Jelani Hunte

Jelani Hunte comes from a family of farmers. He recalls that as a child he helped his grandmother tend to her animals, a task that instilled in him a love of farming. That fondness continues to this day as he now raises his own cattle and ducks.

His days on the farm begin before sunrise. He goes through a routine of checking the animals for ticks and other pests, feeding them, and taking the heifers out to pasture (the bulls are staked outside his house due to the threat of predial larceny). Jelani loves being able to experience the growth process, from the birth of calves to experiencing them take their few steps outside of the barn. His favourite part of the process is listening to calves grazing. He often sits for hours at a time listening to the sound, an experience he calls “satisfying”.

Jelani credits the Youth Farm programme with exposing him to experiences that help him take good care of his cattle. During the programme, he participated in lessons on artificial insemination, calf rearing, pasture management, and nutrition, all concepts that he applies to the rearing of his cows. He continued his farming education after leaving the programme and is now studying agriculture at the Barbados Community College.

At present, Jelani’s clients include his family members, friends, and neighbours. However, he hopes to take part in the government’s land lease programme and expand his livestock and poultry numbers tenfold in the next few years.