RUDN agronomists suggest how to reduce the cost of meat, milk, and eggs

The RUDN agronomist with colleagues from Bulgaria, Egypt, and Kazakhstan told what new feed crops for livestock need to be grown in dry steppes due to climate change. The results will help adapt to new climatic conditions, increase the range of animal feed, and reduce the cost of livestock farming. The results were published in Agronomy.

Climate change has a particularly strong impact on agriculture in southern latitudes. In particular, in Kazakhstan, there is already a problem with the yield of forage crops, which produce grains only in a certain temperature range. When the climate changes, we won’t be able to get the same volume. The problem is compounded by the fact that a small range of crops are typically grown. The RUDN agronomist with colleagues from Bulgaria, Egypt, and Kazakhstan proposed a possible way to solve this problem – to grow other, less familiar, but more suitable plants for the new climate. This will increase the efficiency of animal feed production and reduce the cost of livestock products: meat, dairy products, and eggs.

“The demand for feed exceeds its availability. Because of this, the structure of the nutritional balance is disrupted and the cost of feed rises. Because of this, livestock products become more expensive. Expanding the range of good quality crops is important to reduce animal feed costs. Ideal crops should have high and stable yields, low energy costs for cultivation, and high resistance to climatic conditions,” Meisam Zargar, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor of the RUDN University Agrobiotechnological Department said.

RUDN University agronomists proposed the use of two new crops. The first is pearl millet. It is the sixth most important grain crop after rice, wheat, corn, barley, and sorghum. It is grown in the arid and semi-arid tropical regions of Asia and Africa, but it can also grow in depleted soil with 250-300 mm of rainfall per year – where other tropical crops cannot survive. The second crop is Japanese millet. This is a heat-loving plant, sensitive to the amount of water. Japanese millet is rich in calcium and phosphorus, therefore it is valuable for the feed ration of young animals. Agronomists studied and compared the productivity and nutritional value of these crops in the dry steppes of northern Kazakhstan. Field experiments were carried out in 2021 and 2022.

The most effective in terms of feed value was Japanese millet, sown at the end of May. It was found to contain increased levels of protein and other nutrients. For example, 1.81% more protein than pearl millet. Moreover, its hay was also richer in nutrients. The largest amount of green mass and hay was obtained when sowing a mixture of crops: pearl millet, barley, peas, and Sudanese grass in the third decade of May. The results are based on the example of Kazakhstan but are likely to be valid for other regions with dry steppes.

“The introduction of new forage crops – Japanese millet and pearl millet – is necessary to mitigate the effects of climate change in the dry steppe zone. This will expand the range of forage crops and nutritious feeds for livestock farming,” Meisam Zargar, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor of the RUDN University Agrobiotechnological Department said.