Author: Almira P. Bentadan

GenTri: Sustaining carabao development amid industrialization

Posted on | by Almira P. Bentadan

As it approaches its 10th founding anniversary, the General Trias Dairy Raisers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (GTDRMPC) in General Trias, Cavite has already set the bar high in terms of carabao-based dairy production for other emerging dairy cooperatives.

Upon its establishment in 2005, the GTDRMPC rented a building to serve as its processing plant and marketing outlet with the help of the local government unit (LGU) of General Trias, popularly referred to as “GenTri”.

Five years later, the co-op transferred to a newly built processing plant funded by the GenTri LGU and the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (PCC at UPLB), one of the agency’s 13 regional centers.

Cultivating partnerships

Through the years, the co-op has been able to cultivate partnerships with various government agencies, parlaying such tie-ups into concrete forms of assistance. For instance, the GTDRMPC got a big boost when the Gentri LGU adopted carabao’s milk as its One Town, One Product (OTOP) under the promotional program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that seeks to highlight a locality’s product or service that shows competitive advantage.

The Department of Science and Technology through PCAARRD (Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development) and the DTI also provided the co-op with additional equipment for newly developed dairy products and cold storage facility. The DOST-PCAARRD likewise provided trainings on product development for the co-op staff.

Funding from the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and Department of Agriculture (DA) allowed the farmer-members of the co-op to undergo free trainings on proper carabao production and management.

The provincial government of Cavite and the Cooperative Union of Cavite also extended their support in terms of free capacity-building trainings for the co-op members.

Meanwhile, the co-op was able to link-up with several marketing partners who have brought the group’s dairy products beyond Cavite.

Steady success

As the GTDRMPC continues to flourish, many residents of the town have been given additional livelihood opportunities. Its membership has grown to almost 200 from 44 original members.

The co-op currently collects at least 250 liters of carabao milk daily from its members who have a combined animal holding of almost 250 head, of which close to 80 percent are crossbreds. The collected fresh milk are processed into various dairy items, nearly 50% of which are marketed by the co-op’s distributors while the rest are sold at the co-op’s products’ outlet under their own label, “GenTri’s Best”.

Already producing and selling nine products of different flavors, the co-op is set to launch yet another product: soft ice cream. It will be launched in the coming summer season, when the members’ milk production is expected to surge, according to Desiree G. Paras, the co-op’s plant manager.

The GTDRMPC’s performance has gained recognition, including the DA’s “Gawad Saka Award”, a testament to the co-op’s steady success.

Threat, opportunity

The co-op may have weathered the turbulence common to fledgling organizations, but as it nears a decade of existence, its sustainability is threatened by widespread industrialization in General Trias.

Touted by the provincial government of Cavite as one of the “new frontiers of growth and development among the CALABARZON area,” GenTri is fast becoming home to big industrial estates and commercial establishments.

“Land use conversion is very rapid in our municipality. Subdivisions are emerging everywhere,” Nerisa Marquez, GenTri municipal agriculturist of General Trias, Cavite, revealed.

According to the town’s website, there is indeed a “high incidence of land banking or purchasing of large tracts of cheap agricultural lands for the sole purpose of reclassifying them and developing them into other land uses.” This causes a decline of productive lands vital to the agricultural sector.

In the carabao industry, directly affected is the source of feed stuff for the buffaloes.

GTDRMPC chairman Samuel Potante affirmed that they are indeed feeling the effects of land use conversion. Most of them, he said, feed their carabaos through grazing in pasture areas and only a few practice the cut-and-carry system. Other forage areas are also decreasing, leading some co-op members to sell some of their stocks, he said.

“To cope with the situation, the co-op plans to rent land outside the municipality where we can plant forages for our animals,” Potante said.

At the LGU’s end, Marquez said they have launched a campaign among farmers not to sell their lands to developers.

“We are appealing to the Sangguniang Bayan of our town to legislate and allow the usage of all idle lands as pasture area for farmers since there are wide acres of land in the municipality that are left idle with no developments,” Marquez added.

Since the challenge is how to produce more on lesser land, Marquez is closely collaborating with PCC at UPLB for new technologies that will help maintain the level of production among the dairy farmers, especially in terms of feeding.

It also manifested how, despite the level of maturity the co-op has reached over the years, the LGU and PCC at UPLB have not totally weaned the co-op.

“The farmers need guidance in adopting technologies, such as other alternative feeds for the animals aside from rice straws and Napier grass. They also need assistance in seeking grants to avail of machineries, like rice straw bailers,” the municipal agriculturist shared.

But while industrialization may have negative effects on the production side of the carabao business, it may be favorable in terms of the marketing aspect.

“The market will expand and marketing will be accelerated,” Mariano Lumbre, a member of the co-op’s board of directors, enthusiastically said.

In fact, Potante said, the co-op plans to put up a coffee shop as another market venue for their milk produce.

Marquez also affirmed that the situation may pave the way for the development of another dairy-based industry.

“The LGU’s support for the dairy industry will continue. This time, a new association may be formed to capitalize on carabao’s milk as raw material,” she said.

From indications, there’s no stopping GenTri and its partners from vigorously pursuing carabao development, which augurs well for GTDRMPC and other groups following in its footsteps.

PCC holds consultation-workshop on animal nutrition concerns

Posted on | by Ma. Cecilia C. Irang

The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) conducted a one-week consultation-workshop aimed at harnessing livestock extension services to enhance animal nutrition, forage production, conservation, and pasture development.

 

Initiated and funded by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the consultation-workshop was conducted on October 5-11 at the PCC national headquarters in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija and organized by PCC’s animal nutrition unit.

 

Some 40 staff from the regional field units of the Department of Agriculture as well as other government and private entities involved in agriculture, agribusiness, animal husbandry or veterinary science participated in the worshop.

 

In his welcome remarks, Dr. Arnel del Barrio, acting PCC executive director, said that in his 30 years of work in the carabao industry, this was the first consultation-workshop focusing on feeding, forage conservation that he encountered.

 

“We will continue to train and disseminate different technologies related to feeding, forage and pasture so that our livestock productivity will increase. As an animal nutritionist, it is significant in light of our program here in Nueva Ecija, which is our National Impact Zone (NIZ), to scale-up our forage production by continuously providing appropriate feeding technologies to our farmers. Let’s be united in this training and after this, the most important thing is how you are going to transfer the knowledge, skills and right attitude to your clients,” Del Barrio declared.

 

For his part, DA Undersecretary for Livestock Jose Reaño, who served as the guest speaker, emphasized the purpose and importance of the workshop.

 

“The purpose of this workshop is the proper utilization of the resources available in your respective regions, how you are going to utilize and use them to your advantage and at the same time lower the cost of production of the livestock industry here in the Philippines,” Reaño stated.

 

Meanwhile, Dr. Rubina Cresencio, BAI executive director, declared in her inspirational message that the workshop “will be our starting point to work together and integrate all our efforts to harness all the feed resources available in the country and increase livestock productivity.”

 

The workshop covered three teaching-learning phases. The first phase covered best practices in animal management and extension strategies; second, practical animal nutrition management and technical service advisory; and third, experiential learning on forage and pasture development, conservation, and feed formulation.

 

As an integral component of the workshop, the participants went on a field visitation of existing development models and some developed pastures or forage stand in Pampanga and Bulacan.

 

The workshop’s resource persons included, among others, Dr. Daniel Aquino, animal nutrition unit head; Dr. Eric Palacpac, PCC national R&D coordinator; Dr. Edgar Orden, CLSU professor VI; Prof. Tsutomu Fujihara, PCC nutrition consultant; Prof. Francisco Gabunada, Visayas State University assistant professor; and Nomer Garcia, PCC senior science research specialist.

 

“Karamihan sa mga nakilahok ay unang beses pa lang nilang naranasang gumawa ng urea-treated rice straw (UTRS) at pagbuburo ng damo noong praktikal sa ikalawang araw ng pagsasanay. Nakita namin ‘yong pananabik nilang matuto at malaman ‘yong paggawa noon (Most of the participants experienced doing urea-treated rice straws (UTRS) and silage for the first time during our practicum on the second day of workshop. We saw their eagerness to learn and know how to practically prepare and make UTRS and silage),” Aquino pointed out.

 

“They were also asked to write down their action plans after the workshop and they will be evaluated after 3-6 months for the post-training evaluation that will be conducted by BAI,” he added.

 

Dairy forum tackles challenges in dairy buffalo production

Posted on | by Almira P. Bentadan

Dairy farmers in the National Impact Zone (NIZ) of the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) need to enhance the milk production performance of their dairy buffaloes in order to further improve their income from their respective buffalo-based enterprises.

 

This was the focal point of the dairy forum conducted on September 30 by PCC’s Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) team at the NIZ at the PCC national headquarters in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

 

Some 50 officials from the different PCC-assisted dairy cooperatives in Nueva Ecija, which is the NIZ of the PCC’s Carabao Development Program, participated in the one-day activity.

 

They interacted with the forum panel that comprised Dr. Arnel N. Del Barrio, acting executive director of PCC; Dr. Daniel Aquino and Dr. Tsutomo Fujihara, nutrition experts; Dr. Peregrino Duran, breeding expert, and Patricia Saturno, plant manager of PCC’s Central Milk Processing Plant.

 

“You may already be earning income from dairying now but we have yet to reach the optimized level of productivity of the dairy buffaloes. This may be due to some challenges that beset the different aspects of production and management,” Dr. Del Barrio said in his opening remarks.

 

“This forum is therefore an opportunity for us to identify these issues and analyze their root causes, discuss these and recommend solutions so that we can improve the present condition of our dairy enterprises,” he explained.

 

Data from DHI team show that as of August, 2014, there are about 3,000 purebred dairy buffaloes in the hands of small-hold dairy farmers in the NIZ. About 33% of these are cows, 32% of which are in the milking line. Of the more than 2,000 breedable females, 24% are pregnant.

 

As part of the activity, the participants identified the various gaps in the different aspects of carabao and milk production, such as breeding, health and nutrition, and milk handling that are inhibiting the buffaloes from attaining their full dairy potential.

 

Some of the issues that came up were low pregnancy rate among heifers and cows resulting in long calving intervals.  Problems related to milk production also surfaced.

 

On the health aspect of the animals, the farmers are confronted with incidence of diseases, such as parasitism and mastitis.

 

The participants were encouraged to share their insights and to suggest possible courses of action to address each of the issues.

 

“Over the past 20 years, PCC has developed various technologies on different areas of buffalo management which may help in increasing milk production. We are sharing them to you and we encourage you to adopt and apply them,” Del Barrio said.

 

The panelists stressed the importance of proper feeding management in relation to milk production.

 

“When you give the right amount of balanced food to your animals, they will give you back the desired amount of milk,” Aquino stressed.

 

He urged the participants to practice the “challenge feeding” technique.

 

“Immediately after the cow gives birth, add two kilos of dairy concentrate to the food of the cow daily. With every kilo of milk added to the milk production, add another half kilo on top of the two kilos of concentrate. The challenge lasts for 70-90 days from calving or until the cow has reached its production peak,” Aquino added.

 

Regarding buffalo health concerns, the panelists pointed out that the incidence of diseases may be avoided by proper care and management of the animals, such as the practice of cut-and-carry feeding scheme instead of grazing. This will minimize the chance of the buffalo to contract parasites that cause diseases, such as liverfluke.

 

For her part, Saturno emphasized the importance of proper milk handling in order to ensure the quality of milk.

 

In his closing remarks, Dr. Del Barrio urged the farmers to double their milk production by next year.

 

“I believe that we can achieve this when we work together. We already have the knowledge, we know the solution. All we need is action,” Dr. Del Barrio said.

 

San Agustin, Isabela: Carving a name of its own in carabao crossbreeding

Posted on | by Ma. Cecilia C. Irang

Every place has its own marks or attributes which may catapult it to prominence. And such distinguishing features can become channels or pathways for progress and development.

Take the case of San Agustin in Isabela province. Its success in upgrading the carabao or the native swamp buffalo has earned for the municipality the distinction of being the frontrunner in the National Carabao Development Program being implemented by the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC).

Undeniably, the importance of the carabao, especially in the lives of farmers, including those in San Agustin, has become broader. This is mainly due to the fact that the carabao is their number one trusted ally in their farming activities that include, among others, land cultivation and hauling of harvested crops. No wonder that among the farmers, there is an accepted aphorism that says they are only half-farmers if they don’t own a carabao.

Moreover, the female carabaos now have added meaning for farmers: production of fresh milk that translates to much-needed daily cash. This is especially true for the dairy-type carabaos, like the Murrah buffaloes, Italian buffaloes, Brazilian buffaloes and the crossbreds, which provide milk yield substantially higher than that of the native buffaloes.

Crossbreeding introduced

Crossbreeding of the native-type to that of the milk-type of carabaos was introduced in the context of the Philippine Carabao Act of 1992. The result of this is the crossbred which, at its first generation, carries the 50% exotic blood and 50% Philippine carabao breed blood up until it reaches almost the purebred state after four generations of backcrossing.

According to studies, crossbred carabaos have the potentials for higher growth rate and milk production. It can produce an average of 4.14 liters of milk a day or better as their upgrading continues.

San Agustin town is a fourth-class municipality with 23 barangays (villages). It is situated at the crossroads of the provinces of Isabela, Quirino and Aurora that kisses the foot of the vast Sierra Madre Mountain range. The town’s topography consists mostly of rolling hills with a total land area of 16,973.23 hectares. These are mainly used for corn, cassava and banana production. Only a few patches are planted to rice.

The town has a big number of native carabaos which the farmers use in their farm works. Its mountainous terrain, which is rich in grasses, assures the farmers of abundance of needed forage. Its prevailing peace and order situation likewise guarantees that the animals can be left grazing the whole day in the open field and retrieved only the next morning for bathing.

In 1992, San Agustin was one of the areas identified, through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the then Philippine Carabao Research and Development Center (PCRDC) at Cagayan State University (now Philippine Carabao Center at CSU) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Region II (Cagayan Valley) for the conduct of the Carabao Crossbreeding Program.

Later, in 1995, Mayor Virgilio Padilla declared the Carabao Upgrading Program (CUP) in San Agustin as the town’s banner program. The farmers of the town, at first, hesitantly embraced the program to improve the breed of their carabaos.

However, Mayor Padilla, aware of the difficulty in making his constituents adopt the program, was undeterred. He was convinced the program would benefit his farmer-constituents and exerted all efforts to get them to actively participate in the undertaking.

His persistence paid off. At the helm of the program for ten years now, the CUP continues to gain strength. In fact, a believer of leadership by example, the mayor himself is engaged in raising crossbreds.

The town’s success in carabao upgrading is attested by its relatively large number of crossbreds. As of last count, San Agustin’s crossbred population now stands at 5,736 head. The challenge facing it now is how to maximize this big resource for providing more income for the farmers and improve their nutritional level as well as that of their families.

Changing mindsets

At present, only a limited volume of milk is currently collected daily from the crossbreds. Majority of the town’s farmers use their crossbreds for farming works and other related activities because of its draft ability.

“Our farmers here benefit a lot from their crossbreds in farm works because these are really good as source of draft power, especially in plowing the land. They are also good in “karyada”, which is the hauling of harvested banana, rice and corn. Their strides are longer than that of the native carabaos. As long as you provide them with the proper management, the crossbreds will surely perform well,” Mayor Padilla said.

His description of the regard of farmers for crossbreds jibed with the findings of a research study titled: “To Milk or Not to Milk: Understanding the Socio-Economic Characteristics and Behavioral Intentions of Crossbred Buffalo (CB) Owners in San Agustin, Isabela”. It was conducted by PCC researchers, namely, Dr. Eric Palacpac, Erwin Valiente, Rovina Jacang, Moses Gil Honorio, Honorato Baltazar, and Dr. Annabelle Sarabia. As of 2012, only half of the CB owners were milking their animals daily.

The study showed that the farmers raise the CBs primarily for draft, breeding and meat purposes. Utilizing the CBs for dairying is common only among those who have already experienced milking their CBs.

It was also found out that a good number of the farmer-owners of CBs are driven mainly by certain socio-economic factors on their decision “to milk” or “not to milk” their animals. They tend to milk only when the number of their CBs increases or when they set their mind in raising the animals for dairy purposes or when they are already adept in milking.

“Some farmers don’t want their calf to be interrupted from getting continuous nourishment from its mother in order for it to be strong enough. Their mind set is that the milk is only for the calf and the big carabao is for draft that’s why they also want the calf to be strong and big. This is the reason why dairying is only a secondary concern. We need to explain to them, that there is money out of the milk they get from the carabao,” Mayor Padilla said.

Empowering dairy enterprise

Mayor Padilla, in an effort to induce the full flowering of dairying in his town, appointed the retired Municipal Agriculture Officer (MAO), Julio Lamug, as a consultant, and gave orders to the acting MAO, Virginia Lamug (wife of the retired MAO), to convince, monitor and encourage the farmers and owners of carabaos to take the dairying program into serious consideration and make use of four milking barns put up using a Php5M assistance given by the provincial government of Isabela.

All three personalities have the “authority” to speak well of the beauty of the program as they themselves have their purebreds and crossbreds. The Lamugs have a total of 21 crossbreds while the mayor, 20 head. They have milking barns of their own. No doubt, they serve as models in carabao- raising and dairy enterprise development, a feat which they hope will serve as an inspiration for their farmer-townmates.

To conserve the number of crossbreds in the municipality, the local government unit (LGU) of San Agustin passed an ordinance regulating the sale and slaughter of crossbred buffaloes in November 2008.

“If given a chance, we will propagate crossbred carabaos here in the District 4 of Isabela. Our direction is still toward enterprise development, with the production of crossbreds as a continuing endeavor,” Mayor Padilla said.

In all his speaking engagements, he encourages people to go into dairyng. He always cites the benefits that carabao-owners can get out of their lactating dams.

Crossbreds at center stage

San Agustin town is also known for its assiduous celebration of its “Nuang Festival”. “Nuang” is an Ilocano term for carabao.

The annual event, which includes a competition featuring the carabaos, is a much-anticipated occasion for carabao-owners because their animals take center stage of the festival. It also recognizes their significant contribution in sustaining a program aimed at improving the carabao breed.

“Aside from the money they might get from winning in the contest, they also have an incentive of Php200 for every carabao that participates in the parade. So if you have five carabaos, you have a total incentive of Php1000 in an instant,” Virginia Lamug said.

The carabao entries vie for such titles as “Biggest Male”, “Biggest Dam”, “Most Beautiful Carabao”, “Best Milker”, among others.

Currently, the municipality has a total of 13 dairy associations and one dairy cooperative, which is the San Agustin Dairy Cooperative (SADACO).

Farmer-models in dairy enterprise

Amid the “psychological block” in the dairy aspect, there are farmer-models in San Agustin who are living examples of the advantages of dairying. They themselves proved how engaging in dairy enterprises helped them improve their lives.

Manrico Claro, SADACO head and chairman of the coop’s board, is one of the farmer-models in dairy enterprise development. Also the president of Santos Crossbred Carabao-Owners Dairy Association, he currently owns 14 carabaos, 11 of which are female and three are bulls. Among the 11 females, two are lactating and the rest are pregnant. He harvests an average of four liters of milk from his dams.

SADACO was registered as a cooperative in October 2012. Out of its 57 members, though, only a few are into the milking program. Claro himself continuously encourages his co-members to milk their lactating cows for them to savor all the benefits they can get from dairying.

“We can convince other members to milk their carabaos with the help of our former MAO and PCC consultant in the LGU. They will help me explain the program in dairying to the people and for sure, this barangay will progress when they engage in dairy enterprises,” Claro said.

The SADACO chairman attests to how dairying helps him and his family in meeting their daily expenses. He sends his children to school. He has constructed a structure needed for his vermicomposting venture to further increase his income. He uses carabao manure in the vermicomposting project and sells the product at Php250 per sack.

“I am really focused on dairying because of the income I derive from it,” he declared.
Five years from now, Claro envisions that their cooperative will have many dairy products’ outlets in the malls and other market places and that their members will grow in number. He also hopes that the members of all the dairy associations in their town will give their full support to the dairying program.

“To all carabao-owners, look at the advantages of dairying. In just 30 minutes you can finish milking your three lactating carabaos, and there is already money you can get per liter of milk harvested. If San Agustin as beccme the crossbred carabao capital of the Philippines, I hope that eventually it will also be proud for its achievement in dairying,” Claro said.

Another farmer-model is Loreto Barroga. The coop considers him as one of its consistent suppliers of milk. He provides the coop with six liters of milk daily. He has 12 crossbreds, five of which are dams, two are bulls and the rest are calves.

Barroga has two children. One has already earned a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) and the other is in college taking up the same course.

“Our crossbreds enabled us send to our children to school. If it wasn’t for our carabaos’ milk, my eldest could not have finished his studies,” he declared.

Barroga is also one of the dairy farmers in San Agustin who is very proud that after years of backcrossing, one of his crossbred carabaos is now almost purebred.

It is true that propagation of purebred dairy buffalo bloodline is not easy because it takes generations. It will need to have an average of four generations before it can reach a 97% purebred dairy carabao bloodline or about 20 years. But in San Agustin, many farmers are almost achieving that reality.

In Barangay Sinaoangan Sur, a place which topped the Green Revolution contest in the ‘70s, and where the most number of crossbreds are found, lives a dairy farmer who is considered as the top-seller of carabao milk. Arnel Cosilit owns 25 crossbreds, one of which is a bull. He harvests an average of 12 liters of milk daily from his five lactating dams.

Mayor Padilla, in his strong drive for carabao upgrading to continue gaining more ground in his town, sent several of his constituents to train with PCC at CSU as Village-Based Artificial Insemination Technicians (VBAITs). As such, they serve their respective barangays where they live.

Further, the PCC-trained VBAITS, along with technicians from the Department of Agriculture (DA), conduct massive AI activities at least once a month in the different barangays to ensure the sustainability of the Carabao Upgrading Program. Needed supplies, including those for vaccination and deworming, are provided by the LGU.

With the collaborative efforts of the LGU, PCC as well as other partners and supporters, the town of San Agustin hopes to be more invigorated in moving forward to achieve greater results, not only in carabao upgrading but also in dairy enterprise development.

“Here in San Agustin, as long as you have carabaos, especially crossbreds, the joy of being a carabao owner will carry you on,” Mayor Padilla proudly declares.

PCC trains Lupao farmers on high quality corn silage production

Posted on | by Chrissalyn L. Marcelo

The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) recently conducted a one-day training for 12 farmers from Barangay Parista, Lupao, Nueva Ecija on the production of high quality corn silage.

 

Held at the PCC national headquarters in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on September 25, the training was conducted as part of the PCC’s collaborative project with the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) on the “Commercialization of Grass/Forage Corn Silage for Dairy Buffaloes in Lupao through a Technomart”.

 

It was organized by Dr. Eric P. Palacpac, technomart project leader, with support from Charity Castillio, project research assistant.

 

“Ang paggawa ng may kalidad na burong mais ay napakahalaga. Kung magagawa natin ito, ang produkto natin ay mas lalong magiging competitive at magagawa pa natin itong i-export sa ibang bansa para sa mas malaking kita (Producing high quality corn silage is very important. If we can produce corn silage product with high quality, it will be more competitive and we can even export this to other countries to have more income),” Dr. Palacpac emphasized in his opening remarks at the start of the training.

 

He pointed out that under the Philippine National Standard on Corn Silage Production (PNSCSP), recently set by the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Products Standards (BAFS), the quality of corn silage products in the country will be monitored and checked before these are sold to the target markets, whether locally or internationally.

 

“The BAFS will be the one to certify if our silage meets the standards,” he said.

 

Dr. Daniel Aquino, PCC’s technical expert on silage production, discussed the importance of the BAFS standards on corn silage production. He illustrated how the quality of silage is affected by low quality ensiling.

 

“Kung hindi masisiksik ng mabuti ang mais na buburuhin sa lalagyan nito, maaari itong magkaroon ng hangin sa loob dahilan upang mabuhay ang mga mikrobyo sa binuburo at magkaamag ito. Ang produktong may amag ay hindi maaaring ipakain sa kalabaw sapagka’t maaaring magkasakit ang kalabaw dahil dito, bumaba ang produksyon ng gatas at makunan ito kung buntis (If we will not ensile our corn silage properly, our product will have air that will give rise to bad microorganisms and cause molds. Corn silage that has molds should not be used as feed for buffaloes since it may cause diarrhea in the animal, lower the level of its milk production and abort its calf if it happened that the animal is pregnant),” Dr. Aquino explained.

 

Aquino advised the farmer-participants to ensile their product properly and follow the standard of silage production to come up with high quality product.

 

Proper corn silage production calls for the right ratio, color, odor and the right ph level.  Based on the applicable standard, the silage product will be classified accordingly as having good or bad quality.

 

“In silage production, the silage must have a right ratio of 1:1 kg for its corn stalk and leaves while its corn grains or ear must be of 30%. The corn must also be harvested at maturity age of 75-80 days before production and the color of the fermented product must also be yellowish green. It must also have a sweet aroma smell, 25mm to 100mm cuttings and ph level of 4.2 to 4.7,” Dr. Aquino explained.

 

Dr. Tsutomo Fujihara, PCC’s Japanese technical consultant on nutrition and silage production, also demonstrated the proper maintenance of forage chopper.

 

For his part, Nur Baltazar, head of PCC’s human resource management unit, urged the farmer-trainees to give their best efforts on the production of quality silage because it can be a real profitable business that they can pursue.

 

The trainees later had a field tour at Bena Corn Corporation in Alaminos, Laguna. It is one of the country’s two biggest exporters of corn silage to South Korea.

 

Banker-entrepreneur with a social agenda. He dared to dream in ‘businessizing’ the carabao… and succeeded

Posted on | by Chrissalyn L. Marcelo

How does an investment banker also become a carabao dairyman and succeed in both occupations?

Well, Danilo V. Fausto did it the hard way, just like how he developed his expertise in serving a variety of clients in investment banking as well in packaging and flotation of municipal bonds.

Spurred by a social purpose to help his fellow Novo Ecijanos, Fausto, known to friends and clients as “DVF”, spearheaded the establishment of the Talavera Dairy Cooperative, Inc. in 1992 in his hometown of Talavera, Nueva Ecija, which is about two hours car ride from Manila via the North Luzon Expressway. Through this coop, he envisioned opening more livelihood opportunities for small-hold farmers.

In 2000 he established the DVF Dairy Farm, Inc. to complement the coop’s operations. From a single proprietorship venture, the farm eventually transformed into a business corporation, which now helps hundreds of dairy farmers engaged in carabao-based dairy enterprises not only in Talavera but also in nearby towns.

DVF’s enterprise now grosses sizable monthly sales of various carabao milk-based dairy products. This feat also translates to substantial additional income for the dairy farmers who supply the needed fresh carabao milk, the milk collectors, the workers who tend the animals (including those who cut the grasses that are fed to the dairy carabaos), the dairy plant workers and those who deliver and sell the dairy products.

Already, he is now setting his sights on replicating his experience in different parts of the country.

“I find the dairy business not only a good venture but also as an opportunity to help the farmers in our hometown and nearby areas to double or triple their incomes,” he declared.

The beginning

It all started in 1987 when DVF bought 10 Murrah buffaloes, which he knew was capable of giving more milk and meat than do native carabaos.

At that time, there was not enough forage around in his farm in Barangay Sampaloc in Talavera town as rice harvest-time was still more than a month away. As a result, the health of his animals began to deteriorate and neighboring farmers thought he was mistaken in his venture. They even laughed at him for “throwing away his money just like that.”

DVF persisted though and found ways to solve the animal nutrition problem. His animals eventually regained and improved their health. His stocks soon increased in number and farmer-neighbors had another view of what he started. They wanted to borrow some of his animals to take care of and enjoy some benefits from them.

It was not far-fetched to think why the farmers wanted to milk and tend some of DVF’s carabaos. He was collecting eight liters of milk per animal, which he sold from house to house in Talavera with the help of two aides.

Then with assistance from the staff of the then Philippine Carabao Research and Development Center (PCRDC), he started to produce pastillas de leche (milk candies), which was received very well by the consuming public in his town and his friends in Manila.

It was then that he thought of encouraging some farmers to organize and establish the Talavera Dairy Cooperative. He joined the interested farmers in the orientation and training for prospective recipients of the 25-dairy carabao module provided by the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC).

The cooperative started to produce milk and was looking for an expanded market where it could sell its milk.

That was the time he put up the DVF Dairy Farm, which began producing milk products carrying the brand of the DVF Dairy Farm, “Gatas ng Kalabaw”.

Back then, DVF didn’t have a processing plant and equipment.

Processing plant

Putting up a processing plant requires an investment of quite a sum. Since, DVF had only rather small cash on hand at that time, he opted to work within his available budget.

“I bought pieces of equipment and materials for the processing plant, and for the selling of the products,” he said.

These included a drum, which he cut into two for his materials for pasteurization, an industrial burner for heating water, small bottles, caps for the bottle, bladder bag, sealer, and a pedal-driven tri-bike for the delivery of the finished products.

He pasteurized milk using the equipment and materials bought, employing the double-boiler process to make sure that the nutritious elements in the milk would not be lost.

To expand the market, he convinced the leadership of Nueva Ecija province to conduct a milk feeding program for malnourished children.

“Our then fledgling outfit also ventured in making cheese products and in producing flavored milk,” he recalled.

To broaden further his knowledge and skills in the development of other milk products as well as running and managing a dairy business, DVF continued his attendance in seminars and training conducted by the government, particularly those offered by the PCC and National Dairy Authority (NDA).

His participation in those seminars and trainings made him decide to upgrade his pieces of equipment used for the production of milk products.

In time, he bought top-of-the-line equipment that included homogenizer, storage tanks, batch pasteurizers, filling tank made of steel and others. These equipment gave impetus to the improvement of the quality of his milk products. He made sure that strict procedures were followed in the testing, pasteurization and homogenization of the milk delivered by the farmers to his plant. The packaging of his products vastly improved, too.

His current product lines include pasteurized and flavored milk (choco, buko-pandan, melon); plain yogurt, mango-flavored yogurt, creamy and crunchy yogurt with nata de coco, and non-fat yogurt; kesong puti (cottage cheese), queso blanco, mozzarella cheese; pastillas, espasol, and milk candies.

Most of these products are sold in various outlets in Metro Manila, Pampanga and Cebu while some are retained in the company’s plant and display center in Talavera. Starting in 2001, DVF’s sales have been growing by leaps and bounds.

DVF revealed that the company plans to export its products to Hongkong soon.

As a companion project, he continuously provides help to the farmers through the “paiwi system”. Once the animal lactates, the sharing is 50-50 in milk sales.

He has likewise extended the system to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are encouraged to invest in procuring dairy carabaos and entrusting it first to the company which takes care of the animals for them. Later the company looks for farmer-partners of the project.

This “investment in dairy carabao” scheme has the full support of the chair of the Economic Resource Center for Overseas Filipinos (ERCOF) Philippines, Inc. ERCOF, a non-profit organization registered with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), “provides programs and services that will enable overseas Filipinos to utilize and maximize their resources, skills, technologies, talents, human capital and other resources for more productive use in the migrants’ communities in the Philippines and overseas.” About P2 million has now been invested by the OFWs in the dairy carabao project. Many of these OFW-investors are now enjoying the benefits of carabao dairying.

Expansion

After two decades in the business of carabao dairying, DVF is venturing into replicating his experience in Nueva Ecija to other provinces. With his son Emmanuel, assisting him, he will soon go to Pampanga, Pangasinan and Zambales.

“We will also venture in other provinces in the country later on,” he said.

He added that along the way, further improvements in what he has started will set in.

“We will continue what we have started. We hope that through this, the dairy industry in the country will become robust and as such we will be able to lessen the volume of milk and milk products that we import. We are hoping that our efforts will contribute to the stated mission of our company,” DVF emphasized.

The DVF Farm mission reads: “A pioneering company in the local dairy industry, providing livelihood opportunities in the countryside, making the farmers’ dairy produce available, in the highest standard of quality and excellence acceptable to the discriminating market.”

There’s no question about it: Danilo V. Fausto, investment banker-dairyman, backs his words with action.

PCC, Ubay LGU launches ‘Pangnegosyong Gatasan ni Juan’

Posted on | by Leinefe B. Libres

“Pangnegosyong Gatasan ni Juan (Juan’s Dairy Business)”, a project of the local government of Ubay in Bohol province is now underway.

 

The undertaking was officially launched during the town’s 167th foundation day celebration on September 1 in cooperation with the Philippine Carabao Center at Ubay Stock Farm (PCC at USF).

 

It is being implemented in the context of PCC’s national Carabao Development Program (CDP), which aims to help in efforts to address concerns involving poverty alleviation, food security, improved nutrition, and employment opportunities by harnessing the potentials of the water buffalo, commonly known as carabao, for milk and meat.

 

The Ubay project bears the slogan “Aron adunay trabaho, dugang kita ug garbo ang lungsod sa Ubay [so that there will be jobs, additional income and pride for the town of Ubay]”.

 

“Pinaka target nato nga by year 2020, mamahimo ta’ng milk capital sa whole Visayas area [our target is that by year 2020, we will be hailed as the milk capital in the whole Visayas area]”, says Ubay Mayor Galicano E. Atup.

 

“Ubay has been very supportive of the agency’s undertakings. That is why it was chosen as one of PCC’s impact areas where our operations are being modelled,” Dr. Caro B. Salces, PCC at USF director, explained.

 

Data gathered by the center show that Ubay had produced 76,678.90 liters of milk since 2010 up to August 2014 from 176 dairy farmers. Moreover, 271 Ubayanons had availed of PCC’s bull loan program since 1998, while not less than 35,000 AI services have been rendered with the town since 2004, and counting.

 

The Ubay LGU and PCC at USF, along with other partner-agencies have set modest goals for its dairy-related project.  It aims to conduct the 1st Milk Festival by 2014 which will mark attainment of the targeted production of 1,000 liters of milk per day, including those produced from cows and goats. By 2016, it aims to conduct the 3rd Milk Festival and achieve the distinction of being hailed as the “Milk Capital of Central Visayas”, and eventually be recognized as the “Milk Capital of the Visayas Islands” by year 2020.

 

PCC at USM earns honors at Cotabato’s Centennial Kalivungan Festival 2014

Posted on | by Ludy Estimo

The Philippine Carabao Center at the University of Southern Mindanao (PCC at USM) was adjudged 3rd place Top Seller among some 40 exhibitors who participated in the Cotabato Tourism and Trade Expo, popularly known as “Market-Market sa Kapitolyo”.

The trade fair served as one of the main highlights of the observance of Cotabato province’s 100th founding anniversary, dubbed as the “Centennial Kalivungan Festival 2014”. It was held August 25-September 1 at the Agri-Center, Capitol Compound, Amas, Kidapawan City.

During the opening program, Gov. Emmylou “Lala” J. Taliño-Mendoza welcomed guests and participants.

Guest of honor and keynote speaker was Dir. Nelly Nita N. Dillera, regional director of the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Southern Mindanao (Region XII). In her speech, she focused on the vast tourist attractions and agri-tourism potentials of Cotabato.

“Market-Market sa Kapitolyo” featured “Tabuan: the MSMEs Specials”, which was aimed at providing micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) a platform for “building synergies through targeted business to business opportunities, market local products or services and fostering closer interaction between technology seekers and promoters by showcasing the agricultural abundance and tourist attractions in the province.”

PCC at USM, which assists local dairy farmers in their carabao-based enterprises, highlighted in its display booth a variety of nutritious dairy products. It also provided information materials to those who visited the PCC booth as one way of promoting the center’s programs and services.

Meanwhile, seminars and lectures regarding strategic marketing, costing and pricing, and market opportunities were held during the trade fair. Participating entrepreneurs were likewise given an overview on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015. The event was also a venue where importers and exporters met with producers of various products for marketing possibilities.

The center was awarded a cash prize and a trophy during the culmination program held on September 1.

In his remarks, Dr. Benjamin John C. Basilio, PCC at USM center director, said that dairy enterprise is a potential market player in Cotabato province that can provide farmers with additional income.

PCC-assisted coop to enhance milk processing facility

Posted on | by Almira P. Bentadan

The Eastern Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative (EPMPC) based in Sibut, San Jose City, Nueva Ecija has received funding amounting to Php100,000 from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) through its Program Beneficiaries Development (PBD) for a project aimed at enhancing the coop’s village-level processing center.

 

The undertaking was formalized during the grant turn-over and signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among EPMPC, DAR and other project partners, such as the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the local government of San Jose City on September 3. 

 

The EPMPC is one of the groups being assisted by the PCC in the National Impact Zone (NIZ) of the agency’s Carabao Development Program. The coop operates its own small-scale dairy processing plant and has developed a market for its various dairy products.

 

According to Jocelyn Ramones, Nueva Ecija Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer I of DAR, the EPMPC was chosen as one of three PBD beneficiaries in Central Luzon after complying with the requirements for the project, such as having an existing operational processing facility.

 

“We have also verified that the coop has a very sound and strong leadership, thus, qualifying it for the PBD grant,” Ramones explained.

 

The support fund will be used to improve the EPMPC’s milk processing center, particularly for the production of flavored caramilk, following the specifications and guidelines set by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).

 

This will allow the coop to secure a BFAD registration/license to operate, which will allow it to expand its market to cover institutional buyers. 

 

As stipulated in the agreement, the DTI will extend assistance in management skills development and in marketing and product development. DTI will also help in preparing documents necessary in acquiring the needed BFAD license.

 

The PCC, on the other hand, will continue to provide technical assistance in carabao production and management to ensure the continuous flow of milk from the coop members’ dairy buffaloes.

 

For its part, the local government of San Jose City will monitor the progress of the facility improvement. If needed, the LGU will also extend financial help to facilitate completion of the project. 

 

Melchor Correa, EPMPC chairman, expressed his gratitude to the various agencies that have put their trust on the coop.

 

“We are indeed very lucky to be a recipient of this fund. Rest assured that we will use the fund to further develop our cooperative,” Correa said during the grant turn-over cum MOA signing ceremony. 

 

Apart from Ramones and Correa, also present during the event were Hon. Jenny Salvador from the San Jose City Council; Ming Ocampo, DAR training coordinator; Mario Delizo, Project Development Officer II of PCC; Elagio Duran, division chief of DTI’s Business Management Division, and members of the EPMPC.

 

The renovation is set to start upon the release of the fund and will be completed before the year ends.