Author: Ma. Cecilia C. Irang

Exemplars of good practices and technologies on dairy, swine, poultry, and waste management were presented and aptly discussed during the 1st Livestock Technology Expo held last October 7-10 at the Bohol Cultural Center in Tagbilaran City.

With the theme “Masaganang Paghahayupan sa Teknolohiyang Maaasahan”, the exposition was conducted simultaneously with two other events: the 4th National Carabao Conference and the 4th Bohol Milk Festival.

The three-in-one event was organized by the Department of Agriculture and its livestock agencies comprised of the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), Agricultural Training Institute- International Training Center on Pig Husbandry (ATI-ITCPH), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), National Dairy Authority (NDA), and National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS). It was held in cooperation with the Provincial Government of Bohol and the Bureau of Agricultural Research.

“We’ve observed that we conducted so many researches in the previous years but none of those seemed to reach the farmers. That’s why we are holding this activity, with the harmonization of all livestock agencies to make sure that all the researches that we conduct will reach and benefit the farmers,” Assistant Secretary for Livestock Enrico Garzon Jr. said.

He added that it will be useless if farmers wouldn’t be informed about those researches and technologies.

He believes that with the utilization of apt technologies, farmers will be more productive.

PCC Executive Director Dr. Arnel del Barrio, on the other hand, encouraged farmers not to be afraid of the new and modern technologies because the adoption and implementation of these technologies will also help promote and develop the livestock industry as well as their own endeavors.

“The technologies that we have here are already proven and tested. They are ready-to-use,” he averred.

He added: “We all have our technologies and best practices to share that’s why we are gathered here to learn from one another and from our speakers, which include stakeholders and value chain players in the livestock industry.”

The event featured plenaries and panel discussions on “Pamamahala ng Kooperatiba tungo sa Maunlad na Negosyong Kalabawan (Proper Management of Cooperative toward a Progressive Carabao-based Enterprise)” by Ma. Elena Limocon, General Manager of Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative; “Kahanga-hangang mga Magsasaka sa Kalabawan (Best Practices of Champion Farmers)” by Henry Orbino, 2017 PCC Outstanding Dairy Farmer; and “Kahanga-hangang mga Produkto at Negosyo sa Gatas (Dairy Products and Enterprises)” by Erika Ng Wong of Karabella Dairy.

Panel discussions of exemplary technologies on NDA Communal Farming Scheme, Waste Management, Itik Pinas, and Native Chicken were also conducted. Other technologies discussed and presented were Lactic Acid Bacterial Solution, Silage Making, Uterine Flushing, and Mozarella and Butter production.

Senator Cynthia Villar, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food who served as the guest of honor during the event, commended the dairy industry of Bohol specifically referring to the town of Ubay, where she met a group of women-dairy farmers. She noted that the province is worthy of the title “Dairy Capital of the Philippines”.

She also urged farmers to organize their own associations or cooperatives, and learn how to process and market their harvested milk and resulting products development.

“I hope that through this kind of gathering, we will be able to teach our farmers to be more knowledgeable, competitive and profitable,” she said.

Senator Villar stated the Senate Policy Directions on Local Dairy Development and assured that bigger funds are coming to boost further the performance of livestock, poultry and dairy in the country.

“I strongly endorsed the allotment of a higher budget for livestock and poultry during the Senate deliberations on the 2018 budget of the DA. I will do my best for the enactment of a relevant bill that I authored very soon. This is the only way we can help our dairy farmers improve their income and livelihood,” she stressed.

She also extended her gratitude to the farmers present in the event saying: “Without you, we Filipinos, won’t be able to eat meat and dairy products, so keep up your good work because you are our hope toward a sustainable livestock and dairy industry.”

The tri-fold event was participated in by more than a thousand participants composed of farmers, members of different cooperatives and associations, students, and  stakeholders of the livestock industry across the country.

The PCC’s Knowledge Management Division staff and representatives from various agencies and local government units all over the Philippines broaden view on various efforts on Extension and Advisory Services (EAS) last October 3-4 in the annual Philippine Extension and Advisory Services Network Inc. (PhilEASNet) Extension Policy Symposium at the Heritage Hotel Manila, Pasay City.

With the theme “Strengthening the Harmonization of the Philippine Extension and Advisory Services for Sustainable Development”, the symposium was anchored on engaging EAS practitioners in discourse, raise awareness on expanding EAS, render policy recommendations and explore strategic alliances.

“We hope to enhance our competencies in doing extension through a conversation with experts who will be sharing challenges and opportunities towards harmonizing extension” said Dr. Karen Eloisa Barroga, PhilEASNet president.

The explored cases as discussed by practitioners at the national level delved on the fields of Fisheries, Livestock, Agrarian Reform, Food and Nutrition, Trade and Industry, Community Development (NGO), Forestry and Natural Resources, and Technical and Vocational Education.

“In the nitty-gritty world of extension and advisory services, we put premium on people who can integrate everything” Dr. Segfredo Serrano, Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Policy and Planning, underscored in his keynote speech.

He further challenged participants to “catch (engage) the youth” and be bolder in addressing new resolutions and recommendations by the invited field experts as well as practitioners who are willing to listen and interact to make initiatives happen.

In this regard, the attendees participated in a workshop aimed at rendering policy recommendations. They were subdivided into four groups, each of which was assigned specific topics namely capability building, knowledge management, partnership, and governance and enabling environment.

The two-day symposium was spearheaded by PhilEASNet national and its MIMAROPA chapter officers. PhilEASNet’s primary mission is to enhance competency and promote ethical standards among professionals engaged in the practice, research, instruction and policy advocacy on EAS.

Co-sponsors of the event are PCC, Agricultural Training Institute, Bureau of Agricultural Research, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, PhilRice-Philippine Rice Information System, and Asia Pacific Islands Rural Advisory Services Network.

 

 

Harmonized with an on-going intervention led by the PCC’s Knowledge Management Division entitled “Strengthening Carabao Development Program (CDP) Communication for Development (ComDev) Campaign in Visayas and Mindanao”, a learning platform called School-on-the-Air on Dairy Buffalo Production was launched on August 4 to further enhance the knowledge and skills of carabao keepers in Iloilo.

It is a pilot activity of PCC hosted by its regional center based in Western Visayas State University (PCC at WVSU), supervised by the Center Director Arn D. Granada.

Together with Mr. Granada, Dr. Eric P. Palacpac, the project leader of the ComDev campaign and chief of KMD, serves as guest speakers during the launching of the SOA.

The said intervention will be aired for four months (August – November) every Saturdays over DYFM Bombo Radyo Iloilo. Around 500 farmer-enrollees will be catered by the SOA program from six municipalities of Iloilo namely Calinog, Lambunao, Bingawan, Badiangan, Janiuay, Dueñas, Leon and then, Sapian in Capiz.

The SOA module covers different lessons under Feeding Management, Health Management, Breeding Management, Carabao Enterprise, and Technology adoption.

During this program, the enrollees will be given quizzes to assess their learnings for a couple of lessons to be discussed. The SOA coordinators from each respective municipality, identified by PCC at WVSU, will facilitate the pre-test, quizzes among farmer-enrollees during SOA program, and a post-test evaluation afterwards.  

Meanwhile, selected 30 farmers representing four municipalities of Iloilo will be concurrently enrolled in a Farmers Livestock School on Dairy Buffalo Production (FLS-DBP), according to Dr. Myrtle Alcazar of PCC at WVSU.

“FLS-DBP is a 34-week on-site training course with practicals or hands on to fully introduce PCC’s developed technologies and hone the skills of farmers”, she said.

On the other hand, the ‘blended’ strategies of integrating FLS approach in the SOA program is intended to create an interactive learning among farmers. Thus, this SOA program will also adopt the innovation of engaging some farmer-leaders as resource persons in some of lessons to facilitate learnings.

Strategies and methodologies are adopted from the imparted practices of ATI VI with the help of Ms. Nicolasita G. Gallego, Information Officer III/Chief, Information Services Section.

The Agricultural Technology Institute Region VI (ATI-RVI) and Department of Agriculture Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division (DA-RAFID VI) joined force in the implementation of the program and extended support on the funding of the air time, training materials and other logistics of the SOA.

As the PCC expands its communication campaign, a series of interventions are also expected to be soon developed in other regional centers of PCC in Mindanao. This is to further reach buffalo raisers or carabao keepers and continuously disseminate programs, services, and technologies in these parts of the country.

The PCC has demonstrated its research for development (R4D) efforts, as 41 completed and on-going papers were presented and evaluated during the R4D In-House Review last July 4-6 at the PCC national headquarters in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

R&D Division chief Dr. Annabelle Sarabia said the review provides a venue for researchers and scientists to engage in a meaningful discourse. Expectedly, she added, this should lead to opportunities for learning and sharing of scientific knowledge.

The studies were assessed based on the merits of technical integrity and relevance. Three external evaluators were invited namely Dr. Jose Arceo N. Bautista, Associate Professor IV at the University of the Philippines Los Baños; Dr. Fe Porciuncula, Central Luzon State University Vice President for Research, Extension and Training; and Peter James Icalia, Instructor III at the Mariano Marcos State University.

Six awards were given.

The study on the “Development of Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Assay-Based Test Kit for the Detection/Screening for Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus (CAEV)” was awarded “Best Paper” for completed research. It was conducted by Dr. Daryl Dela Cruz, Dr. Joram Gautane, Dr. Michelle Balbin and Dr. Claro Mingala.

Dr. Jesus Rommel Herrera bagged the “Best Paper for Completed Research-Student Thesis” for his dissertation titled “Genome-wide association study for milk traits in Philippine dairy buffaloes”.

Dr. Daniel Aquino was named “Best Presenter” for the study on the “Nutritive Value, Digestibility and Performance of Buffaloes using Banana By-Products and Water Lily as Alternative Feed Sources”.

Special recognitions were accorded to the Animal Breeding and Genomics Section for “Most Number of Presentations” (9 studies) and “Most Number of On-going Researches Presented” (7 studies). On the other hand, PCC at Ubay Stock Farm was recognized for “Most Number of Approved Research Proposals for the Year 2017”.

The researches reviewed were categorized according to the R4D Agenda’s Thematic Fields namely Product Development, Socio-Economic Dimensions of Carabao Development Program Implementation, Production Management System, Genetic Improvement-Animal Genomics or Genetic Diversity and Cryopreservation, Genetic Improvement-Reproductive and Cryopreservation Techniques, and Biosafety.

The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) participated in the Inception Planning and Meeting Workshop held last June 26-27 at the IRRI headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna to optimize implementation of RiceStrawPH.

RiceStrawPH or the “Sustainable Rice Straw Management for Food, Bioenergy, and Feed in the Philippines” have three components aimed at the “development of sustainable rice straw technologies and practices on the productions of animal feed, mushroom and bioenergy.” Apart from rendering benefit to rice farmers, the use of rice straw will lessen pollution and production of greenhouse gas as it was deemed that about 60-80% of rice straw are burned in open field.

Under RiceStrawPH, the PCC component project is the “Development of Sustainable Rice Straw Management Practices and Technologies for Ruminant Fodder in the Philippines”. While the Philippines produces millions of tons of rice that render large volumes of straws every year, there have been limited rice straw-based technologies. Also, the adoption of rice straw as animal feed is still low in many parts of the country and rice straw is not pervasively available in the market.

Spearheaded by PCC Executive Director Dr. Arnel N. Del Barrio and PCC at Central Luzon State University Center Director Dr. Daniel L. Aquino, the project primarily focuses on “developing and improving technologies for rice straw-based ruminant production through improved quality, value and markets of rice straw.“ The collaborating agencies include the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), IRRI and PhilRice.

According to Dr. del Barrio, the project will make use of Urea-Molasses treated Rice Straw (UMTRS) to improve rice straw quality for animal feed specifically for carabao, cattle, and goat. Rice straw will be included in the everyday menu of the said animals alongside other feed ingredients in order to determine effect on growth and milk production.  Moreover, prospective supply, demand and market of rice straw will be determined.  The six project sites include the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Iloilo, Bukidnon and North Cotabato.

Representatives from BAI, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development,  Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, Bureau of Plant Industry and other collaborators were also present in the Inception Planning and Meeting Workshop. In relation to the workshop, a training on handling rice straw baler machine was held on June 28-29.

The implementation of RiceStrawPH started in April 2018 and will end in 2020. The funding agency is the Bureau of Agricultural Research.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, assured that bigger funds are  coming to boost  further performance of the livestock, poultry and dairy in the country.

“I have filed a bill whose enactment will see a big leap in the allocation of funds for these food sources in the country,” Villar said during the March 27 silver anniversary celebration of the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) held at its national headquarters and genepool, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.

Senator Villar served as guest of honor together with city Mayor of Manila Joseph Ejercito Estrada represented by his administrator Atty. Ericson Alcovendaz who delivered his greetings and message to the agency and the public.

She said there is too much bias in favor of rice, corn and coconut production which is about 40 percent of the Php 107 billion budget of the Department of Agriculture for 2018. Yet, the livestock, poultry and dairy industries contribute about 33 percent of the food being made available to the country’s needs.

“I will see to it that the ‘Livestock, Poultry and Dairy Development Law’ will be enacted this year,” Villar told the appreciative audience in attendance to the PCC anniversary celebration. “It will mandate the allocation of one-third of the DA’s budget for the livestock, poultry and dairy industries,” she added.

Villar said that 35% of the livestock and dairy industries are private-sector led and is already progressive. She said there is need to support the remaining 65% represented by backyard livestock, poultry and dairy farmers.

“I have approached them for the giving of more funds to support these industries, but all that I got were promises. So, I thought of filing of this bill which I will push for its passage,” Villar said.

She encouraged and challenged the PCC to continuously extend its programs and services, including its technical-know-how to the Filipino families engaged in carabao farming.
“Nakasalalay po sa inyo Philippine Carabao Center ang pag-asa ng mga batang pamilyang Filipino na makainom ng gatas upang sila’y maging matalino at mahusay at makapagdadala ng ating bansa sa mga susunod na henerasyon. Patuloy ninyong palaguin ang dairy industry at tulungan ang ating mga magsasaka sa agrikultura,” she said.

Villar also urged the involvement of smallholder dairy farmers in the various feeding and nutrition programs of the government.

A day before the anniversary celebration, PCC Executive Director Arnel del Barrio presented to the public the PCC-developed “Philippine Dairy Carabao” breed, which was a product of crossbreeding and continuous backcrossing which marked the towering achievement of the PCC in its genetic improvement program (GIP).

He said this breed, which is of 93.75% riverine blood is very much adapted to hot and humid weather conditions, is resilient to climate change, and higher in milk yield which would be very much profitable for dairy farmers.

Only a few countries in the world have produced their own breed of dairy buffaloes.

Also presented during are PCC’s new mascots “Kalaboy” and “Kalagirl”. They were earlier seen in the PCC motorcade and devotional thanksgiving on March 26.

Among the other sharing and inspiring activity-sessions held during the PCC month-long celebration included #Millenial Goals: Life Views & Unleashing Potentials in the Workplace, Silver Fun Run, Palarong Pinoy Sports Fest & Picnic party, Cheesecake and Sushi making, “Oh Yeah, On the  Catwalk”, and “Say Grace” Social Etiquettes 101.

It also included the innovative session of “Launching of iREB Client Dashboard: A business tool for Carabao Family Business Owners.”

One of the invited pillars Dr. Libertado Cruz, former Executive Director of PCC, gave his appreciation to the long efforts of the agency.

Dr. del Barrio, on the other hand, received from TUV-SUV ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System and 14001 Environmental Management System certification which is an additional breakthrough of the agency.

This was followed by the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on training-related activities between PCC and Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).

One of the sessions scheduled during the monthlong PCC 25th anniversary celebration was the Pre-In-House Review conducted last March 21 and 22.

The review focused on the evaluation of the on-going and completed research activities as to their merits, limitations and opportunities for improvement. It also served as venue for sharing PCC’s research results to the scientific community.

Five thematic areas categorized the papers that were presented during the pre-in-house review: socio-economic dimensions of carabao development program implementation, genetic improvement (animal genomics/genetic diversity and cryopreservation/reproductive and cryopreservation technique), product development, biosafety, and production management system. Eight of these researches were completed and 32 are in progress.

Based on the results of the internal evaluation, select papers will be presented again during the R4D in-house review in June or July this year.

Presenters were from the PCC National Headquarters, Central Luzon State University (CLSU), PCC at Ubay Stock Farm (USF), PCC at Central Mindanao University, and PCC at University of Southern Mindanao (USM).

“Developing Intellectual Property Policy is important to nurture the potential of PCC’s researches for licensing and technology dissemination.”

This was emphasized by Dr. Annabelle S. Sarabia, Chief of Research and Development Division during a two-day seminar-workshop on IP Management last March 19-20 at the PCC headquarters in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

As an output of the seminar, a draft of the PCC-IP Management Policy was presented for further improvement and eventual approval and application.

This program aimed to enhance the capacity of PCC researchers on IP rights management and increase their level of appreciation on the importance of integrating IP in the R&D process and PCC management system.

On the first day of training, the participants were taught about the overview of the policy environment on IP, Philippine Technology Transfer Act 2009 and the basic concepts on IP right. An open forum followed after presentation of each topic.

The second day discussed the transformation of technical papers into IP disclosures. The participants were also taught about the basic prior-art search and invention spotting and incorporating patent search results in IP disclosures. Afterwards, they were oriented about the claim on drafting, finalizing the patent application and processes involved in the transfer and commercialization of science and technology innovations in the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD).

Attorney Jerry Serapion, International Technical Support Organization Manager of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and Mr. Noel A. Catibog, Innovation and Technology Center Manager of DOST-PCAARRD served as resource speakers for the seminar-workshop, which was attended by 103 participants from PCC.