News in brief:

[mikey]

I have been getting emails all week from our contacts in the Philippines telling me that the prices of boer bucks have been lowered and what does this really mean and what does  a "commercial breeding buck" really mean.

In all honestly I believe I am correct when I say if we look at all the bucks being produced from the boer breed,there appears to be an oversupply.In business its all about supply and demand.When there is an over supply and a lower demand, stocks are not moving.This translates into the business owner lowering his/her prices in order to move their stock(s) as breeders over selling them to the meat industry which brings in lower values.Strategic business move first and a good will gesture second.This is good news for those wishing to buy boer buck(s) to improve their own herds as the next wave in this industry is fattening,heavier goats bring in more pesos.The native has a higher bone to meat ratio but the boer has a higher meat to bone ratio.If one can improve their native stocks with the infusion of boer blood then the offspring has better value for the meat industry.In truth what we are talking about is ADG (average daily gain).In our research we have found at the F2 level (75%) boer blood one can realize a decent meat goat for the meat industry.

What does COMMERCIAL BOER BUCK mean.I am not sure as to what it really means,to me in english maybe different what what it means in the Philippines,so I will not comment.Talk with any breeder worldwide and they will tell you only a small percentage of bucks born on any given farm have the qualities it takes to enter a breeding program,1 in 10,1 in 20.Not all bucks are created equal.Again we are taking about genetics and ADG.At Mustang Sally Agri Farm we use only a few selected sires for our breeding program as most all of our males are shipped to Negros Occ. or Cebu for the meat trade.The golden rule here is buy the best genetics one can afford and start from there.Remember alot of the finest breeding animals worldwide have line- breeding in their pedigrees at some point in their life time.

Overall,good news for the goat industry as a whole to see prices lowered on boer bucks.I am hopeful this will add more boer bucks into the hands of those who were excluded before.This will benefit the industry for years to come.Welcome news indeed.

I was talking with one of my contacts in New Zealand about dairy New Zealand as I was told they also imported their anglo nubians from Australia and also face the same problem of lower milk yields and shorter lactation periods compared to their saanens.They have been breeding snubians also to help produce better milking goats but agree with me that the anglo nubians have better quality milk compared to the saanens and the anglo nubians are the only dairy breed which has a longer breeding cycle which allows for more kiddings.They have been selecting better quality anglo bucks to help increase their milk yields and such and have been making modest gains and believe over time with selective breeding they will be able to increase their anglo yields and lactation periods.There is hope for us all but it will take time and resources to see the project completed.

Note:an anglo nubian is called an anglo nubian because its bloodlines have english blood in its pedigree but once bred to lets say a Philippine native it now becomes known as a Nubian not ANGLO NUBIAN.

Mustang Sally Agri Farm:
Region#7

[mikey]

First we saw price reductions for boer bucks and now they tell me someone is selling anglos and saanens for P15,000 each for bucks.2009 was the year for price reductions and this should go along way to help producers upgrade their stocks with better quality breeds.We should see real improvements over the next few years with this new blood in many more hands.The goat industry is on the move and lets hope it keeps up,the future looks bright.

[mikey]

I would think we should see more boer blood in the national herd over the next few years as more people bought boer bucks for breeding into their own herd(s).Good to see.From my own experience,one has to find their own market for the product.Not always easy to do and it takes alot of networking to build up a customer base.Better prices overall as one also collects on the stomach and hide plus the muscle.

It appears the Govt. will import more dairy goats from Australia this year (2010) for different areas of the Philippines.Milk seems to be taken much more serious now as the Govt. wants to place more dairy goats into the provinces.The DA from different areas are holding classes to help educate people interested in the dairy end of this business.

I can only trace a few bloodlines of dairy goats in the country.Alaminos with their Mitra Line and Vise Gov. Many Pinol with his Lakeshore and Kastdemur"s bloodlines.There may very well be more but not advertised as of yet.Finding good quality dairy breeding bucks can still be a problem for some of us.Myself,still a long way to go before I might realize some real improvements with the anglos.Over time I am hopeful the herd will improve if I can find the right buck(s) to increase dairy in our does.

Weather will also play an important role this year as some believe the climate will be hotter this year which will cause problems for producers trying to keep their forage crops from dying.Coconut choir plowed back into the soil can help retain  moisture.China is buying lots of coconut choir from the Philippines for soil improvement in China.

It does appear the goat industry is on its way and lets hope all can do well in this industry.

Best of luck to all who will invest in this exciting industry.

[mikey]

US producer introduces natural Halal goat
[3 March 2010] Coleman Natural Foods, the largest organic and natural meat company in the US has follwed in the footsteps of Australian and New Zealand processors, by introducing natural, Halal certified goat. This is in response to growing demand by ethnic consumers in the US and globally for Halal certified meat products.The animals are raised by pre-certified farmers, hand is animal welfare and food safety certified

[mikey]

The movement worldwide is to qualify for the label "Ethical Produced Food".The buzz word has it for those who qualify for such a label to be attached to their product(s) in this case "food products" may have greater worldwide marketing access.

1-concern for the enviroment
2-health and safety issues,cleaness
3-animal welfare issues


US consumers will pay for ‘ethical’ food
[5 March 2010] Asian suppliers to the US are likely to do well if they can assure customers that their products are produced in an ethical manner. A recent survey by San Francisco-based marketing communications firm Context Marketing revealed that 69% of consumers will pay more for 'ethically produced' foods. Bob Kenney, Context Marketing Principal said that when asked to identify what they meant by 'ethical food', more than 90% percent of respondents identified three main qualities: protects the environment, meets high quality and safety standards and treats farm animals humanely. The survey was conducted in January among 600 adults aged 20 - 64, equally representing men and women living in major US markets.

[mikey]

According to our Asian contacts.China has been importing tons of copra choir from the Philippines as
a soil conditioner.The copra choir is used to help stablize slopes and helps the soil to retain moisture.During this hot dry spell we are planning to plow our copra choir back into the soil to help condition our soil and help the soil retain moisture.This might be something worthwhile for all of us to consider.It is all natural and dio-degradable.

[mikey]

Something that I have been discussing with some of our contacts is about horns on goats.Every goat I have seen in a hot country has its horns but here in N.America and Europe it is a common practice to dehorn goats for safety reasons.
I feel that in the early days with goats imported from the US and Australia had their horns removed and this may have added to alot of the problems with adapting to the tropics.
Horns on a goat act the same way as a radiator with an engine,it helps to cool.
Horns on a goat help to regulate its core temperature.In a hot tropical country like the Philippines I now feel it is very important to leave the horns attached to the animal so it can adapt better to the climate.I believe a dairy goat will do better if it is horned over a goat that has been dehorned.All our goats are horned for this very reason.As a producer the welfare of your stocks should be paramount.

[mikey]

The farm is also reporting fewer problems with termites where goat pee flows.I now believe goat pee can be a safe and natural means to help rid areas of ones land with this pest.Might be something for others to consider and try if you too are/have problems with termites.

[mikey]

I asked our Texas counterpart if she ever heard about a shipment of Saanens that was imported into the Philippines some years back from the USA.She said no but it did not surprise her if they performed poorly and the reason she gave was this.Goats with top bloodlines are bred and do well in the environment in which they are bred in,once that same goat is placed into an environment which is completely different from the one it is bred for, it will always do poorly because of its new environment is so very different.One cannot blame the goat for doing poorly,it was those who thought in the first place that the goat would do as well in its new environment as its old environment.Short sighted on those who thought different.There was some rumors sometime back that the anglos in the Philippines are too inbred and their bloodlines watered down with all the crossbreeding,there is probably some truth too this but again its the environment in which the goat is now housed.It takes many many years to condition a goat to perform well in its new environment especially if its an imported goat in the first place.Also it takes many many good bucks to breed a decent dairy goat to perform well in any environment.True a anglo dairy goat looks different from a meat anglo goat and this is why selecting good bucks from known dairy lines is paramount for success.It will take more work and research before the anglo will have the dairyness needed to make progress for Dairy Philippines.The anglo still holds promise for a dairy operation but not today and not tomorrow but some time in the future and only if there is enough interest from those who are up to the challenge.Money and time is the main factors.

A few years back I wrote about importing semen for AI to dairy goats, because this idea was so new to the Philippines there was no guidelines or information from the powers to be in the Philippines.For those of us from N.America,time is money and we cannot wait forever for the powers to be to make a decision on this idea.I am sure at some point in the future the Govt. will put guidelines in place and allow those of us who wish to import top of the line semen,do so and help propell dairy Philippines into the next generation.In the mean time the selection for dairy anglo sires is not bright for this fast and exciting growing industry.As I wrote some years back our consultants was telling us crossbreeding had the best chances for success in the short term from the information we were providing them.Crosses like the snubian have been bred here in N.America on small dairy operations since the 1980s.Large commercial dairy operations still milk purebreeds.The anglo is still the most popular dairy goat milked in N.America.The saanen is milked in large commercial operations due to its high volume of milk produced.

True genetics has an important role in your success into the dairy market.Environment is the deciding factor first for success or failure.Do not blame the goat.

Farms like Alaminos has been making inroads in the goat industry as a whole in the Philippines and this is good news for the industry.True I have from time to time agreed to disagree with them but this is natural for any industry and we can learn from each other.The Philippine Govt. has asked for foreign investors captial along with the captial from OFWs to help with agri projects.For us foreign investors investing in the goat industry we bring knowledge and captial needed and should not be feared as we too play an important role in AGRI PHILIPPINES and its important for us for the success of the goat industry.For some of us with agri interests in other parts of the world,things like goat meat standards is nothing new as we have been dealing with this long before there was any talk about a standard for the Philippines.Do not fear us,work with us as we already know what the standard means.

True we do not always publish all of our research materials or present projects as we consider some of these to be trade secrets but we publish what we can to help others succeed.We too expect to earn profits from our commitments into the Philippine goat industry,as the old saying goes business is business.Foreign investors will help the Philippine goat industry not destroy it.

Mustang Agri Farm R-7 D-1

[mikey]

Goats are animals that ship poorly when they are forced to travel distances.I have noticed when goats are shipped to and from Cebu Island back to N.O. they tend be to weak from the travelling and need 24 hours of recovery.This can cause problems to any producer who ships his/her stock distances.I know that coconut water contains natural electrolytes.I am wondering if adding coconut water to the goats regular drinking water before and during travel might be of benefit to any producer who is considering shipping stock out.This is something we are looking into as a shipping aid.A dead goat is worthless and money right out of your pocket.

[mikey]

2010 has started off well for us as we await the births of this years F1 boer crosses.The Boer goat offers superior hybrid vigor when crossed with other goats,high dressing 48-60%,meat to bone ratio of 7-1 and meat low in fat.Fast growth rates of 6.8-13.6 kg per month or 15-30 lbs per month.The Boer is well suited for the meat industry.The 3 way cross has been produced for some years now and the fattening industry seems to be the next big venture into the world of the goat meat industry.

A goat buddy in Australia was telling me they are breeding the Red Boer to Anglo does for the meat industry there,seems to produce decent kids.

We will now breed for the Snubian and exit our Anglo breeding program until we are able to acquire the Anglo dairy buck(s) from known and recorded top of the line(s) dairy goats.We hope to see some information concerning the importing of frozen goat semen in the near future.

[mikey]

This was written by a famous Boer goat breeder in the USA.

By Jack Mauldin
June 1, 2007

Is the Boer Goat Breed too "High Maintenance"?

After 10 years of raising Boer goats, I have slowly come to the conclusion that there can be a very high maintenance price to pay for raising Boer goats. This can vary dramatically according to what part of the country you are in but regardless, I strongly believe they can be a very high maintenance breed in the U.S. and the U.S. breeders may have played a significant roll in the Boer breed being such a  high maintenance breed.
First, what do I mean by being "high maintenance"?

High maintenance can be anything that takes up your time or money in order to raise the Boer goat. Here is a list of examples:

Animals dying of un-natural causes - loss of purchase price or their potential future value
Preventative medication treatments - cost of medication plus loss of your time
Treating sick animals - cost of medication plus loss of your time
Assisting in delivery - loss of your time
Bottle Feeding - cost of milk supplement plus loss of your time
Hoof Trimming - loss of your time
Where has the "hardiness" gone in the Boer goat?

Much of the problems listed above comes from the Boer goat apparently not being as hardy in the U.S. as they were marketed to be. (see the value description of the Boer breed as defined by the South African breeders).  According to the South African breeders,

Boer goat is undoubtedly one of the hardiest small stock breeds on earth, with a great capacity for adoption
RESISTANCE TO DISEASES
LONGEVITY
Now if you listen to the Boer goat industry talking, you will hear quite a different story.

Chat rooms are overflowing with breeders having health problems with their boers and looking for help.
Breeders will be heard saying their non-boer goats or percentages never have as much problems  as the fullbloods. It is always their "best animals" that get sick or die.
Article in recent Boer Association magazine describing how the writer spent $900 to raise an animal that ended up selling for around $90.
Another article in Goat Rancher magazine where the writer was suggesting the U.S. breeders were breeding the hardiness out of the Kiko breed. (this is the same suggestion I will be making about Boer goat breeders.)
At a recent seminar, a professor specializing in meat goats, indicated the parasite problems were so bad in the Boers goats in certain parts of the country that the breeders were having to worm with multiple type of wormers every 21 days and they were losing ground.  The professor indicated that there were no new super wormers coming.
We get bombarded weekly with emails and phone calls from breeders with health problems in their Boer goats and looking for help.
Everywhere we look, breeders are having significant problems with their Boer goats.
The industry can no longer claim that the Boer goat is a hardy animal to raise and, unless something changes, it will be difficult for commercial breeders to make a profit with Boer goats as the basis of their herd. If the commercial breeder can't rely on the Boer goat as being hardy and low maintenance, then there is no market for the Boer goat other than for showing. That will quickly dry up unless the Boer goat can be returned to the hardiness they were once known for and become low maintenance animals to raise.

Loss of Proper Focus

I believe there are several reasons why the Boer goats lost their hardiness and have become such high maintenance animals.  In order to try and correct this problem, you must look closely at the specific areas that are causing the high maintenance, prioritize the specific issues identified and determine how to correct the issues that can be corrected. First, let me state I am certainly not an expert in goats or breeding animals. I just have a personal opinion that I believe in very strongly. My background prior to raising goats was focused on analyzing business issues and resolving problems or improving the business processes.  The summary of my beliefs, as to why the Boer goats lost their hardiness and became high maintenance animals, is the U.S breeders have had a totally different focus in raising the Boers than the South African breeders did.

The South African breeders came from generations of breeders raising animals. There main long-term focus was on creating a breed that was hardy, very fertile animals with good kid raising abilities, long longevity that also looked good. The U.S. breeders have generally had a major focus on quickly producing as many animals as possible, get them winning in shows to allow premium prices and put on production sales across the country to get other people to start raising Boers. The Boer associations and the key breeders have always had a major focus on showing the animals to get ribbons and titles for marketing their animals. There is very little focus in the U.S. industry on raising hardy, low maintenance animals. The focus has been on doing the high maintenance work to make the animals look as good as possible for shows and production sales.  The more special attention given to the Boers, the less hardy they became. The breeders were trying to do whatever they could to be able to sell every animal they raised regardless of their "hardiness level".  Thus the genetics have changed from hardy to "high maintenance" because the U.S. focused on show looks rather than the hardiness of the animals.

Returning to a "hardiness breed" and low maintenance.

We are absolutely dedicated to changing our focus towards producing "low maintenance" hardy Boer goats in the future.  We will document the specifics of where we think the problems are, who caused the problems, and what our approach will be to reach our focus on "low maintenance" hardy Boer goats. 
 

[alaminos_goatfarm]

STBF Project Culminates with Field Day at AGF
May 1, 2010
 
Alaminos Goat Farm hosted the field day for the Science Technology Based Farm project of PCARRD and National Dairy Authority last April 30, 2010. The big bosses at PCARRD Executive Director Patricio Faylon and NDA Administrator Orkhan Usman lend their presence to the event.
 
Graphical presentation of live milking of the the top performing Saanen dairy goats, AGF 1076 and AGF 6184. For the past thirty days in April record shows that AGF 6184 gave a total 134.5 kilos of milk and AGF 1076, 133.1 kilos of milk. True to form the two milkers gave a combine 5 liters of milk to the delight of the guests.The goats are milk twice a day, morning and evening at AGF.
 
The potential of using milk record as basis for selection for goats to be bred to produce the next generation milkers was emphasize in the presentation. The importance of nutrition was also discussed to be successful in dairying goats under tropical condition.
 
Dr. Gigi Salces mentioned genetics plays an important role to improve milk yields in dairy goats. Selection based on record and standard is an important factor for a breed plan to be successful. For cross breeding the best performance can be obtained from first felial generation because of hetorosis or hybrid vigour.
 
Dr. Edwin Villar, Livestock Research Director of PCARRD said that guests should take advantage of the presence of Dra. Gigi Salces and ask her question about genetics and breeding.

[mikey]

The long hot drought of 2009/10 in the Philippines has been tough on most farms and I know this all too well.I believe the hot weather has taken its toll on forage feeds and this in turn has taken its toll on the goats body condition.Under conditioned goats take longer to come into heat and can produce weaker/smaller kids.I have also come to realize soil condition during drought is a real concern.Coconut choir is something we have been looking into to help hold moisture in our soil.True helps if one has his/her farm in copra growing regions to acquire the choir.Extra water holding tanks with high flow low maintenance pumps something like a modified truck water pump,belt driven to electric motors.

Our counterpart in Texas has told us we can also feed squash and pumpkins as squash seeds has more protein than grain (oats/wheat) and goats love to eat squash and pumpkins chopped up.Squash grows in country and another plant we are looking into is the fresh water fern Azolla,high in protein.Grains like oats and wheat does not grow in tropical countries so one is always on the look for alternatives to substitute for the protein needed.

Without more data coming forward concerning the Nubian as a dairy breed over meat,the breed might become less favoured as a dairy goat over its meat potential.Worldwide the Nubian plays an important role in dairy as well as for meat but in the Philippines so far has not proven itself as a viable dairy goat able to reach 305 days of lactation.The potential is there but without a solid breeding plan the breed is what it is,short on lactation better suited for meat over dairy and requires alot of work.Sad for those of us who have a vested interest in the breed in N.America and own shares in show/breeding nubians to see this beautiful breed do so poorly in the Philippines.I look forward to the day when the nubian in the Philippines will look and perform as well as any nubian in N.America or Europe,on the milk line or in the show ring.

[nemo]

Even grass have difficulty surviving in the tough weather of 2010. In the vicinity of my workplace plant and grass are all brown in color/ their dead.  and the soil is so dry.