News in brief:

[alaminos_goatfarm]

Start of the Rainy Season, Does it Impact on Goats Returning to Heat ?

The start of the rains also marked the start of the breeding season at Alaminos Goat Farm. For the past several months during the El Nino phenomenon, our breeding does were not returning to heat at an alarming proportion. We were trying to blame the poor forage available because of the prolonged dry spell.

The cool spell after the rain showers did wonders as the breeding does started returning to heat in big numbers. We would like to call the attention of our friends from the academe if we have a valid observation that the rains in addition to the cool weather resulted for the does to return to heat.
 
Is it the heat or the poor and insufficient forage being fed that led to this phenomenon? Hope we can get an answer so we can prepare when the next El Nino comes around.

[alaminos_goatfarm]

Increase in Milk STAR Goat’s Milk Production in 2011 Foreseen

Milk Star goat’s milk is gearing up to increase its milk production in 2011 to 72,000 liters. A two-tiered approach will be taken to attain our goal. Success in goat dairying means a system efficiently producing goats milk and selling the milk produced within 7 days to translate it into solid profits. Marketing and Production are working hand in hand to meet the target for 2011.

Seeing the importance of marketing in the overall picture, the Milk Star Family welcomes  fresh graduate Agnes Almeda as its new Marketing Manager. She will be in charge of coming up with the Marketing Plan to move 72,000 liters of Milk Star goat’s milk to the market in 2011.

As an initial project, the marketing department will be a conducting a survey to find out why the patrons of Milk Star Goat’s Milk drink our milk. To our Milk Star customers and milk drinkers who are interested in participating in our research, please email us in milkstargoatsmilk@gmail.com.

Lastly, if you have Facebook, become a fan of Milk Star Goats Milk page which we regularly update to let you know about our daily news on latest outlets and fresh deliveries. We also post articles on goats milk and Milk Star. Click this link! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Milk-Star-Goats-Milk/128615040490525?ref=ts

With our goats returning to heat this June we expect them to kid in November to meet our target of milk produce in January 2011.
 
Continue drinking fresh goats milk from Milk Star! Here in Alaminos Goat Farm and Milk Star Goat’s Milk, we offer you nothing but the best.

 
 

[alaminos_goatfarm]

Alaminos Goat Farm: “There’s no show like the Agrilink”

Agrilink is set to feature good farm practices and small ruminants in its show this October 7 to 9, 2010 in the World Trade Center in Manila. This year’s theme of the Agrilink could not have been more in sync with Alaminos Goat Farm’s (AGF) advocacy of promoting their own good husbandry practices in dairy goat farming.

From the time AGF started its goat operations in 2005, AGF has always believed in the importance of both GOOD NUTRITION and GOOD
GENETICS towards successful goat
dairying. Good farm practices are necessary in nurturing healthy small ruminants such as the goats in Alaminos Goat Farm.

As a Magsasaka Siyentista of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), AGF owner Art Almeda is actively involved in a couple of initiatives driven towards the development of goat dairying in the Philippines such as the small farm research giving focus to nutrition in the care of its Saanen Dairy Goats and the on-going Science and Technology Based Farm (STBF) Milk Recording Project which began in September 2009.


Experience gained from the small farm research indicates that feeding legumes and forage grass such as indigofera, centrosema, and 45-day napier grass, in addition to concentrate feeds, increase the milk production of its Saanen Goats. This is reflected in the daily milk records from the STBF project which show that AGF's milking line has produced an average of 2.42 Liters of milk per day for the past 270 days. Moreover through the same daily milk records, AGF foresees the potential of its top performing milking goats to produce 3.7 Liters of milk per day.

Alaminos Got Farm has set a 305-day lactation period and 2 Liters per day as a benchmark for a successful dairy goat farm here in the Philippines. Past experiences of AGF show that the 305-day lactation period is feasible with good husbandry practices.

Seeing the number of agriculture enthusiasts who visit the Agrilink Show every year, AGF is looking forward to sharing its experiences to those interested in this exciting and profitable business. The Agrilink Show is the most cost effective trade show that AGF has joined in the past three years towards creating awareness for the goats and value added products produced by AGF. In its 4th year participating in the Agrilink, AGF plans to showcase the outcome of their good farm practices through its Saanen Dairy Goats, Mitra Line, Alaminos Mitra Saanen Line to Boer Bucks to its Quality Products such as Goats meat, Milk Star Goats Milk, Goats Cheese and the famous Goat’s Milk Ice Cream.

So come visit the 2010 Agrilink Show and the Alaminos Goat Farm booth. Agrilink may still be in October 7 to 9 but be sure to mark your calendars. This will surely be one of the events to look forward to this 2010 in the agriculture industry.

[mikey]

Well,I do not know if the drought would affect breeding.Nubians will breed at any time of the year but the Swiss breeds are more affected by daylight changes in terms of their heat cycle.Drought conditions will put more stress on forage feeds which in turn will affect the quality and flavor of the milk.Everything we know about milking goats we learned from milking cows.Dairy cattle farmers will tell you quality of the feed affects quality and flavor of the milk cows produce.Body condition will also affect goats returning to heat cycles,poorer quality feeds related to drought conditions may have an effect and in this case FLUSHING which is used on hogs,cattle and goats helps to ready the animal for their heat cycles,basically giving the animal better quality feeds to condition their bodies.With the rains the forage feeds will be less stressed and with the new growth improves the quality of the forage feeds which in turn provides better quality feeds for our animals.

Alaminos does pose an interesting question.What affect did this drought have on our animals.Was the heat related to prolonged heat cycles or related to poorer quality feeds which prolonged heat cycles.Maybe a combination of both???Good question.

[alaminos_goatfarm]

After the rains in June our goats returned to heat in big numbers. We have bred over a hundred does in June. We should have bred  only 60 heads to match the numbers of kidding pens in the farm but because of the long time the does were returning to heat we decided to breed every does that return to heat. By November when they start kidding, I could just imagine how busy our farm workers would be taking care of the kids and looking for kidding pens for the does.

But I guess that's how it is, you adapt to the animals you take care and find ways for solutions.

[mikey]

Mustang Sally with consulting advice from New Zealand will attempt to breed a new goat for the Philippines.This new line will be both meat/dairy but meat will be our first attempt and dairy to follow with a selective breeding strategy.First I must say,all meat breeds of goats even the Philippine native has a higher fat and solid content,with this in mind we will produce a line from the red boer sires (kalahari reds) crossed to nubians does with black and tan colour coats.This new line will produce goats with higher fat and solids content over the swiss breeds.The nubian is a dual purpose goat meat/dairy and some boers are bred for milking goats so this combination makes sense for this new and exciting line.What we are talking about is crossing 2 dual purpose bloodlines to produce a new bloodline.This new line will have darker colour coats which will help the goat(s) adjust to the tropical heat.After the first crossing we will line-breed and follow that up later with the dairy end and hope we can produce a goat that will lactate for the standard 305 days.This new line will marketed under the trade name "MS ELITE".

True red boers or Kalahari reds are smaller than the traditional or painted boers.

Also brain storming with New Zealand is the reverse snubian.Breeding nubian sires to saanen does which is under way at present in New Zealand with some success.

As I have stated for some years now,on a personal level I feel crossbreeds show the best potential for this industry to help move it into the next level.

[nemo]

I like the name "Ms elite".

Hoping to see pictures of your new lines in the near future.

[mikey]

Once we get the first kids Doc will send pictures.

True the hybrid Bo-Ang is nothing new in the Philippines as I first saw this crossing back in 2005 on the island of Cebu on a co op farm there but there seemed to be no reason to breed this cross other than a experiment.Traditional and painted boer mothers are not always the best mothers and some in the industry feel the kalahari red boers make better mothers and due to the fact that the kalahari reds have a darker pigmented skin this makes them better suited for the heat. Boers like nubians have the long ears or as we say in english airplane wing ears and nubians have the nose suited for hot climates.In Australia and New Zealand but not so common in N.America there are people milking boers as milking goats not to the 305 days of lacation tho.Boers have a very high butterfat content which translates into more milk solids.Any breeding should always have a goal and plan in mind before starting out.Both the boer and nubian with their high butterfat and solids content makes for much better quality milk which in turn can give the kids a better start in life plus much better tasting milk product.To select the kalahari red boer which is now being bred for their red colour coats has been under way for some time in Africa and Australia and New Zealand and herds are now established of only this red colour and marketed as high profits and low maintenance the very same as the orginal boers were intented for.In N.America due to all the over breeding and poorly selected animals sold as breeding stocks we now see the results of people crying about how much money it is costing to keep their boers in tip top shape and poor returns on animals sold for the meat industry.As I stated this goat must be smaller than the traditional and painted boers but with most animals as long as the female that will be bred is larger than the male, the offspring will be larger also.The nubian also has the darker pigmented skin along with the airplane ears and nose structure makes this the ideal choice for this crossing,also of all the dairy breeds it is reported that the nubian has the best taste in meat.This crossing is now being marketed in Australia and New Zealand as a new breed for the meat industry.Why would the Philippines need a new meat breed?Feeding concentrates to meat goats has a negative impact on any producers bottomline and if a goat can be bred as a brush goat,meaning feeding a goat on forage feeds only will a little corn or rice bran as a supplement will go a long ways for anyone in the fattening business.Thats the bottomline,maximum profits and low maintenance.Will this dual purpose goat milk to 305 days of lacation,the answer is no.With all the interest now in the goat business,anyone, anywhere in the Philippines can and will breed a super goat,just a matter of time and there is enough breeds of goats in the Philippines to experiment with.

At this time we are also working on a future hybrid crossbreed for the dairy industry.5 hybrid does will be bred this year.The sire was a white bo-ang and 1 doe was a nubian and the other doe was a larger white native doe.The nubian kidded 2 doelings and the white native kidded 3 doelings,these 5 does will be crossed with a purebred saanen sire and crossed later with snubians,line bred as the sire is the same saanen.This new bloodline will be marketed under the name "MS ULTRA".In future we will move away from the purebreeds and concentrate on our crossbreeds for our meat and dairy goats.People will make choices as to what they wish to breed,some will breed purebreds and some will breed crossbreeds.Every farm will have to decide what is best for their own operations.I am not here to say one is better over the other.For me its a personal choice.

The future looks bright for this industry.

[mikey]

The rumor mill has it,525 goats and sheep arriving from the USA to be delivered to the Visayas.What does this mean?

The hope and goal is the US Govt under an agri. program will arrange the purchase of these animals to help better the dairy goat industry in the Philippines,visayas and points south and north.This also depends on the quality of the animals in question.Poor/fair animals have little to no value in their genetics.True dairy goat genetics will help the industry, not slow it down.

The biggest problem will come from the goats themselves.Most dairy animals have their horns removed for safety reasons.I have held the belief for some time now,goats in hot tropical countries need their horns to help regulate their body from the heat.The goats will also under go a complete diet change.I am starting to believe that these imported foundation breeding herds will do poorly at first due to all the stresses on the goats themselves.The enviroment plus diet change puts alot of stress on the goats and the goat is just trying to survive in its new enviroment.The real test will come from the offsprings of these imported stocks and future generations.To adapt to its new enviroment will take time.

How many will die from a lack of good business management?These goats will need to be monitored for months to make sure they have adjusted to there new lives.There are a host of problems that can and may go wrong and some sort of backup plan needs to be in place so farmers can arrange vet visits for consultation and advice when needed.To just hand over goats with no backup plan to help the farmers is a accident looking for a place to happen.

Lets hope these animals are of high enough quality to help the industry not set it back.I see alot of poor udder attachments in goats as my own need improving.Poor toplines,high rumps.How many people actually know what shape a dairy doe should look like,standing from its side?Things like line  breeding as a strategy to help produce better animals came about in the past year from this site.How many people even understand the breed standards for the different breeds?As the industry expands and grows so will all the termination of language thats comes with the industry.I do hope these imports will help further the industry to grow, not provide some questionable breeding stocks from questionable breeders.Who makes the final decision on which animals to purchase for export,thats the real question? and the future of the industry depends on which animals have been selected.
And how many farms are really set up to manage dairy goats?Dairy goats are managed differently from meat goats.How many farms really have the capital backing to feed commercial concentrates every day,7 days a week,365 days a year?

If we look at Negros Oriental itself,Govt stats for 2009 shows-1024 heads of goats on commercial farms but over 224,000. in the backyard.Mustang Sally would account for approx.15% of the total heads in Negros Oriental on a commercial scale.Commercial scale is still very small compared to the Mom & Pop operations.

[alaminos_goatfarm]

Join us at the Seminar in AgriLink Show, October 7 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM
August 7, 2010
 
The month of October brings Alaminos Goat Farm (AGF) in the forefront in its pursuit of its  Corporate Social Responsibility program . It has chosen to help promote and create awareness for the PCARRD Rural Enterprise Development (RED) Upscaling Project in goat development. Making a move in its CSR program, AGF is sponsoring a free seminar on October 7, 2010 from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM at the AgriLink Show in the World Trade Center, Manila.
 
The seminar will focus on the developmental effort of PCARRD Upscaling RED project in goats .Dr. Edwin Villar, Director of the Livestock Research Division of PCARRD will guide the participants about their successful RED Upscaling project.

The success story of Alaminos  Milk Star brand of fresh goat’s milk will be integrated to the seminar program to focus on the importance of science and technology in goat dairying. Alaminos Goat Farm, being a Science Technology Based Farm, is part of the PCARRD family . The transfer of doable technology like the AGF Salad Garden in goat dairying is the goal of the presentation. The Line Breeding program of our famous Mitra Line goats  will also be discussed.

Small Ruminant Center Director Dr. Emilio Cruz of CLSU will share his practical experiences in small ruminant feeding. His extensive experience in raising goats will show goat raisers the important role nutrition plays in successful goat raising.

PCARRD assisted Science Technology based Farm goat research  project in Artificial Insemination in semen collection and preservation using powder extender at Isabela State University will also be presented. Doing the presentation is ISU Dr. Jonathan Nayga.
 
Join us for the seminar on October 7 at the AgriLink Show  from 3:30 to 5:30 pm at the World Trade Center, Manila. The seminar  targets developmental officers of NGOs, LGUs, DA officials and goat enthusiasts as participants.  Help us create a strong advocacy for goat development with the  PCARRD Upscaling Rural Enterprise Development (RED) project in goats as center piece.
 
 
 

AgriLink Show 2010  Seminar Schedule
October 7, 2010 Thursday  3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
World Trade Center
 

Kambing  SAGOaT sa Kahirapan,  the Milk Star Experience  3:30 to 3:50

First part will be about genetics; Second will be about nutrition; And the third part will be about marketing to sum up the formula of a profitable goat dairy  enterprise. Focus on Indigofera as main legume in the SALAD GARDEN developed at AGF will be presented. The line breeding program for AGF Mitra Line will also be discussed.

Rene Almeda, Consultant, Alaminos Goat Farm
Magsasaka Siyentista, Science based Technology Farm (SBTF) of PCARRD

 

Making The Goats RED     3:50 to 4:20 pm

A pilot project of PCARRD in Region 1, 2, 3, 8 in goat raising called Rural Enterprise Development (RED)  Project. The progress of the Upscaling Red Project in Region 1, 2, 3 and 8 will be presented. The implementation of the Rural Enterprise Development project for goats is a bold move to develop the entrepreneurial capabilities of our farmers in the countryside.

Learning about the livelihood opportunities which the RED projects  give  to make the farmers self reliant. This is the way to go for government and NGO’s  implementing corporate  social responsibility projects for farmers in the countryside.

The PCARRD  RED project  can be a good blue print for goat development in the Philippines with the farmers in countryside in  mind.

Dr. Edwin Villar,  Livestock Research Division, Director , Philippine Council for Agriculture,  Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Developmet, PCARRD

 

Goat Nutrition , The Central Luzon State University SRC Experience 4:20 to 4:50 pm

The role of nutrition specifically the use of low cost forage grass and legume combination in feeding  goats will be presented. The different modules tested at Small Ruminants Center at CLSU with the farmers in mind to be profitable and sustainable in their goat enterprise.

Dr Emilio Cruz, Central Luzon State University, Small Ruminant Center, Director

 

Artificial Insemination in Goats   4:50 to 5:20 pm

Isabela State Univeristy AI research project in semen collection and preservation sponsored by PCARRD . The success in the use of extenders will be presented by Dr. Jonathan Nayga.

Dr. Jonathan Nayga,  Isabela State University

 
 
 

[mikey]

I have noticed from time to time the pictures taken of goats are really in poor form.To help explain what a good goat looks like go this website and study these pictures to help educate yourself as to what one looks for when choosing a good goat over a poor goat.A goat maybe a good goat but if the pose of the goat is poor when the picture is taken it will make the goat look like a poor goat rather than the good goat it might be.Also this site will show faults in poor goats.

hope this helps anyone who is interested

http://www.kidnacres.com/id16.html

[nemo]

thanks for the post.

every link and topics are much appreciated

[mikey]

Doc
Correct me if I am wrong,but the purpose of the site is to bring people together with a common interest in goats and to help educate those who wish to venture into such a business.Also,in todays world we are all connected by a touch of a keyboard.People from all over read what is written and will correct poor information given out.

By far,this is the best site in the Philippines and one of only a few that really tries to help those who have a common interest in this exciting agri business.

As for picture taking of goats,study the pose of the site I gave and get your goat to stand just like the pictures.If a person needs to be in the picture,no head shots of the person and the person should wear white pants and a white shirt,applies to both males and females.Make sure the goat is standing on flat ground not in high grass,the hooves should always be seen.Doe shots are from the side and the next picture is from the rear showing the udder,always show the udder when full of milk.True older heavy milkers will have poorer top udder attachments.

When one considers dairy goats from Africa to India.In the 5 years when the idea of starting such a venture had possibliities,the Philippines has made great gains in such a short time frame.To be able to get 1/2 a gallon or 2 litres of milk from a doe is something to be very proud of.True the nubian has not proven itself to be able to lacatate to 305 days as of yet,Alaminos has been very successful with the saanen breed.I have stated for many years now,crossbreeding has real possibilities for Dairy Philippines.With the added top gun bloodlines coming from America,anything is possible for this exciting industry.

[mikey]

National Goat S&T Program: The Future of Goat Production
Although chevon or goat meat is considered a delicacy, not a lot of people have tasted it. In rural areas, goat meat is regularly served as “caldereta” in birthday, wedding, and fiesta celebrations. In the metro, however, people rarely get to eat goat meat. Consumers often choose to purchase beef, pork, or chicken for their meat dishes.

However, experts from the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) say that a lot of health-conscious consumers opt to eat chevon because of its lower fat content. Since the current supply does not meet the increasing demand, goat meat fetches a very high price in the market. Still, goat production must be improved to ensure a stable supply in the future.

Several factors contribute to poor goat production. First, a female goat generally only bears one to two kids per kidding. It then takes about eight months or more until a doe can produce kids, making goat breeding a slow process. Furthermore, it takes around eight months until a goat is ready to be slaughtered for its meat. Also, a goat’s slaughter weight only averages 15 kg for native goats and about 3o kg for upgrades and crosses.

Saving the goat industry
To boost goat production in the country, PCARRD developed the National Goat Science and Technology (S&T) Program, which completes in 2011. The program aims to produce a stable supply of good quality breeder and uniform slaughter goats that would meet the demand for goat products and provide livelihood for farmers.

It consists of five major programs that deal with enhancing productivity through improved genetics, proper feeding and nutrition, better health manage-ment, and enhanced processing and value-adding of meat products.

2009 PCARRD’s National Goat S&T Program achieved several milestones in 2009.
First, better genetics were infused to backyard goat farms through the joint efforts with the private sector and local government units. Generally, the goats in the project areas weighed heavier in every stage of growth compared to the figures gathered before the project was implemented. The birth, weaning, and slaughter weights averaged 2.31 kg, 13.3 kg, and 24.4 kg, respectively.

Pre-weaning deaths also decreased to an average of n.6%. Meanwhile, conception rate increased to 83%.

To improve breeding, researchers in Isabela developed semen extender mixtures in powder form. With extenders, more female goats can be inseminated with fresh or frozen semen. Even with a limited number of quality breeder male goats, the quality and number of goats in the country can be increased.

Next, researchers are developing cheaper alternatives to enhance goat health. For instance, they have generated the optimum ratio combinations for the mixture from “caimito,” “makahiya,” and “makabuhay” leaves that can be a herbal alternative to expensive synthetic dewormers.

The program also designed and fabricated a pelletizing machine that can produce 120 kg of pelletized total mixed rations (TMR) in an hour. These pellets can be stored and used as feeds during the dry season when fresh feeds are scarce. Growing goats fed with these pellets, made from “ipil-ipil” and rensoni leaves, increased in weight after 120 days.

Likewise, forage feedbanks and food-feed modules are being studied to complement the biomass requirement for TMR and leaf meal production and how feed resources can be made available under different cropping patterns year round.

In the area of processing, the slaughter and carcass yields of goats at different ages and breeds are being recorded. Likewise, meat quality is being evaluated and meat cuts are being standardized.

Rural enterprise development
To elevate goat keeping into profitable enterprises, the program also introduced innovative production systems starting December 2007 that led to the adoption of goat-based enterprises in Regions 1,2,3, and 8. Because of this, significant improvements in farmer’s internal and social competencies were seen, which translated to improved farm productivity.

Considering these significant results, the program has been upscaled in 2009 with the target areas expanded and the number of farmer-beneficiaries increased, giving priority to the returning overseas Filipino workers OFWs, displaced domestic and overseas workers, government retirees, and soon-to-retire employees.

Production of legume seedlings, urea molasses multi-nutrient blocks, and breeder goat has also been added to the goat-based enterprises on community slaughter and marketing, and buck-for-hire.

Tech-transfer initiatives
The program also developed and promoted several science-based development projects. These projects encourage farmers to adopt the practices and technologies developed by PCARRD’s goat program.

Twelve S&T based Farms (STBF) were implemented to showcase component technologies on goat production. These STBFs demonstrate the benefits of science-based interventions in goat farms.

Meanwhile, local government units in Regions 1 and 3 are implementing the “Farmer Livestock School on Integrated Goat Management” that aims to enhance the gains of the goat program at the backyard level.

Online courses on the science of goat production by PCARRD courseware developer Anna Marie P. Alo are also available via the Agricultural Training Institute–Department of Agriculture sponsored website, www.e-extension.gov.ph.

By Christian Anthony T. Cangao, S&T Media Service

[alaminos_goatfarm]

 
 

Milk Star Consumers Heard!
Reasons why They Prefer Goats Milk over other types of milk
 
For the months of July and August, Alaminos Goat Farm (AGF) marketing team headed by Agnes Almeda, conducted a short marketing research on our Milk Star (MS) consumers. The main goal of the research was to find out the reason why our consumers choose to drink goats milk.
 
The marketing team interviewed Milk Star direct sellers and different consumers who visited trade shows we joined, as well as regular consumers every Sunday of the Milk Star booth in the Lung Center in Quezon City. Today we share with you our findings wherein we’ve grouped our consumers into different clusters.
 
The most common trend we’ve seen among our MS consumers is their choice of a healthy lifestyle albeit their choice to drink goats milk. This group of our consumers is more conscious of both their choices in food and drink. One thing they prefer about Milk Star is that it is fresh, unlike the milk widely available in supermarkets which although claim to be fresh, have actually been already processed and fortified with additives.
 
Some consumers of people in this group have family members who have been diagnosed with cancer and was advised to take fresh milk while some are being careful about getting sick and therefore prefer to take the necessary precautions which means switching to organic, healthy unprocessed food and drink. Some of the consumers in this group have put a creative spin to drinking goats milk – using it to make healthy shakes, adding it to their food while cooking and the like.
 
Second trend we observed is consumers who drink MS because they suffer from slow digestion and constipation. In this cluster, we found a wide array of individuals from middle aged people to those who belong in the older generations. They say that drinking goats milk regularized and has actually improved their bowel movement.
 
Third trend we found is the group we classified under the lactose intolerant. Here we found mothers switching the type of milk for their children who suffer from lactose intolerance after drinking cow’s milk but are more receptive when they drank goats milk. Some of them switched because of their doctor’s recommendations while others have done their own research and became aware of this particular benefit in drinking goats milk.
 
Fourth, we made a separate cluster for our Chinese market (which we’ve found in Binondo area, San Juan among others). The Filipino Chinese was easy to penetrate as we found that they are the most open to drinking goats milk. The elder Chinese who originally came from China before residing here in the country know the health benefits of drinking fresh goat’s milk (as this is widely available in provinces back in Mainland China).
 
They say that fresh goat’s milk is a  good natural food complete with the essential vitamins and minerals that the human body needs to stay healthy. We also found that a common reason why this group drinks goats milk in is that they like the taste of goats milk and prefer it over other types of milk.
 
We also have a classification of MS consumers who have various other reasons for buying goats milk. Some use the milk for culinary purposes. They use milk as an ingredient to make cheese and yogurt. Some have expressed their interest in making products for personal care such as goats milk soap, lotion and body wash. Also, we have consumers who feed goats milk to their pet dogs – something which we’ve done in Alaminos Goat Farm to nurse our puppies.
 
Finally, we also came up with a group which we’ve significantly classified as the CURIOUS group. We personally come across this type of consumers weekly through the Sunday Market and also when we join trade shows. They are those who try the milk because they’ve heard about it vaguely or because they’ve seen other people try it.
 
From this group, we often receive a variety of feedbacks which we take into consideration to analyze how to further penetrate the market. Often, this group asks us the advantages of drinking goats milk over other types of milk such as carabao’s, soy and cow’s milk.
 
From the findings of our research, we realize that we are still left with the big sphere of those in the market who are not informed about the benefits not only of GOATS milk but also of buying natural, fresh products.
 
Ever since Milk Star entered the market in 2007, we have always searched for the health benefits of goats milk, reading materials from the internet as references and also reading studies, journal articles on the matter. The data and information that we’ve gathered through researching will only get us so far because most of these claims are still presently being debated upon.
 
The value of the marketing research we conducted this past few months is that we are able to collate data of actual Milk Star consumers and drinkers who have personal experiences of drinking goats milk. We find that these testimonials are priceless as we can share with other consumers what Milk Star Patrons like about goats milk.
 
Furthermore, in our personal encounters with people who have bought our milk along with the variety of their feedback and comments, we realized that even the not to positive comments like "Lasang kambing" shouldn't bring us down.
 
We sell goats milk. It is not unusual to find traces of this taste the first time after trying it. Maybe it's because of one's preconcieved notions or one is looking for goaty taste. But from a personal point of view and coming from someone who was initially hesitant to drink goats milk and who is always dubbed as picky eater/drinker, goat's milk has become like water for me. It tastes neither goaty nor like any animal. To me, it's just milk - a very delicious and yummy kind I drink everyday.