Philippine Goat News:

[mikey]

Raising Goats(Part 2)
Part 2 of a practical guide to raising goats in the Philippines.

Although costs are unaffordable to some ordinary farmers, Vincent Garcia, AC Garcia Corp.’s managing director said in a recent MARID Agribusiness Digest interview, “It’s still a good investment.” Goats, especially boers, have superior potential to become a high-generating business in the future. Boer bucks could sire native females, where better offsprings, if fathered by a native male goat, could be produced. He also predicted that commercial goat raising would become a billion-peso industry in the years to come, which in turn, will cause relevant employment opportunities.

In this light, integrated goat managements have been conducted all over the country to fulfill this objective. Farmers continue to discover the improved competence in raising goats.

Goat feeding
Goats, like other livestock, require proper nutrition. Although not as critical, they need proper doses of water, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and protein to survive. Goats have bacteria and protozoa in their rumen, which enable them to manufacture nutrients from such as feeds as hay-soilage, silage and other feedstuffs. Paragrass, stargrass, napier grass and centrosema grass are few of the many tropical grasses and legumes that goats indulge in.

As ruminants, goats also have a feeding program that should be based on the type and quality of roughage available, which determines both the quality and amount of concentrates needed to supplement their diet.

To lower the cost of feeding and maintenance, the herd should be pastured more often than usual and must be provided with sufficient space for grazing. If the herd must be moved from another pasture to another, make sure it’s been grazed for some time, to keep a pasture from being polluted or heavily infested by parasites. Breeding goats, on the other hand, can survive on pasture feeds.

Though a little picky in grazing, goats enjoy feeding on a large variety of plants. Bush land, together with the common pasture grasses, make a good combination. Remember that they eat only what’s suitable for them so do not feed them weeds. Also, keep the goats in the barn when it’s raining. If the weather is humid and cold, provide them with cheap grain feeds like rice bran.

Confined goats, especially those who are lactating, should be provided with good amount of forage, vitamin-mineral and salt.

Pregnant dry does should be adequately fed as well, with quality feeds to stock them with reserves for lactation and to nourish their fetuses. They should also be provided with abundant amount of forage and roughage, vitamin-mineral plus concentrates depending on their body condition.

The young goats, four months old and above, must be fed properly for maintenance and continuous growth. A good supply of food generally is made up of quality forage and roughage plus half a kilo of concentrates daily.

Bucks should also be maintained on good pasture when not breeding. Provide them with enough supply of vitamin-mineral mix, water and about half a kilo of concentrates two weeks before and during the breeding season.

Pasture grasses and roughages
Among the concentrates, corn grains are the most advisable for goats, with its 84.2% of total digestible nutrients (TDN). Corn gluten feed has 74.9%; copra meal has 78.5%; rice bran (cono) has 69.1%; wheat pollard has 73.1%; soybean oil meal has 76%; cane molasses has 53% and corn bran has 71.1% TDN.

Green roughages, which include napier grass, contain a good amount of crude protein as well, making it recommendable for these animals. Paragrass and guinea grass that vary on TDN contents during wet and dry seasons are also advisable. Tree leaves and browse plants you can provide your herd also include: acacia, bamboo, gumamela, camachile, caimito, santan, ipil-ipil, kakawati and banana.

Feeding programs also depend on the type and quality of roughage available, and the age of the goats.

The herd also needs clean water and salt that must be provided to them 3 to 5 times a day. A watering trough in the pen where goats can drink any time of the day could come in very handy. Salt is also important for them to sustain a good appetite, so a mineralized salt block which the animals can lick whenever they want will really help.

Housing the herd
Like other herds, goats require a few provisions. First and foremost, remember that goat houses’ primary objective is to provide the animals shelter, so make sure it prevents rain and wetness from coming in. Goats, after all, are very prone to pneumonia. They also like elevated platforms that take a form of stairs. Their shelter and feeding racks must be well-ventilated and drained, and easy to clean. Make it a point that it’s also accessible not only to the animals, but to the caretaker as well. It’ll help if you provide abundant flooring elevation of up to 15 degrees to facilitate proper cleaning and drainage.

Flooring for does, bucks and adults range from .75 to 1.50 square meters and 15.24 to 25.40 linear centimeters for their feeding space. Growing goats require .50 to .75 square meters of flooring space and 10.16 to 15.24 linear centimeters feeding space, while kids require just half as much.

Ventilation is also important, so allow one (1) foot clearance between floor to wall and wall to beam to provide adequate air circulation. Maintaining an interior temperature of not more than 30°C but not less than 27°C is advised. Goats consume up to 30% of the day’s intake during night time so lighting should also be provided in the barns during night.

When it comes to building fences, make sure to keep the place water-tight to keep the goats in. If the barn isn’t overcrowded, goats are usually respectful of fences. You run into problems when the other side of the fence looks better to eat than what you have inside it. The bigger problem is keeping them from getting stuck in the fence. A hot wire about a foot or 18 inches long off the ground 8-12 inches inside the fence might be effective in keeping the goats from sticking their head through the fence or rubbing on it.

For fence sections that will separate rutting bucks from one another or from does in heat, two hot wires will help-one a foot to i8 inches of the ground, and the other about a foot above the first on both sides. This prevents the bucks from damaging the fence in those areas.

Many properties use 4 to 5 strands of barbed wires to fence their herds. By using those as ground wires and adding steel high tensile connected to a charger between them mounted to insulator posts, this type of fence will both be economical and functional. Do not use aluminum wire as it tends to stretch and sag and be easily broken.

Age Feeds
3 days and below Colostrums
4 days to 2 weeks Whole milk(goat/cow’s milk) Vitamin-mineral Water
2 to 16 weeks Whole milk or mil replacer Grass-legumes hay or
quality fresh forage Vitamin-mineral mixWaterStarter
4 months - kidding Forage, vitamin-mineral mixWaterConcentrates
Dry, Pregnant Bucks Forage, vitamin-mineral mixWaterConcentrates
Lactating Forage, vitamin-mineral mixWaterConcentrates

To be continued…

[mikey]

Raising Goats(Part 3)
Part 3 of a practical guide to raising goats in the Philippines.

Keeping the herd healthy
Sanitation plays a vital role in keeping your goat healthy and in perfect shape. Make sure you do the following: clean the pens daily and wash it at least three times a week; disinfect at least twice a month; provide a pit or lagoon to store the goats’ accumulated feces and urine to prevent giving disease-causing micro-organisms a breeding ground; provide separate pens for diseased goats; and train your personnel to observe proper sanitation processes and methods. It’s also advised to limit visitor animals in the farm, and quarantine newly-arrived stocks for at least a month before mixing them with the rest of the herd.

High mortality rate of goats are also attributed to parasites. Next to pnemnonia, parasites rank Number 2 on the top goat killers list. Some of them are tapeworms, protozoa-like coccidian and amoeba. To prevent this, have your goats checked regularly for worm loads and schedule them for regular deworming. But before doing so, distinguish what parasite you’re dealing first.

The rainy season, most especially, is the peak season of diseases for livestock, most notable of which is parasite infection. Worms consider the wet season the best time to infect your livestock.

However, use of anthelmintics, though risky, will help. Without proper and prior knowledge about its use can lead to parasite resistance development. Thus, to minimize expenses and achieve the best results, carefully plan the deworming processes.

Lice and ticks can also be a problem. If this happens, mix powder-form chemicals with 7-10 parts of starch or flour, or apply acaricide against the parasites. Never use the liquid or spray form chemicals.

Effective worm control Dewormers may be given once or twice only a year for goats that have been completely confined for a year or during the rainy season only. However, strategic deworming applies to goats that are stalled on wet months but were allowed to freely graze on the pasture when the grasses are dry or 1-2 days after the rain had stopped.

Animals that have been given their first deworming dose a month before the rainy season, with the second dose given at the peak of the rainy months. Though optional, three doses, too, are usually enough for two years.

These strategies work best with a holistic approach to worm control which includes the following: providing the herd with a proper pen, accompanying them with tree leaves and shrubs that’ll ensure better nutrition and minimize parasitism, and delaying grazing for partially confined animals until the sun has totally dried the grasses.

Other management practices
Aside from the abovementioned, there are few management procedures one must do to properly manage the herd. Experts advice goat raisers to disinfect their pens at least twice a month.

Identifying your herd.
To denote ownership of the goats, one must identify his herd. Due to its legal significance, branding with hot iron comes as first choice to some. Branding your goats helps in keeping a record of your animals. Tattooing or ear notching, though may be a little costly, are also two of the most common practices to properly identify your herd. Never use plastic tags- goats can easily destroy them.

Castration.
Castration of unwanted male goats should take place within the first month of age, where their testicles at the time are still undeveloped. It is during this time that there’ll be less stress and bleeding. Castration is done for males for them to grow faster.

Dehorning.
Dehorning your goats is also critical, especially in milking herds. Aside from making them more docile, dehorning helps lessen wounds during goat fights. Dehorn (luring the first two to four months using hot iron cautery.

Hoove trimming.
Same goes with trimming goats’ hooves. Use a rose pruner and a small curved knife to cut excess hooves. If left untrimmed, the hooves might cause lameness and make your herd prone to foot rot.

Keeping records.
Keeping individual records of your herd will provide you a good breeding herd program. They’re practically useful in management decisions that include proper selection of who and who not to breed. Keep a record with the following information: goat name, sire, dam, sex, method of disposal, date of birth, birth-weight, color, littermates, weight at disposal, as well as breeding information like date of breeding, date of kidding, lactation days and others.

Producing good breeds
Female goats reach puberty in 4 to 18 months but breeding is best done during its first 10 to 12 months, given their desirable weight. Does are in heat with the following signs: if mucus starts discharging from their vulva, matting the hair in their tails; if they stay near bucks and willingly let them mount them; and if they constantly urinate, feel uneasy and have lost their appetite.

It is advised by experts to keep the ratio of bucks to does in 1:25, thus limiting yearling bucks to 25 does a year. However, older bucks can cover up to 75 doe services.

In the beginning, introduce the doe to the buck and not to the doe herd. It will be dangerous to mix bucks with a herd of pregnant does for they might breed indiscriminately. Does’ failure to come in heat is another problem that you might encounter. This can be caused by mineral, vitamin and other nutrient deficiencies, infection of the genital tract and other hormone deficiencies.

Although, also check your buck’s health condition before breeding, especially their genitor-urinary tract. Preputial scraping, blood and sperm tests are also some useful procedures that can help you to better manage your bucks. Always consult a vet before during these tests.

Free mating may cause breeding of immature females that could impede their growth, shrink their vigor and produce offsprings of low birth, weaning and mature weights. Control in breeding can also reduce chances of parasitism in your herd and increase profits. A new technology option-which others call `controlled mating’adopts a change in the management of free-grazed goats.

Mating can be done during April to December, where kidding will fall towards the end of the rainy season the year after. Proper timing is everything.

Embryo technology and artificial insemination
Though not yet as common as other breeding techniques in the country, Embryo Technology contributes to a faster pace of genetic improvement and more reasonable costs. All one needs is to surgically transfer the embryo of a boer, even to native goats. The developed fetus of the boer will not inherit whatever traits the host goat has, but instead preserve the integrity of the boer quality.

Artificial Insemination (AI), another breeding procedure used even to humans is done by collecting semen and then introducing it into the uterus with sexual interaction. It is used in animals to propagate desirable characteristics of one male to many females or overcome breeding problems, particularly in the cases of animals such as pigs, dogs, horses, cattle and even honeybees. Process includes collecting the Semen, extending, and then cooling or freezing it. It can then be used on site or shipped to the female’s location through a small plastic tube holding the frozen semen referred to as a “straw”. For the sperm to remain viable before and after it is frozen, the semen is then mixed with a solution containing either glycerol or other cryoprotectants. A solution that allows the semen from a donor to impregnate more females by making insemination possible with fewer sperm is then used. Antibiotics like streptomycin are sometimes added to the sperm to control some venereal diseases that the offspring might inherit if the insemination is successful.

One must follow the following guidelines to ensure successful breeding procedure: Since goat semen is very sensitive, always keep it warm. If a heated facility is unavailable, use a heating pad or hot water to keep the semen and other related equipment at proper temperature. Deposit the semen deep intracervically and very slowly. Rapid expulsion can damage sperm cells and cause irritation of the doe’s reproductive tract. Most inseminators agree that conception is most successful when breeding is done during the later third of standing heat. For best results, inseminate does that have regular recurring heats and no history of breeding or kidding problems. Never attempt to inseminate a doe on her first heat cycle of the season.

Also, keep a detailed record of your At breedings, noting factors like color, consistency of cervical mucus, difficulties in cervical penetration and other important information.

To be continued…

[mikey]

Raising Goats(Part 3)
Part 3 of a practical guide to raising goats in the Philippines.

Keeping the herd healthy
Sanitation plays a vital role in keeping your goat healthy and in perfect shape. Make sure you do the following: clean the pens daily and wash it at least three times a week; disinfect at least twice a month; provide a pit or lagoon to store the goats’ accumulated feces and urine to prevent giving disease-causing micro-organisms a breeding ground; provide separate pens for diseased goats; and train your personnel to observe proper sanitation processes and methods. It’s also advised to limit visitor animals in the farm, and quarantine newly-arrived stocks for at least a month before mixing them with the rest of the herd.

High mortality rate of goats are also attributed to parasites. Next to pnemnonia, parasites rank Number 2 on the top goat killers list. Some of them are tapeworms, protozoa-like coccidian and amoeba. To prevent this, have your goats checked regularly for worm loads and schedule them for regular deworming. But before doing so, distinguish what parasite you’re dealing first.

The rainy season, most especially, is the peak season of diseases for livestock, most notable of which is parasite infection. Worms consider the wet season the best time to infect your livestock.

However, use of anthelmintics, though risky, will help. Without proper and prior knowledge about its use can lead to parasite resistance development. Thus, to minimize expenses and achieve the best results, carefully plan the deworming processes.

Lice and ticks can also be a problem. If this happens, mix powder-form chemicals with 7-10 parts of starch or flour, or apply acaricide against the parasites. Never use the liquid or spray form chemicals.

Effective worm control Dewormers may be given once or twice only a year for goats that have been completely confined for a year or during the rainy season only. However, strategic deworming applies to goats that are stalled on wet months but were allowed to freely graze on the pasture when the grasses are dry or 1-2 days after the rain had stopped.

Animals that have been given their first deworming dose a month before the rainy season, with the second dose given at the peak of the rainy months. Though optional, three doses, too, are usually enough for two years.

These strategies work best with a holistic approach to worm control which includes the following: providing the herd with a proper pen, accompanying them with tree leaves and shrubs that’ll ensure better nutrition and minimize parasitism, and delaying grazing for partially confined animals until the sun has totally dried the grasses.

Other management practices
Aside from the abovementioned, there are few management procedures one must do to properly manage the herd. Experts advice goat raisers to disinfect their pens at least twice a month.

Identifying your herd.
To denote ownership of the goats, one must identify his herd. Due to its legal significance, branding with hot iron comes as first choice to some. Branding your goats helps in keeping a record of your animals. Tattooing or ear notching, though may be a little costly, are also two of the most common practices to properly identify your herd. Never use plastic tags- goats can easily destroy them.

Castration.
Castration of unwanted male goats should take place within the first month of age, where their testicles at the time are still undeveloped. It is during this time that there’ll be less stress and bleeding. Castration is done for males for them to grow faster.

Dehorning.
Dehorning your goats is also critical, especially in milking herds. Aside from making them more docile, dehorning helps lessen wounds during goat fights. Dehorn (luring the first two to four months using hot iron cautery.

Hoove trimming.
Same goes with trimming goats’ hooves. Use a rose pruner and a small curved knife to cut excess hooves. If left untrimmed, the hooves might cause lameness and make your herd prone to foot rot.

Keeping records.
Keeping individual records of your herd will provide you a good breeding herd program. They’re practically useful in management decisions that include proper selection of who and who not to breed. Keep a record with the following information: goat name, sire, dam, sex, method of disposal, date of birth, birth-weight, color, littermates, weight at disposal, as well as breeding information like date of breeding, date of kidding, lactation days and others.

Producing good breeds
Female goats reach puberty in 4 to 18 months but breeding is best done during its first 10 to 12 months, given their desirable weight. Does are in heat with the following signs: if mucus starts discharging from their vulva, matting the hair in their tails; if they stay near bucks and willingly let them mount them; and if they constantly urinate, feel uneasy and have lost their appetite.

It is advised by experts to keep the ratio of bucks to does in 1:25, thus limiting yearling bucks to 25 does a year. However, older bucks can cover up to 75 doe services.

In the beginning, introduce the doe to the buck and not to the doe herd. It will be dangerous to mix bucks with a herd of pregnant does for they might breed indiscriminately. Does’ failure to come in heat is another problem that you might encounter. This can be caused by mineral, vitamin and other nutrient deficiencies, infection of the genital tract and other hormone deficiencies.

Although, also check your buck’s health condition before breeding, especially their genitor-urinary tract. Preputial scraping, blood and sperm tests are also some useful procedures that can help you to better manage your bucks. Always consult a vet before during these tests.

Free mating may cause breeding of immature females that could impede their growth, shrink their vigor and produce offsprings of low birth, weaning and mature weights. Control in breeding can also reduce chances of parasitism in your herd and increase profits. A new technology option-which others call `controlled mating’adopts a change in the management of free-grazed goats.

Mating can be done during April to December, where kidding will fall towards the end of the rainy season the year after. Proper timing is everything.

Embryo technology and artificial insemination
Though not yet as common as other breeding techniques in the country, Embryo Technology contributes to a faster pace of genetic improvement and more reasonable costs. All one needs is to surgically transfer the embryo of a boer, even to native goats. The developed fetus of the boer will not inherit whatever traits the host goat has, but instead preserve the integrity of the boer quality.

Artificial Insemination (AI), another breeding procedure used even to humans is done by collecting semen and then introducing it into the uterus with sexual interaction. It is used in animals to propagate desirable characteristics of one male to many females or overcome breeding problems, particularly in the cases of animals such as pigs, dogs, horses, cattle and even honeybees. Process includes collecting the Semen, extending, and then cooling or freezing it. It can then be used on site or shipped to the female’s location through a small plastic tube holding the frozen semen referred to as a “straw”. For the sperm to remain viable before and after it is frozen, the semen is then mixed with a solution containing either glycerol or other cryoprotectants. A solution that allows the semen from a donor to impregnate more females by making insemination possible with fewer sperm is then used. Antibiotics like streptomycin are sometimes added to the sperm to control some venereal diseases that the offspring might inherit if the insemination is successful.

One must follow the following guidelines to ensure successful breeding procedure: Since goat semen is very sensitive, always keep it warm. If a heated facility is unavailable, use a heating pad or hot water to keep the semen and other related equipment at proper temperature. Deposit the semen deep intracervically and very slowly. Rapid expulsion can damage sperm cells and cause irritation of the doe’s reproductive tract. Most inseminators agree that conception is most successful when breeding is done during the later third of standing heat. For best results, inseminate does that have regular recurring heats and no history of breeding or kidding problems. Never attempt to inseminate a doe on her first heat cycle of the season.

Also, keep a detailed record of your At breedings, noting factors like color, consistency of cervical mucus, difficulties in cervical penetration and other important information.

To be continued…

[mikey]

Raising Goats (Conclusion)
Last part of a practical guide to raising goats in the Philippines.

After delivery
Remember to wipe the mouth, body and nose of the newborn using a dry cloth. Massage its thoraric area to initiate proper breathing immediately. The mother normally does this for you but most mothers would be too weak after delivery. Difficulty in delivery, often called dystocia, is one common case encountered during birth. Before attempting to pull out the kid, make sure the presentation is right-both legs and head are presented in posterior position. A practicing vet should be present in difficult cases.

Newborns must be able to stick an hour after birth. Colostrums will do for those who can’t. First time mothers are often reluctant to suckle their young so restraining them could help. Those who are weaned early can go back to being in heat after i to 2 months.

Milking and proper caring
If conception and breeding is successful, milk production drops after one month and the abdomen’s right side will start to fill up. You must be able to establish a strict milking period for your herd, say twice a day, which must not be advanced or delayed from the exact time. Goats can and might withhold milk, so, routine changes should be avoided. On the other hand, mill: letdown can be set off by washing the udder with lukewarm water and wiping it with a clean towel. Make sure to clean all milking utensils.

Stop milking a pregnant doe at least a month before kidding date. This will give her enough for proper lactation after birth. Put the does in one separate pen and separate them one week before kidding dates. To avoid any difficulty that might occur, help the pregnant doe during kidding.

Common goat diseases
Aside from parasites, look out for a few diseases you must protect your goats from. Some of them are:

Anthrax - Anthrax infection is rare in humans though it occurs very occasionally in ruminants such as goats, antelopes and cattles. It is an acute infectious disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis and is typically deadly in some forms. Anthrax most commonly occurs in wild and domestic ruminants, but it can also occur in humans when they are exposed to infected animals or the slightest tissue from animals that have been infected. The infection of ruminants proceeds as follows: the spore is located and engulfed by phagocytes of the immune system. The spore turns into a bacillus, multiplies, and eventually bursts the cell, releasing bacilli into the bloodstream. There they release lethal toxin and edema which are known to target many distinct cells and tissue types. Characterized by sudden fever, loss of appetite, swelling of chest, head, belly and legs and even sudden death; caused by direct ingestion of infected material, like eating flies and indirect contact with other carriers.

Bacterial pneumonia - Symptoms include high fever, coughing and other respiratory distress that might lead to gradual emaciation and even death. Respond with antibiotic on early cases, clean the infected environment. Antibiotics are the treatment of choice for bacterial pneumonia, depending on the nature of the pneumonia, the microorganisms most commonly causing pneumonia in the geographical region, and the immune status and underlying health of the individual.

Bloat - Also known as torsion, gastric torsion, and gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is a medical condition in which the stomach becomes becomes overstretched by excessive gas content. Bloat becomes fatal within a matter of minutes. Treatment usually involves resuscitation with intravenous fluid therapy and emergency surgery. The stomach is initially decompressed by passing a stomach tube, or if that is not possible, multiple trocars can be passed through the skin into the stomach to remove the gas.

This is caused by eating copped green grasses, feeding whole, chopped or pellet grasses or inability of the animal to eructate usually with systemic disease or due to foreign bodies and abscesses, inflaminatory swelling, enlarged thoratic nodes and also dysfunction such as athropy of the muscles.

Contagious ecthyma/ORF - Caused by contamination in feces, manure, feeds, bedding or equipment. It is also known as contagious pustular dermatitis, sore month, contagious ecthyma, and scabby mouth. ORF virus can also infect humans, through direct contact or formites. It is characterized by scabs and mucus in the skin of the face, genitalia, feet, month, ears, gums, tongue, palate and other parts of the body. Proper vaccination will prevent further cases. Symptoms also include papules or pustules on the lips and muzzle, and less commonly in the mouth of young goats and on the eyelids, and feet. The lesions progress to thick crusts which may bleed. Orf in the mouths may prevent suckling and cause weight loss. A live virus vaccine is made from scab material and usually given to ewes at the age of two months, but only to goats, during an outbreak.

Hemorrhagic septicemia - Normally present in the nasopharyngeal area and caused by ingestion of inhalation of infective agents. Symptoms include swelling of the throat ad brisket congestion of mucus membrane. Prevent with parenteral antibiotics and sulfa drugs. The therapy rests on antibiotics, surgical drainage of infected fluid collections, fluid replacement and appropriate support for organ dysfunction. Ensuring adequate nutrition, if necessarv bv parenteral nutrition, is important during prolonged illness.

Infectious arthritis - Characterized by swollen knees, lameness and pain in the joints-hock, elbow and knees-of the animal. It should be suspected when one joint is affected and the goat is feverish. In seeding arthritis, several joints can be affected simultaneously; this is especially the case when the infection is caused by staphylococcus or gonococcus bacteria. Minimize infection by treating the wound with and proper hygiene management in infected areas. Antibiotic and sulfa drugs might help.

Mastitis - This is often referred to as the inflammation of the mammalian breast. It is called puerperal mastitis when it occurs to lactating mothers. Caused by the blocking of the mill: ducts while the mother is breastfeeding. It can cause painful areas on the breasts or nipples and may very well lead to fever of flu. Except in heavy cases it is not necessary to wean them because of mastitis; in fact, nursing is the most effective way to remove the blockage and alleviate the symptoms, and is not harmful to the baby. Sudden weaning can cause or exacerbate mastitis symptoms. When milk starts being bloodstained and fever, loss of appetite, depression and dehydration can be observed, start intramammary infusion of antibiotics. Early and repeated treatments must be applied to prevent further complications.

Tetanus - The wound must be cleaned; dead and infected tissue should be removed. To decrease the bacteria, you can use metroninazole. Penicillin, too has been used to treat tetanus, All tetanus victims should be vaccinated against tetanus or offered a booster vaccine if they have been previously vaccinated. Treat wounds with hydrogen peroxide until completely healed using clean instruments in castration and dehorning. Might be caused by direct infections from microorganisms in their wounds.

Marketing the herd
PCARRD and the Livestock Development Council (LDC) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) recently held a forum on the “Competitiveness of goat marketing system in the Philippines, where strategies for breeders, slaughter animals, and milking animals, addresses the marketing-related issues and proposed possible interventions were discussed. Participants saw the need to establish a Goat Marketing Board (GMB) that would address issues such as variations in prices, quality, and standards, as well as seasonality of demand. Moreover, to standardize the marketing system, some proponents spoke of putting in place a breed registry to curb the lack of accredited breeder farms.

[mikey]

Adding Value to Traditional Goat Products (Conclusion)
More and more goat raisers are taking the road less travelled and are discovering value-added goat products.

The surging interest in goat as an investment area for livelihood and enterprise among business is booming for both the small and the commercial scale goat raisers. Indeed, they have become unbelievably even as the surging investments in goats for livelihood and enterprise has OFWs, government retirees, balikbayans, livelihood programs of government and NGOs interested in the money-making venture.

Much of what is being said about goat production today is how to produce slaughter and breeder goats efficiently and profitably. But unknown to many traditional players in the industry, there are a few who dared the odds and won. These determined individuals went beyond conventional methods and took the paths less traveled. They ventured into goat dairy, production of personal care products from goat milk, certification of a Halal slaughter house and processing chevon into a certified exportable Halal product.

Elmer Rivera. Another dedicated milk man is Elmer Rivera, 33, owner of St Elmo’s Goat Farm and President of Region 4 Small Ruminant Raisers Association. He started the business three years ago when everybody had gone gaga over owning a Boer as the imported goat breed for modern day Filipino goat raisers.

Never a blind follower, Elmer decided to use instead the Anglo Nubian breed and its crosses (Native x Anglo Nubian) and resolved to stake out a niche in the growing market for goat products. Just like the Almedas, he focused on goat dairy to be different from the expanding number of players in the goat industry.

His farm is in Nasugbu, Batangas while his markets for fresh milk, choco milk, cheese, yoghurt and soap are in Tagaytay city, selected retail outlets and weekend markets. He has also regular customers like Ms. Yolly Raca of KALPANA, who purchases goat milk and processes it to vanity products such as soap, creams/ lotion (whitening and moisturizing) and even exfoliants.

Because his farm is small, this jolly, typically hard working Batangueno, and certified eligible bachelor, gathers forages from vacant areas near his farm to supplement and sustain the daily feed requirements of his dairy animals. He maximizes the use of his farm by growing a combination of improved grasses and tree legumes, very ideal for dairy production.

Managing the dairy farm is a dawn to dusk commitment of Elmer. He believes that every drop and squirt of his daily milk collection of around 30 to 40 kg really counts financially in this unique business of goat dairying. Because of increasing demand for goat milk, he sources additional supply from his “goat buddies” the likes of Neo Abalos and Martin Poblador in Lian, Batangas.

Despite the challenges in the business, this milk man declares that goat raising is very fulfilling. economically and psychologically. For this reason, he is quick to make the funny, comforting and maybe ‘blasphemous’ remarks that St. Elmo’s goat is sacred because it is indeed, ” g… the father, g… the son and g…the holy Goat!” And hastily with a wide smile. he says ” if its St Elmo’s its ‘goatta’ and gotta be good”.

Gutsy ladies
The adjective aptly describes these two lady entrepreneurs who have decided to add value to the primary products from goat.

Yolly Raca. This chemist has been very aggressively supporting the goat industry by creating an allied business on personal care products with goat milk as an important component. Yolly buys the milk from St. Elmo’s Goat. Her KALPANA company brand has soap variants for moisturizing and also whitening already in the local market. In fact, aside from the 25 percent goat milk in the bar of soap, included in the formulation is virgin coconut oil - an ingredient reported wondrous effects on human skin. Already in the offing are milk based lipsticks and creams formulated to suit the discriminating taste of the modern Filipina.

Her frequent travels abroad and her participation in trade expos gave her the exposure and confidence necessary to venture into this high end value adding product from goat. For Filipinos conscious about personal care, it is common to find one will occasionally skip a meal and use the money to buy a vanity product instead. Thus, despite the umpteen soaps and soap brands in the market, Yolly’s products will easily penetrate the local market for personal care products. What’s more, these products are especially formulated for the Filipino skin. What a fragrant prospect indeed!

Amelia Coronel. She is the general manager of Fortress Food Mfg Corporation which sells certified Halal goat meat in different variants such as kalderetang kambing (chevon stew), sinampalukang kambing (chevon with tamarind soup) and papaitang kambing (chevon offals soup). The Corporation’s abattoir has been certified technically by the National Meat Inspection Commission while the orientation and physical location of the abattoir, the slaughtering process, the meat and the canned products are certified by the Islamic Dawah Council of the Philippines.

As Halal certified, the canned products can already be exported to the Middle East and even to Malaysia. According to Mel and Yolly (Yolly Raca is also a partner of Fortress Food), the investment in the Halal certified slaughter house and canned products has challenged them. Now that their products are already in supermarkets (Makro is one), it inspires them immensely.

Today, these courageous ladies are excited about their participation to the Philippine Food Caravan in the Gulf this year. As a new comers in the business, they have to exploit all opportunities for exposure and promotion. Furthermore, the vast market of the East offers many possibilities with the thousands of Filipino OFWs there longing for the ‘lutong pinoy’- a delicious longing the lady duo is trying to address and capture.

Finding the niche
As the goat industry continues to expand, allied industries will also grow hand in hand with it. Along with this expansion will be greater opportunities to participate in the vibrant dynamics to create value adding products from a traditional commodity. Innovation and creativity will then be the keys to finding one’s niche in this still limited enterprise of commercializing products from goats beyond the slaughter and breeder animals.

[mikey]

Goat Raising in the Uplands of the Cordillera

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Introduction
Consider these facts: about 15,800 metric tons of chevon (goat meat) is required to fill in the need of the country, while more is required for export to other countries specially the Arab nations in the Middle East. In addition to the meat and mild obtained from goats, the goatskin is also saleable to manufacturers of hand gloves, bags, shoes and drum heads.

Goat raising can be added source of income for upland farmers, although it is not given much attention as poultry and pig raising. However, the special attributes of goats like high fertility rates, inquisitive feeding habits, short interval of kidding, and their small body size make them very competitive for generating additional income.

Goat meat is greatly in demand today because it is prepared into special delicacies like kaldereta and kilawen which are the favorite menus of many Filipinos. It can also be a good ingredient for fresh or smoked sausages.

Goat raising therefore in the uplands of the Cordillera is one way of encouraging the farmer to plant leguminous forage and fodder crops including grasses. The planting of these crops will help insure the sustainability of fresh feeds for the goats and at the same time enriching the fertility of the soil.

In terms of ecological contribution, the established forage and fodder crops will provide vegetative cover that would minimize soil erosion.

Following the simple information guide on goat raising as embodied in the Technology Transfer Series will help the upland farmers generate additional income as well as helping the government in its program on reforestation and sustainable development.

Source: DENR-ERDS-CAR, 1992. Technology Transfer Series, Vol. 2(3).

 

[mikey]

 Home > Nation > Top Stories DA urged to look into development of goat milk amid melamine scare
09/30/2008 | 08:29 PM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us MANILA, Philippines - The government is looking into the development of the country’s goat industry, including the provision of financial support, in the light of reports that dairy products imported from China are contaminated with the toxic substance melamine.

Presidential Adviser for Central Luzon and concurrent Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said had already endorsed to the Department of Agriculture (DA) a request made by groups working with the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in Nueva Ecija to develop and expand the goat's milk industry in the country.

"Breast milk is still the best for babies, but as an alternative the goat's milk in its purest form could be given to the infant already," she said, citing results of medical findings and studies conducted by the CLSU.

Fajardo did not say how much they are asking from DA, but said the funds would be necessary to boost the goat's milk industry that is still "very small" if compared to the cow's milk industry.

She said the funds could be used to increase the production goat's milk in as well as the goats by mixing local livestock with the bigger, foreign goats to produce more milk.

Fajardo noted that goat’s milk is a safe and healthy alternative to powdered milk especially with the current melamine scare.

She said the goat's milk could be taken by both infants and adults. - GMANews.TV

[mikey]

Hermaphrodite goat raised in Pozorrubio
Posted on September 30, 2008 - Filed Under Inside News, News |

POZORRUBIO–She’s got balls!

A backyard goat farmer here was amused to find one of her female animals growing testicles.

Encarnacion Pulido of Barangay Inoman here said one of the female goats born early this year started to manifest testicles last month instead of nipples.


It's a tomboy goat! Pulido said, showing members of the local media the goat's female sex organ plus testicles.

“High jumper din ang kambing na ‘yan katulad ng mga lalaking kambing,” she added.

“Akala ko babae ‘yung kambing dahil may ari ng babae pero ang kilos naman ay parang lalaking kambing,” said Gabriel Balicao, caretaker of the goats.

Pulido said she has yet to take the goat to a veterinary for tests but does not really feel the need to do it.—CSR

[mikey]

An alternative to cow’s milk


By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 16:46:00 09/30/2008


MANILA, Philippines -- Amid the scare caused by melamine-laced milk from China, one of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's aides is proposing a switch to goat's milk, which she said was the healthier alternative to cow's milk.

Citing studies by the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said goat's milk was next only to breast milk in terms of nutrition.

"Goat's milk is better than cow's milk. It's more pure. I am advocating that like brown rice," Fajardo, concurrent presidential assistant for Central Luzon, told reporters at the Palace Tuesday.

"This is a good opportunity for us. The crisis can be turned into an opportunity for these goat farmers," she added.

Fajardo acknowledged that the government would need to invest more to commercialize goat's milk. She said goats from other countries like
Australia, which produces more milk, could be imported to breed them with local goats.

She said goat's milk was initially more expensive compared to cow's milk, but once its industry was developed, goat's milk could be cheaper than cow's milk since goats required less maintenance compared to cows.

The government has banned milk products from China after hundreds of babies there fell ill while several others died after they consumed milk containing melamine, a toxic chemical that could cause kidney failure.

Also on Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque met an inter-agency group tasked to enforce the milk ban. The group includes representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Bureau of Customs, and the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG).

"The instruction is to file charges against the violators immediately," Fajardo said.

[mikey]

Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Palace eyes alternative milk source

MANILA – Malacañang is looking into goat’s milk as an alternative milk source should there be any shortage of milk supply caused by the scare of the melamine tainted milk from China.

An interagency body composed of six government agencies was also created on Tuesday to handle the ongoing milk scare in the country.

What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers

Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said she already sent a letter to DA endorsing the earlier request of small ruminant centers that are working with the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in Nueva Ecija to develop and expand the goat's milk industry.

She said the funds could be used to increase the production of goat's milk as well as the breeding of the goats by mixing local livestock with the foreign breed to produce more milk, and on the packaging and commercial distribution of the milk, among others.

A CLSU study showed that goat’s milk is closed to mother’s milk and is better that cow’s milk.

"This is a good opportunity for us. The crisis can be turned into an opportunity for these goat farmers," she added.

According to Fajardo, goat's milk is a "safe and healthy" alternative to powdered milk and to cow's milk.

She said the goat's milk could be taken by an infant or an adult.

"Breast milk is still the best for babies, but as an alternative the goat's milk in its purest form could be given to the infant already," she said.

Fajardo said aside from the good taste, the goat's milk is clean as the goat's diet is only limited to grass. She added that unlike the goat's meat, the milk has no bitter taste or aftertaste after consumption.
She said at present, the goat's milk is more popularly known as a soap or beauty bar ingredient.

Data from the Philippine National Dairy Authority (NDA) showed that despite the continuing government and industry efforts to increase dairy production, Philippine milk production remains at less than one percent of total dairy requirements with import filling most of the supply.

Imports of milk and milk products increased by over 10 percent in 2007, and are expected to continue to grow in 2008 due to rising demand and the appreciation of the peso. Dairy product is the country's second largest agricultural import.

As of January 1, 2007, there were estimated 26,172 dairy animals, an increase of about 1.65 percent from 2006, comprised of cattle (12,094), water buffalo (13,155) and goats (923), however, the average milking capacity per animal remains low due mainly to inadequate feeding and poor animal management practices.

The average farmgate price of cow’s milk rose by 6.2 percent to P17/liter in 2006 from P16/liter in 2005, while the price of carabao’s milk remained steady at P45.00/liter. Goat’s milk declined by nearly six percent from P35/liter in 2005 to P33/liter in 2007, as supply increased.

Milk shortage

On the other hand, milk wholesalers are asking the Department of Health (DOH) to hasten the examination of milk products with possible melamine contamination.

Henry Ang, a milk wholesaler, in a television interview said milk supply has decreased by 50 percent due to the melamine scare and the government ban.

The government has also organized a task force to undertake an information campaign to clear the confusion created by the milk scare.

The interagency body, to be headed by Duque, is composed of representatives by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Justice, Bureau of Customs, and the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group.

Last week, the DOH imposed a temporary total ban on all milk products and by-products following the discovery of melamine contamination in China.

The tainted milk from Sanlu Group Co. has so far claimed four lives in China and caused illness to at least 55,000 Chinese children.

The ban will remain until BFAD has accomplished its laboratory testing on the questionable products and declared them fit for human consumption. It also prohibits the importation, selling, and consumption of the products that bare the label "Made in China."

During its initial meeting at the BFAD national office in Muntinlupa City Tuesday, the panel agreed to pursue immediate legal actions against any establishments found selling banned milk products and by-products after the order was issued last September 23.

On the other hand, the DILG is set to coordinate with local government units in gathering support to the campaign headed by the health department.

China at the same time is willing to extend assistance to those with claims against Chinese companies embroiled in the controversial “melamine” content of Chinese-manufactured milk.

Ambassador Song Tao said, “The Chinese government has taken some measures and I firmly believe that the milk products from China is safe in terms of quality now.”

Song said the incident is now in control in China and emphasized that the milk scare is just a small percentage of China’s over-all trade that its government could very well handle.

”But our hope is that we would like to have this kind of issue (solved) in the spirit of seeking the truth and facts… We don’t want this issue to be exaggerated and (it) not to flare up… we would urge these (Chinese) companies involved in this matter to solve this commercial moral (standards).”

BFAD had earlier released a list of 54 products they are testing, but added that not all in the list are automatically banned in the market. (FP/JMR/ PNA/ Sunnex)


For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod.

(October 1, 2008 issue)

 

[mikey]

Why You Should Not Let Goats Graze During Rainy Days
Posted by: Leo in Livestocks 877 Views
When it rains, it likewise pours diseases.

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) said that goats, for instance, may continually be infected with worms throughout the year, but clinically apparent signs occur mainly during the wet season.

Goats, especially growing kids, the PCARRD explained, succumb to respiratory diseases, diarrhea and worm infestation during the rainy season. Worms reduce the production of meat and milk, and reduce the animals resistance to infections. Infected animals excrete worms.

The council noted that it is during the rainy season that eggs of worms transform into infective larvae in 3.5 days, since eggs survive only in an environment that is warm and moist. During rainy months, these eggs mature into infective larvae and travel to moist leaves of grasses and shrubs. When goats are let loose or tethered just after the rain or early in the morning when grasses are still moist with dew, they are able to eat the leaves laden with infective larvae. These larvae then mature into full-grown worms in the stomach of the animals, the council explained.

To alleviate this goat health problem, PCARRD advises farmers not to graze their goats during rainy days or even during very early hours of the morning when the sun has not yet dried up the dew. Farmers can confine their goats in pens during the wet season, do strategic drenching with chemical de-wormers or go into rapid rotational grazing.

More farmers are now implementing these technology options through the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the PCARRD project sustainable endoparasite control for small ruminants, likewise of ILRI, PCARRD and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

PCARRD suggests that farmers use the rapid rotational grazing (RRG) since the method is an effective strategy to control worms.

RRG is a scheme originally intended for farmers with access to large grazing areas. It involves subdividing all the available and possible pasture areas into 10 grazing areas and allowing goats to graze in each paddock for three to four days before moving on to the next paddock. The goats should not be returned to the same area within five weeks after rotation. In dividing pasture into paddocks, it is more important to consider the amount of available forage more than the size area.

However, the scheme also works for smallholder farms. This can be done through rotational tethering or tying the animals to different grazing spots every three to four days.

Tethered animals are transferred to nine to 10 different areas in a month. Other animals are not allowed likewise to graze the previous areas for 30 days. The objective is not just to improve the condition of the pasture but also to minimize parasitic infection by avoiding the infective stages of the parasites left in the grazed areas.

Eggs begin to be infective only after the fourth day. If goats can avoid ingesting them at this stage, the parasites will be left in the soil without a host. Without the proper environment, they will eventually die and their life cycle ended.

RRG is successfully used for goats in regions I and III. It is also adopted at the small ruminant center of the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) as well as in the San Miguel breeding farm in Leyte.

Farmers and farm caretakers attest to the fact that rotationally grazed animals have lower worm count than those that freely graze the pastures. Further RRG reduces the frequency of drenching by using chemical dewormers; hence production cost is reduced.

Next Read: Raising Goats

Author: Ana Marie Alo, www.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph, photo from bangsari.blogspot.com

[mikey]

The Next Phase in Goat Business Is Fattening
In the past several years, the name of the game in the goat industry has been the production of purebred as well as upgraded animals for breeding. This period has seen the importation of the latest breeds such as the Boer and the long-time favorite which is the Nubian.

Interest in goat raising got its impetus from the improved technologies in taking care of the animals. Many years back, investors were reluctant to go into commercial goat production because after achieving a population of 80 animals, various problems would arise such as diseases and parasites, especially when the animals are on pasture.

Thanks to the efforts of government as well as private individuals, improved technologies in goat production have been developed. Raising the animals in confinement on elevated floor has been a major reason why goat farmers are now more successful in raising healthy and productive animals. One of the experts who has been doing a lot in propagating the improved techniques of goat production is Dr. Emilio Cruz of the Small Ruminants Division at the Central Luzon State University in Nueva Ecija.

With the improved technologies, smart entrepreneurs saw the money-making opportunitv in the industry. They imported the latest breeds so that they can produce breeders for sale at a high price. The first ones who multiplied the improved breeds, of course, made a fortune. That’s because the high-quality animals were bought at very high prices. Purebreds were sold at P35,000 each or even more. Upgraded animals also sold at a premium of P12,000 or more per head, depending on the status of the animal.

Today, there seems to be a saturation of the market in breeding animals. That is why the more entrepreneurial investors in the industry are gearing for the next phase in the business. The next phase is fattening goats for slaughter, according to Neo Abalos whose family is one of the biggest in the business.

He points out that there are so many males that are now being produced which could not be sold as breeders. So they have to be fattened for slaughter. Fattening could be a lucrative business, especially if you fatten the upgraded animals such as those with 50 percent foreign blood or even higher. Right now Abalos is fattening 40 animals for meat.

He explains that there is a dearth of goats for slaughter. As per their study, some 1,500 goats for slaughter are brought to Manila every week from Masbate, Negros (Bacolod, particularly) and other places in the south. These end up at the Farmers’ Market in Cubao, Quezon City and as far as the Ilocos. Other supplies, also come from the livestock market in Padre Garcia, Batangas.

Abalos said that the demand is particularly big in the Ilocos and Central Luzon because the Ilocanos seem to be addicted to eating goat meat. He observes that the increase in goat population in the north is slow because even the females which could be used as breeders are being slaughtered.

Right now the price per kilo live weight in the Ilocos is P120 for the mestizos or upgrades while the native is P100 per kilo. Why the price discrepancy? Neo explains that the upgrades have a higher carcass recovery of 45 to 50 percent. In the case of the native it is usually 40 percent carcass recovery. The upgrades also have a higher meat to bone ratio than the native animals.

That is why Neo recommends the fattening of upgrades as they grow much faster and with more muscle. Fattening operation is quite simple. The animals should be confined in a house with elevated floor, about five feet above the ground. The animals should be provided unlimited forage plants that include Napier and leguminous crops like ipilipil, flemingia, indigofera, rensonii and others. The green feeds should also be supplemented with concentrate at the rate of 150 grams per head per day. The trick is to feed them with feeds that are high in protein, according to Neo Abalos.

Abalos said they confine 20 to 30 animals in a goat house measuring 40 feet by 10 feet whose floor is five feet above the ground. Plastic flooring is used.

As the supply of slaughter animals with bigger bodies increases, Abalos sees an eventual new development. He said that special cuts of goat meat will be sold through the supermarkets and other outlets. Examples would be choice cuts for kaldereta, leg of goat, cuts for tapa, and others.

Another new interest in the goat industry is milk. So far, there are a number who are getting started in goat dairying. One of them is Elmer Garcia who has a farm in Batangas. He is now producing and marketing not only fresh goat milk but also goat cheese. Another is Charita Puentespina of Davao City who also processes goat milk into chocomilk. yoghurt and cheese. Abalos said they will soon start raising dairy goats.

[mikey]

Partnerships for Enhanced Goat Production
Before, goat raising was only a farmers’ hobby. But now, it has become a livelihood in at least 33 towns and cities in Ilocos Region, thanks to the efforts of the Department of Agriculture-Regional Fied Unit I.

This regional development effort was needed after the Crop-Animal Systems  Research Network (CASREN); the pilot project of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) that worked with Pangasinan farmers in increasing the productivity of crop-live
11 systems by introducing technologies.

What’s noteworthy about this regional project is that goat production has been enhanced through strong public and private partnerships. It has attained its goals and, hence, other regions may derive some insights from it.

IMPLEMENTATION
Dr. Jovita M. Datum, the project leader and manager of Ilocos Integrated Agriculture Research Center (ILIARC), said -support from local officials was an important factor that led to its success.

To get their support, the officials were invited to a dialogue and consultation on participatory planning and briefing. In each project site, Dr. Datuin and DA technologists met with local municipal and barangay officials and farmer leaders to identify goat production problems that farmers encountered. From here, DA technologists laid out the proposed solutions, including technology interventions.

Later, the provincial and municipal LGUs assigned their permanent representatives in the local working group and then a training of trainers was conducted to enhance the capability of LGU technicians who were designated as focal persons in implementing the project.

The project started with a technology demonstration on goat production in six sites, which expanded later to 37 sites. In each site, the farmers went through a two-day training on goat production.

The training consisted of five modules: .goat housing, breeding and stock selection, goat husbandry practices, feeding and feed resources management, and health management. Technology leaflets were also given to farmers so that they would have references.

“The farmers were enrolled in two universities: the University of Positive Mental Attitude and the University of Learning Experience,” Dr. Datum said to sum up what the farmers got from training program. Their negative perceptions on goat raising were changed positively as they started to consider goat production as a potential sustainable livelihood of rural families.

More importantly, the farmers went through a season-long farmers’ livestock school (FLS) (27 weeks) where their attitude, knowledge and skills on goat management were enhanced. The FLS concept too was used earlier in the CASREN project in Balungao, Sta. Barbara, and Calasiao, Pangasinan.

For this project, 37 FLS were conducted with the participation of 920 farmers in the following locations:

Balungao, Sta. Barbara, Alaminos City, Bani, Mangatarem, San Carlos City, Umingan, Urdaneta City, Mangaldan, Asingan, Basista, Sual, Alcala, Malasiqui, Bolinao, Mabini, Labrador, San N icolas, Bugallon, and San Jacinto, Pangasinan; Pugo, Tubao, Bagulin, Bauang, and Balaoan, La Union; Vigan City. Candon City, Sinait, Tagudin, and Galimuyod, Ilocos Sur; and Pinili and Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.

The farmers were also brought to various backyard and commercial goat farms in Regions I and III and in the Central Luzon State University to be, ame more familiar with the latest trends in goat production and appreciate technologies.

PUBLIC SUPPORT
Amazingly, the project got considerable public support. At the provincial level, Pangasinan gave the highest financial support as follows: livestock upgrading, P1.74 million; small-scale dairy goat farming, PL675 million; veterinary medical mission, PLS million; breeding, P581,685; and rotational buck every two years, 10 head.

Ilocos Sur provided P1.621 million for goat upgrading in eight sites. From this amount, 98 breeder bucks were bought and given as loans to farmer beneficiaries. In Ilocos Norte, the provincial government shelled out P933,000 for goat upgrading and training in 17 sites. The La Union provincial government also shelled out money; it released P125,000 for goat upgrading in Bacnotan, Tubao and Naguilian.

Local government, on one hand, shouldered some of the financial requirements and assigned their agricultural technologists to the project. For the purchase of breeder bucks and does alone, which were loaned out to FLS graduates, the municipal and city governments spent a total of P3.75 million.

For each site, other expenses shouldered by the LGUs were: training, P10;000-P20,000; educational tours. P15,000-P25,000; conduct of FLS. P5,000-P10,000; drugs and biologics. P5,000-P10,000; forage seeds, P2,000-P5,000.

In a community action research project that complemented the goat development project, the Bureau of Agricultural Research also provided breeder loans in 19 barangays in Alaminos City, Mangatarem, and Sta. Maria, Pangasinan; Tubao, La Union; Candon City, Ilocos Sur; and Pinili, Ilocos Norte. A breeder loan consisted of eight upgraded breeder bucks per site to serve 200 does.

Furthermore, the Senate Committee on Agriculture provided and undisclosed amount for 12 expansion sites in La Union and Pangasinan with 129 beneficiaries.

TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION
Dr. Datum said that in just a short time, the farmers adopted the technologies introduced to them. She sitessed that the livestock dispersal scheme of the government, which is actually a doleout system, was avoided because of its history of failures. Rather, capacity building empowered them with wisdom and right attitude, enabling them to easily adopt the new technology. And after a year, the total number of farmers who adopted the new technology increased by 74 percent.

Housing, deworming and upgrading were the top three technologies that were adopted. This indicates that the most important technologies are those that can solve high mortality (66 percent), high morbidity (50.5 percent), and slow growth. Mortality has decreased by 95 percent, while morbidity has been reduced by 83 percent.

Parasitic load and respiratory diseases were reduced by the adoption of elevated housing with stall feeding and regular deworming. Aside from chemical deworming, parasites were also controlled by late grazing and rapid rotational grazing. The most adopted technologies on feed supplementation were the use of tree legumes (ipil-ipil, katuray and camachile) and urea-molasses-mineral block.

They have also maximized their use of crop residues like rice straw, corn stalk, and corn cob and, hence, do not experience feed shortage during the long dry season which normally lasts for eight months in Ilocos.

EFFECTS
Through the project, Dr. Datum said; the farmers had a sense of worth and pride. “[They] have developed their potential as they gained knowledge on the new goat production technologies, inspiring other farmers to follow their example.”

The development workers have also gained much from the project; they were able to improve their knowledge, skills and became more competent in the extension delivery system. They are now inspired, motivated and strengthened to work better with passion and commitment. As a result, they have inspired farmers and convinced local officials to continue supporting worthy projects.

More importantly, “the development workers can now be proud to claim that service is the thing of most worth,” Dr. Datuin said.

[mikey]

What alot of people fail to understand is, some of the goats imported into the Philippines from Australia are inbred animals due to Australias own import restrictions (dairy breeds).Now we have all these inbred animals in the country inbreeding.Thanks to a few good people who had the insight to imported goats from the USA to help with the dairy industry,it will take years to get the new bloodlines into the mainstream.

Gabrielle strongly believes in a thorough knowledge of animal husbandry. Good breeding does are expensive and difficult to find, and many, bred for show use, are not particularly good dairy animals. There is an additional problem in that Australian goats are often inbred because import restrictions make it difficult to inject new bloodlines. Consequently the serious goat dairy farmer must concentrate on building his or her own herd of speciality dairy animals, and this is what Gabrielle has done. The herd is predominantly cross-bred, but some pure-bred goats have been introduced. The results, she says, are 'thrilling' and exactly what she'd aimed for.

show goats are show goats
meat goats are meat goats
dairy goats are dairy goats
They are not the same animals

Taken from a leading dairy goat producer in Australia

[mikey]

Philippines tribe on the edge as development comes to highlands
21 hours ago

TAYUM, Philippines (AFP) — Goats and oxen graze among the ruins of a paper mill by the Abra River, a big-ticket project which brought war on the Tingguian tribal people of the northern Philippines highlands.

"It would be nice if we could have our farm back," said Daniel Briones, 54, as he sat outside his nearby hut weaving bamboo and rattan baskets, his remaining means of feeding his family of nine.

The pulp mill, which the government seized and tore down for scrap after the 1986 fall of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, remains a sore topic around this mountainous region, the ancestral home of upland farmers and gatherers collectively known as Tingguians.

Residents claim the government forced them to sell their farms to make way for the Cellophil Resources Corp. plant, which won a franchise in the 1970s to harvest pine on some 400,000 hectares (nearly a million acres) of forest land.

Pura Sumangil, a social worker and former teacher, saw hundreds of her Tingguian students take up arms to join a widespread communist insurgency.

The new government signed a peace treaty with the hill people in 1987, and Sumangil helped at least 300 Tingguian former rebels get presidential pardons, government jobs or payoffs.

"The project provoked social unrest because it encroached on the Tingguians' ancestral domain," she told AFP.

Yet as electricity came to the upland communities in the 1980s, traditional Tingguian society was on its last legs.

The government lists the Tingguians as one of nearly 100 ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines. They number about 98,000, mostly in Abra province's highlands, and each of the 11 sub-groups have their own distinct language.

Though nominally Christian, Tingguians were traditionally guided in their decision-making by shamans who divined from the internal organs of chickens or pigs when to sow crops, get married, or even where to find lost livestock.

These days weavers, sugarcane wine makers and traditional medicine men are a dying breed, Tingguian elders said.

"We feel hurt that some of our young people have forgotten some of our customs and traditions," said Nestor Guyo, a former vice mayor of the town of Luba and an elder statesman of the Maeng, one of the largest Tingguian groups.

"Worse, some of them actually are ashamed of their Tingguian identity," Guyo said, blaming the spread of Christianity, modern education and the failure of the land to provide adequate sustenance.

"There are areas where the Tingguian culture is still dominant, and there are areas where Tingguian influence is practically subordinated to a more dominant one," said Roman Catholic Father Cirilo Ortega, an anthropologist and president of the Divine Word College in nearby Bangued town.

"Before, the Tingguians would bring their products to the lowlands. Nowadays the traffic has reversed," he said.

"Of course there's always a danger of them disappearing from the face of the earth," said Ortega, a member of a Tingguian group called the Binongan.

He said the survival of the culture would depend on how the community "confronts the so-called outside influences, and maybe the internal cohesiveness of the group".

Ortega said the Cellophil issue "heightened the Tingguians' awareness of their identity as a people," but the insurgency that ensued had also led to great suffering and strains on the community.

Provincial governor Eustaquio Bersamin said the upland people needed something other than rain-dependent farm plots to feed them.

But as a result of the old Cellophil issue, the locals are generally wary of the outside world, including potential mining investments.

"The elders have a negative mindset, that if we bring this, it would destroy the environment," Bersamin said.

"I tell them mining is good, as long as it is properly regulated."