.

The ultimate results for the best plot of maize were decided by the amount of milk produced per m² of the plot. The competition will be conducted annually, and a floating trophy awarded to the winning teams. 

The exciting format for the 2025 Maize Silage Competition was unveiled at the function.

A separate silage competition will also take place in 2025, and the Reference Farmers will be invited to take part in this prestigious competition.

Jonathan Kinisu, Managing Director, Tetra Pak East Africa, comments: “We have learnt valuable lessons from our partnership with Githunguri Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society on the Fresha Model Farm. We intend to continue to scale our partnership and efforts to save on energy and water to bring down utility bills and in the process increase milk volumes for the benefit of farmers in Githunguri.”

Fredrick Muriithi, General Manager, Githunguri Dairies (GDFCS), comments: “The production of milk by dairy farmers in Githunguri has increased substantially since we engaged farmers on the production of more protein in their farms. We have the capacity to produce up to 400,000 litres per day but we are currently operating at 70% hence the need to scale silage production among our 11,500 dairy farmers.”