You have moved to the countryside and are wondering what good could come from the land. The green lush lawns are a sight to behold, but they will not be doing you any good unless you plan on turning your home into a wedding reception venue. You can take advantage of the acreage by having livestock on your farm. If you are not yet convinced about what good livestock would do on your land, here are six reasons to entice you.

Supplement Family Income

Your family income does not have to be limited to your salary from formal employment. With cows to give you milk, chicken to lay eggs, and sheep to provide wool, you can sell these products and earn extra income. In the U.S, cattle comprised the largest portion of the 2019 cash receipts amounting to $176 billion from animal and animal products.

Additionally, if you can learn how to add value to the raw products, such as making yogurt, ghee, and butter from milk, your income will greatly increase. Value-added products fetch higher prices in the market than raw products.

High-Quality Products

If you have even bought a packet of milk and it tasted funny, or the eggs had a weird-looking york, then maybe it is time you thought about rearing your own livestock. Most people have turned to feeding their animals with genetically modified organism-based (GMO) feeds, which affect the quality of output.

GMO feeds pale in comparison with organic feeds, with the latter producing high-quality products. Besides, by feeding your livestock with organic feeds you are in control of, you raise the nutrient content, making your family much healthier.

Maintain Soil Fertility

After planting for several seasons, the soil nutrients get depleted over time. While fertilizers can help to restore the nutrients, organic manure has always been better. Animal manure from the livestock in your farm maintains and increases soil fertility by adding nitrogen, potassium, sodium, and other minerals.

Such minerals help improve the soil’s pH, macro-structure, water retention capacity, and erosion resistance. However, you should note that you cannot rely on only a few livestock to maintain a large parcel of land’s soil fertility. If you have many acres of land, you will have to supplement the organic manure with fertilizers.

Save on Labour

Even as we continue to adopt more modern technology in all areas of our lives, it can be expensive to introduce some of the equipment on our farms. Luckily, livestock like oxen saves the day by pulling the ploughs and helping to till the land.

However, you will have to train your oxen to respond to voice commands, and driving oxen is a skill that many do not have. Fortunately, if you feel training them is a challenge that you are not ready to take, there are agricultural labourers who can still keep the farm running regardless of the time of the year.

Improved Farm Yields

Food security has been a problem in many countries that continue to suffer from declining crop yields. For instance, in Kenya, food security is among the big Four agendas of the current government, with 3.4 million people dying of starvation in 2018. Such a goal can be easily realized if the farmers adopted the use of manure on their farms.

The application of manure on your farm promotes crop yields. Nitrogen, one of the many elements found in manure, is essential for consistent crop yields. In Africa, it has been reported that the application of cattle manure and mineral fertilizers doubles crop yields.

Improved Standard of Living

Besides supplementing your income, you also get to save money that would otherwise be used in buying assets like tractors to plough the land. With more money at your disposal, you can improve your living standards by maybe building your own house instead of renting.

Which Livestock Best Suits You?

Now that you know the many advantages of having livestock on your farm, you can assess which particular animals will do best on your property, depending on climate and other factors.

Autobiography

Eric Reyes is a passionate thought leader having been featured in 50 distinguished online and offline platforms. His passion and knowledge in Finance and Business made him a sought after contributor providing valuable insights to his readers. You can find him reading a book and discussing current events in his spare time.