News in brief:

[mikey]

Throughout the history of breeding livestocks that were imported into a new home country.We have seen that by using a different breeding strategy one can from time to time produce something that is much more adaptable to its new home country and much more productive.The American Alpine comes to mind.The initial breeding of this goat was realized from crossbreeding and the breed went on to become a powerhouse on its own.It has come to my mind,the Nubian as a purebreed appears to be more productive as a crossbreed when crossed with the Saanen or the reverse if one wishes.This may very well be the first stages of producing the Philippine Nubian.The hybrid vigor allows the goat to be much more dairy over meat and maybe the future of the Nubian as a breed in the Philippines.I feel it is safe to say this is the beginning of a Philippine Nubian for Dairy Philippines.

The offspring from such a crossing takes on the Nubian head and ears,looks like a Nubian.

[mikey]

There has been so much talk about helping the farmers in the provinces.Wonder which provinces the Govt. must be talking about.Here in district 1 of Negros Oriental, where is all this so called help?No bucks for hire here or on the island of Panay where my friend lives.Makes you wonder when Central Visayas, an area that is known for goat production seems to get passed over time and time again.Is it the Govt. intention to put all the responsibility back into the hands of the few foreign investors to solve the problems of this industry in certain regions of the country.The goat industry has been better served from some good people posting their findings on sites like this one to help propel the industry into the next generation.Sites like this one has posted more related information from the private sector than any Govt. dept. that I can see.

MS has been busy with their plans to build a lower cost feed pellet machine,taken from plans found in Canada.It is hoped the machine will allow MS to make their own feed concentrates and different forage feed pellets that one day will replace the cut and carry system of fresh feeds.It is hoped the pellets can be fed year round and when forage is at their peck can be harvested and turned into pellets.In this system,the goats will be able to eat a quality fed pellet year round.Time saving measure and the past drought has given us this idea for consistent quality of our feeds.

Talking about helping the rural provincial farmer(s) is cheap and cost nothing.

I was surprised when I found out under PL 480 the RP Govt. was also importing some boers goats.Really,the country already is producing more boer bucks than the industry can absorb.Industry projections-this is when those who are connected to the industry track the industry as a whole and try and project where the indusrty is headed for.When one looks at the major breeders, Alaminos and Ketti Chua and someone on the island of Mindanno,the big 3 had been breeding boers since 2005-6.Consider the boers that were sold over this period of time, that number keeps multipling yearly.Over the course of time the industry can only absorb so many numbers and the rest are sold into the meat market,did write about fattening a few years back,the extra numbers of island born boers are now heading for the meat industry.Surplus breeding animals end up as meat animals in time.

[alaminos_goatfarm]

AGF Partners with BAI for Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) Work in Feeding Legumes to Dairy Goats

The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) has released the funding for the commercialization in feeding Malunggay for dairy goats to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI). AGF is partnering up with Remedios Acacio of the Research Division of the Bureau of Animal Industry in undertaking research work in feeding a total mixed ration of legumes and concentrate feeds to lower feed cost for dairy goats.

The commercialization of technology work aims to show and transfer the technology of replacing part of concentrate feeds with legumes in a total mixed ration in pellet form. Its goal is to show that the addition of legumes in the feed ration will lower feed costs and improve milk performance. The feeding program and daily milk recording will be an integral part of the project.

The commercialization work for the inclusion of malunggay in feeding dairy goats started in May 2009. At that time we were high in our expectation that malunggay would fit in our feeding regimen for our dairy goats. A similar project  for dairy cows by Ben Molina was also approved in Quezon  and it had very good initial results.

In September 2009, disaster struck while waiting for the approval from BAR when Typhoon  Ondoy hit Southern Tagalog. After the typhoon, the Malunggay was never the same again in our field. We asked Ben Molina and he said his Malunggay suffered the same consequence.

At the same time, we were also observing our Indigofera, mulberry, centrosema. In the small feeding trials we conducted, we observed that feeding Indigofera to our milking goats has a huge potential. Marked improvement of milk yields were observed. On top of this, among the forage we planted, Indigofera was the easiest to establish and it produced the biggest volumes of leaves. Today, Indigofera is our main forage crop in our Salad Garden. At the height of the El Nino phenomenon,  Indigofera did very well.

In our meeting with Remy Acacio we requested her to write  to BAR that we be allowed to switch to Indigofera instead of Malunggay as the main legumes in our research work. The experience of Alaminos Goat Farm pushes us in our belief that Indigofera would be a good replacement for Malunggay in small ruminant feeding. There is a huge potential of success in the commercialization of technology up to the grass root of over 2 million farmers in the countryside taking care of goats.

In closing we told Remy that here is a very doable technology ready for commercialization. If BAR does not approve this new direction we would like to pursue, it would be better to apply for a new project with Indigofera as centrepiece instead of Malunggay. It is BAR's call as we are just a partner of BAI pushing for our advocacy to help develop goat farming in the countryside through the sharing of proven technology to make it a viable and profitable industry.

[alaminos_goatfarm]

AGF in the Forefront of Goat dairying in Tropical Philippines

One of Alaminos Goat Farm biggest strength is its openness in sharing information and in welcoming visitors from all over the Philippines to learn from their successful experience in dairying goats under the tropical condition of the Philippines. It is in the area of commercializing of technology in dairying goats in the Philippines that AGF has gained a lot of respect and credibility from industry players, farmers, government and the academe.

AGF made history in Philippine agriculture with its Milk Star brand of fresh pasteurized goat’s milk hitting the supermarket trade in 2008. Having Milk Star goat’s milk in the supermarket trade has created a lot of awareness that you can indeed milk Saanen dairy goats commercially in the Philippines.

Looking back, there has been skepticism about successfully milking Saanen dairy goats under the tropical condition of the Philippines. This pessimistic outlook can be traced back to a failed government program funded by the PL 480 program of the United States in 1997. This is the same PL 480 program that is the source of funds for the dairy goats imported by the Department of Agriculture from the United States this year. That program in 1997 for dairy goat development was under the late Usec Gumercindo Lasam. Before his tragic death in 2009, he led his DA Region II team in visiting Alaminos Goat Farm to see, first hand, AGF’s success story in its goat dairying operation. The visit of Usec Gumer Lasam and his team was a testament that AGF’s work in dairying goats was getting noticed by government.

In mentioning the failed PL 480 program in 1997, we appeal to the government to carefully study the shortcomings of ‘97 program. The incoming PL 480 sponsored program in the importation of dairy goats from the United States this year would be an opportunity to correct the mistakes committed in 97 to make the  2010 program successful. Alaminos Goat Farm fully supports the government program in its Dairy Goat Development Program provided they do it right. AGF wishes for the success of government program in dairy goats.

[mikey]

Alaminos Goat Farm has done a great job with their management and the results are starting to shine through now.Genetics with a sound management plan shows what can be accomplished.They believed the saanen would be the backbone of Dairy Goat framing in the Philippines and so far have proven themselves to be correct.

this is the top producing nubians from 2010 from the ADGA,shows that nubians can milk to 305 days from the chart.

                         ADGA PERFORMANCE LEADERS

                                                                                  Alpine     LaMancha   Nigerian Dwarf   Oberhasli     Saanen   Sable   Toggenburg     Experimental

 

       NUBIAN                              Volume #56

 

All-Time NUBIAN Milk Record Holder

SG SKYHILL’S ELISHA 7*M PN0904515 1996 02-09 302 5940-303/5.1-216/3.6

Bred by:  Skyhill Farms, California
 

All-Time Nubian Butterfat Record Holder & All-Time Breed Butterfat Record Holder

PACEM FAUN’S FOLLY 2*M PN0324844 1984 4-02 304-5160-384/7.4

Bred by: Mr. & Mrs. Max C. Prinsen, Washington

 

 

 
 REG#
 DOE
 AGE
 DIM
 MILK
 F
 P
 OWNER
 BREEDER
 
MILK PRODUCTION
 
1
 PN1366912*
 SGCH BLISSBERRY FM ROCKSTAR 3*M --- means 3 star milker
 2-11-mean age 2 years 11 months old
 304-milked for 304 days
 3790-pounds of milk
 175-pounds of milk fat
 140-pounds of protein
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA-breeders name
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA-owners name
 
2
 PN1361043*
 SG AJA-SAMMATI JB GRAND SOPHY 3*M
 3-00
 284
 3740
 170
 125
 COOPER, JANET L
 HEINO, MICHELLE ELAINE
 
3
 PN1188453
 GCH T-G-F CONQUEST ROYAL GODIVA 4*M
 8-00
 275
 3580
 174
 134
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 GUCK, TANYA M
 
4
 PN1401928
 SG 2-G FARM SNOW ANGEL 2*M
 1-09
 305
 3540
 166
 132
 COOPER, JANET L
 COOPER, JANET L
 
5
 PN1218919
 SGCH LAKESHORE-FARMS JUST-TINA 5*M
 6-11
 305
 3440
 169
 133
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 TREDWAY-CARTER, MEGAN
 
6
 PN1335449
 GODDARD FARM RASPBERRY 3*M
 3-11
 305
 3400
 161
 127
 GODDARD, NOAH L & SUE A
 GODDARD, NOAH L & SUE A
 
7
 PN1269846
 GODDARD FARM BAMBI 2*M
 5-10
 300
 3310
 123
 117
 GODDARD, NOAH L & SUE A
 GODDARD, NOAH L & SUE A
 
8
 PN1415308
 GCH BLISSBERRY FM VERA CRUZ 11*M
 1-10
 305
 3210
 149
 122
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
9
 PN1411160
 GCH BLISSBERRY J ALIBI 4*M
 2-00
 293
 3190
 147
 123
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
10
 PN1379515
 SGCH BLISSBERRY  FM INTANGIBLE 4*M
 2-11
 276
 3180
 154
 129
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
10
 PN1279602
 SG SIX M GALAXY NOVA'S SONIA NOEL 10*M
 7-00
 263
 3180
 110
 113
 MCCLURE, MARTIN & LOUISE
 MCCLURE, MARTIN & LOUISE
 
10
 PN1257674
 JUST FAITHFUL RBH HALEY 3*M
 5-10
 305
 3180
 124
 107
 VAUGHN, VERNA J & ROGER E
 KOEHL, ROBERT & KIMBERLY
 
RECORDED GRADE-means nubian percentage, sire was a nubian mother unknown
 
1
 GN1265939
 R R RESOURCES SABLE 2*M
 6-01
 305
 1860
 84
 69
 ROBERTS, YVONNE
 ROBERTS, YVONNE
 
BUTTERFAT PRODUCTION
 
1
 PN1366912
 SGCH BLISSBERRY FM ROCKSTAR 3*M
 2-11
 304
 3790
 175
 4.6
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
2
 PN1188453
 GCH T-G-F CONQUEST ROYAL GODIVA 4*M
 8-00
 275
 3580
 174
 4.9
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 GUCK, TANYA M
 
3
 PN1361043
 SG AJA-SAMMATI JB GRAND SOPHY 3*M
 3-00
 284
 3740
 170
 4.5
 COOPER, JANET L
 HEINO, MICHELLE ELAINE
 
4
 PN1218919
 SGCH LAKESHORE-FARMS JUST-TINA 5*M
 6-11
 305
 3440
 169
 4.9
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 TREDWAY-CARTER, MEGAN
 
5
 PN1401928
 SG 2-G FARM SNOW ANGEL 2*M
 1-09
 305
 3540
 166
 4.7
 COOPER, JANET L
 COOPER, JANET L
 
6
 PN1335449
 GODDARD FARM RASPBERRY 3*M
 3-11
 305
 3400
 161
 4.7
 GODDARD, NOAH L & SUE A
 GODDARD, NOAH L & SUE A
 
7
 PN1379515
 SGCH BLISSBERRY  FM INTANGIBLE 4*M
 2-11
 276
 3180
 154
 4.8
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
8
 PN1415308
 GCH BLISSBERRY FM VERA CRUZ 11*M
 1-10
 305
 3210
 149
 4.6
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
9
 PN1410730
 GCH BLISSBERRY SM VICTORIOUS 3*M
 1-11
 283
 3050
 148
 4.9
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
10
 PN1411160
 GCH BLISSBERRY J ALIBI 4*M
 2-00
 293
 3190
 147
 4.6
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
RECORDED GRADE
 
1
 GN1265939
 R R RESOURCES SABLE 2*M
 6-01
 305
 1860
 84
 4.5
 ROBERTS, YVONNE
 ROBERTS, YVONNE
 
PROTEIN PRODUCTION
 
1
 PN1366912
 SGCH BLISSBERRY FM ROCKSTAR 3*M
 2-11
 304
 3790
 140
 3.7
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
2
 PN1188453
 GCH T-G-F CONQUEST ROYAL GODIVA 4*M
 8-00
 275
 3580
 134
 3.7
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 GUCK, TANYA M
 
3
 PN1218919
 SGCH LAKESHORE-FARMS JUST-TINA 5*M
 6-11
 305
 3440
 133
 3.9
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 TREDWAY-CARTER, MEGAN
 
4
 PN1401928
 SG 2-G FARM SNOW ANGEL 2*M
 1-09
 305
 3540
 132
 3.7
 COOPER, JANET L
 COOPER, JANET L
 
5
 PN1379515
 SGCH BLISSBERRY  FM INTANGIBLE 4*M
 2-11
 276
 3180
 129
 4.1
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
6
 PN1335449
 GODDARD FARM RASPBERRY 3*M
 3-11
 305
 3400
 127
 3.7
 GODDARD, NOAH L & SUE A
 GODDARD, NOAH L & SUE A
 
6
 PN1410729
 GCH BLISSBERRY SM NOTORIOUS 3*M
 1-11
 304
 2980
 127
 4.3
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
8
 PN1361043
 SG AJA-SAMMATI JB GRAND SOPHY 3*M
 3-00
 284
 3740
 125
 3.3
 COOPER, JANET L
 HEINO, MICHELLE ELAINE
 
9
 PN1410730
 GCH BLISSBERRY SM VICTORIOUS 3*M
 1-11
 283
 3050
 124
 4.1
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
10
 PN1411160
 GCH BLISSBERRY J ALIBI 4*M
 2-00
 293
 3190
 123
 3.9
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
10
 PN1363617
 GCH BLISSBERRY WILD TOPAZ 3*M
 3-01
 284
 2950
 123
 4.2
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 KOEHN-WALBERG, SARA
 
RECORDED GRADE
 
1
 GN1265939
 R R RESOURCES SABLE 2*M
 6-01
 305
 1860
 69
 3.7
 ROBERTS, YVONNE
 ROBERTS, YVONNE
 

 

A * indicates extreme test day values within the category

the chart maybe hard to read as printed out like this but on the first line I printed the meaning like 3 star milker,days in milk,pounds of milk,fat and protein and breeder and owners name.Proves nubians and percentages will milk to 305 days of lactation.

 

[mikey]

Goat Milk Recipes 

Goat Milk Ice Cream
I have a great recipe, although I use half cream and half milk.

2 cups goat cream
2 cups goat milk
Scant 1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place milk, sugar, vanilla and cocoa into a food processor or blender, and blend on high for approximately 3 minutes. The idea is to beat the cocoa into the milk until there are no longer any lumps of dry cocoa left.

Add 2 cups goat cream and pulse twice, just enough to stir the cream into the mixture. Add to ice cream maker.

I can absolutely assure you that you will have a new addiction in life! What's great is that your ingredients of cocoa, milk and cream are all raw and full of antioxidants, vitamins and enzymes. By not cooking your ingredients, you can at least know that there is goodness in what you're eating.

Enjoy! — Pennyanne

Cardamom Goat Cheese Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz goat cheese (chévre), softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
Additional confectioner's sugar for rolling baked cookies in (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat the butter, goat cheese and sugars together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg, beating well. Stir in the cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and white pepper until well blended. Mix in the flour, one cup at a time, until the dough gathers together. Add finely chopped pecans. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets (dough will be very sticky. May try dropping by spoonfuls instead).

Bake in preheated oven until bottom of cookies are light tan, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 15 minutes on baking sheets. Roll in confectioner's sugar (optional—they taste good either way).

— Charlotte, Bit of Color Ranch
 

[mikey]

Twelve Ways to Help Animals
Avoid Heat Stress

By Beverly Martin-Smith
Arizona 

It's been a hot summer in many parts of the country, especially in Arizona where I raise La Manchas, and we have had temperatures over 110 degrees for several weeks in a row. Though we are now heading into fall, there will still be some extreme heat to deal with. Non-sweating animals, like dairy goats, often have trouble adjusting to heat, and then when the nights cool down significantly, they again have trouble adjusting adequately to handle the change. I would like to emphasize that heat stress can kill animals. This happens because their immune systems are lowered and pneumonia can set in with deadly speed.

A watchful owner can head off disaster if they know what to look for. Dairy goats that are stressed by heat often just don't look as if they are feeling good. Their ears may droop more than usual, they pant heavily, and they will often go off feed. Last summer I spent quite a lot of time researching this topic. I would like to share what I have found and have put into use, and hopefully it will help others avoid losing precious animals due to heat stress.

Shaving
Some breeds of dairy goats carry genetics to have long hair, especially over their toplines and down the hindquarters. It is important to shave these goats, and all others, when it is hot. They need to get rid of any extra weight from excess hair. Plus this will naturally take care of any exterior parasite problems that can really be stressful to dairy goats during the summer and going into fall.

Create A Shady Sand Pit
Providing a cool, damp place for the goats to rest in really helps pull the heat out of the body. I have heard of people with sprinklers on timers to sprinkle these sand pits during the day to keep these areas damp. It is my experience that dairy goats really don't like water that much, but they do enjoy pawing out a rest hole in a cool sandy area and often pick this type of place to spend the afternoon, rather than in a hot stuffy barn.

Provide A Water Tub
Again, dairy goats don't like water much, but if an animal seems to be suffering from heat stress, a quick way to cool them off is to stand them in a low-edged bathtub, metal sheep water tank, or one of those plastic child's swimming pools. The water cools the blood as it flows through their legs, cooling their internal body temperature.

Shades Or Awnings
Barns can heat up during the day and hold heat in, especially those with metal roofs or sides. Adding a pull-out shade or awning, like that on an RV, can allow the goats to rest and cool off, yet still feel safe near their own barn. Metal shades heat up during the day and hold heat down, not allowing it to escape. Shade screens allow the heat to escape, keeping it cooler under the screens. Of course, large trees are excellent for shade too, but if this is not an option, consider adding a shade to the existing facility.

Misters
Moist air doesn't necessarily have to blow right on the goats for them to benefit from misting. These can be mounted on the frame of the shades to keep the air cooler, or placed on the side where the majority of the breeze comes from. Where I live there usually is a breeze from the southwest. My pens run east/west, and I have placed the misters on the south side running east and west so when the breeze blows, it blows the mist under the shades.

Fans
I have placed fans on the ground, in the corners of my pens, blowing out into the pens. The dairy goats seem to love this air movement and lay in front of these fans. When it's hot I keep the air circulating 24-hours a day. I have one fan per animal blowing all summer long. Not only does it keep them cool, it keeps the flies from biting them as well.

Stalls
Avoid putting the animals in enclosed stalls with little or no ventilation on the ground where they lay. These enclosures hold the heat and humidity in like an oven.

Types Of Feed
It is important to feed low energy feeds such as grass hay (Bermuda, Rye grass) and cool grains such as corn during times of potential heat stress. If possible, try to stay away from oats, barley and alfalfa hay which are hot feeds, they generate more body heat to digest. Better yet feed manufactured feeds. During their manufacturing they are "pre-digested" which means the animals body does not have to break them down to digest them causing less body heat to be generated.

Time Of Feeding
Sometimes with dairy animals it is impossible to stay away from "hot" feeds as they are necessary for milk production. The owner should then make sure that the largest meal is given in the morning. The body heats up while digesting the food. If fed at night the majority of the digestion is done after 3:00 a.m., during the monsoon season this is the highest humidity. This is why, in the southwest, heat stress is often experienced in the early morning hours. In our part of the country, hay should be fed in the morning so the majority of the digestion is done in the afternoon or evenings. This is probably different in other parts of the country, so adjust feed schedules accordingly, aiming for digestion when the day is the coolest.

Electrolytes In Water
To make my herd drink plenty of water in the summer, I water each pen with a five-gallon bucket with electrolytes in the water, mixed per the instructions for the electrolytes. In most cases I only need to replace the bucket once a day. Since these animals like fresh water and monitoring their water intake is needed during the summer heat, I do not use either automatic waterers or large water barrels. The water ponds they stand in usually are too filthy, and they do not drink from them.

Iodized Salt
Believe it or not, iodine in salt helps to regulate the internal body temperature. Offering salt blocks or free choice iodized salt will help the animals drink more water, plus it helps regulate internal body temperature, as stated. Do keep salt blocks and salt feeders in the shade so they will not heat up with the afternoon sun.

Thiamin (B1)
This vitamin helps the body to regulate the internal body temperature also. It may be purchased in manufactured buckets in sizes of two pounds or larger. Brewers yeast, which is high in B1, is also a good food additive when dealing with heat stress. This is a powder or crumbles which can be top-dressed over feed.

I hope that this list of suggestions will help others in their fight to keep their non-sweating animals cool during times of extreme heat. A comfortable dairy goat is a happy dairy goat, a heat-stressed dairy goat often becomes a dead dairy goat. Be sure to look for signs of heat stress in the herd and find ways to make these animals more comfortable.

 

[mikey]

Extend Milk Supply
With Longer Lactations

By Shelene Costello 

Each year I consider the possibilities of year-round milk production and the varied ways to achieve it, without having a freezer dedicated to just frozen milk. Dairy goat folks are quite inventive and find many ways to get and keep that fresh goat milk year-round.

Some people stagger their breedings so that the does kid at intervals. With a normal lactation, each doe that is milking for 10 months and kidding once each year, there will be milk available all year long, by having does who kid a couple months apart with at least one doe milking at all times. Some will milk a doe past that 10-month mark if she did not breed to freshen at one year later, such as a doe that kidded in April in one year and may not kid until June of the following year. That gives a lactation of 12-13 months. Some will breed for out-of-season kiddings to get fresh milk in the fall and winter months. This may be easier to do with breeds known for year-round breeding such as Nubians and Nigerian Dwarf. Swiss breeds—Alpines, Toggenburgs, Oberhaslis, Saanens, Sables and La Manchas who come from such genetics—are harder to get to breed out of season, though it can be done.

Still others will just leave one doe or more in milk for as long as they choose, and not re-breed that doe. This eliminates the extra kids if one does not want to have more kids, and it also eliminates the risk of pregnancy and kidding problems as well. Often milk production is reduced some over time, and the overall length of lactation makes up for that drop, since the doe is never completely dry.

I have done a few of these things to keep us in fresh milk all year long, and know others who have done the rest. I freshen does over a period of several months in the spring, leaving the does who are kidding later in milk from the previous year's kiddings, while the early ones are kidding. By the time the last does kid several months later, the first ones have kids close to weaning so that we have enough milk available for other uses.

This past year, two of my older does did not breed until late winter for June kids, so both of those does stayed in milk until approximately eight weeks before their due date. That way they milked through the early March, early April and nearly up to the May kiddings, providing extra milk for the La Mancha and Nigerian kids we purchased as bottle kids, as well as table milk. Destiny, a Nigerian Dwarf, milked from early April of last year through mid-April of this year, giving her a 12-plus month lactation. Rachel, also a Nigerian Dwarf, kidded in June of last year so her lactation was simply a normal 10-month lactation. They are the two who freshened in June this year.

Some years ago I bred a Nubian/LaMancha cross doe in April when I bought her and noticed her in season shortly after buying her. I moved her into the pen with one of my LaMancha bucks whom I thought was still acting somewhat in rut, though it wasn't as strong as his fall and winter, full rut. He managed to get her bred and settled, so she kidded in September with twins, and provided some fresh milk throughout the fall and early winter. That year, her extra milk enabled me to have plenty of milk to put in the freezer for spring kiddings, besides the milk we were already using.

Mostly my bucks are seasonal breeders (including my Nigerians), and I haven't utilized the lighting programs or hormones to do out-of-season breeding on a regular basis, though I've heard of others who do, with good success. My Nigerian does tend to cycle seasonally with the LaMancha does. I do have friends who have Nigerians tell me their bucks are in rut year-round and their does cycle all year as well.

My sister has bred for fall kidding, which gave her fresh winter milk in her Nigerian herd over the years. She has milked one doe, Sierra, through without breeding her for a year and a half, milking just once per day as her schedule allowed. Her doe stayed steady in production throughout the lactation. With milking through, there may be seasonal highs and lows. Often the milk production will drop some during the dark cold months of winter and pick back up as spring gives longer days with more light and warmth, I'm told.

It takes a doe with a real will to milk to continually produce without being rebred to freshen periodically. A LaMancha doe named Tibet, from the Quixote herd in California, produced for multiple years on one lactation. I kept up with Tibet's progress as I have one of her daughters and was interested in how it went. Tibet started on her third lactation at three years of age in 2007, and milked through 2008 and 2009, only being rebred to kid for the 2010 season since they decided they wanted more kids out of her.

I've heard from other breeders that, to be successful, a lengthened lactation should be established in a doe's first year of milking, and that skipping breeding seasons may affect fertility. But Tibet proved that a good dairy doe will milk on if asked to, even following normal length lactations, and then coming back afterwards kidding normally with triplets and milking just fine.

At the moment I have a doe, Lucky, a seven-year-old Saanen/LaMancha mix, who never totally dries up. She freshened last at five years of age, was mostly dried off, and when she miscarried at six, her owners just started to milk her and brought her into enough milk for their son to show in 4-H at their local fair. Then she was dried off again, only to either not take her fall breeding, or resorb her fetus(s) when she moved here last fall. When I realized she was not going to kid, I started to milk her regularly, first once a day and then twice a day to bring her back into milk to provide some extra here to help pay for her upkeep. She picked up to just over 1/2 gallon a day after a few weeks and has maintained that production for the last few months. This doe never totally dries up, so I had to empty her udder at least once a week throughout the winter months. Her udder would fill up over time and I wanted to keep her comfortable and to keep her udder in good health. I do notice with this doe that her milk is a bit stronger flavored than the rest of the does in my herd, and I attribute that to her being "stale," that is, not having been freshened for so long. I can't really call that an extended lactation so much as a doe that just wants to milk and has the ability to do so. She has been able to provide me with extra milk when I needed it. I am thinking about extended the lactations on several more of my does however, so I can make cheese through the winter and have plenty of fresh milk as needed.
 

[mikey]

The agri show will open soon in the Manila area.The interesting thing this time is goat judges from Canada and Australia to judge the purebreeds and award prizes to the winners.This will help the breeders to better understand how and what makes the breed standard and the first place winners can realize better than average prices for their offspring.Farms like myself that specialize in crossbreeding and hybreds can also enter but under Experimentials and in truth, no one  really remembers who you are once the show is ended because the value in shows is always geared towards the purebreeds as the offspring from the winners command top dollar while crossbreeds/hybreds fetch much lower values.

China has a employable population of just under 800 million people.In the next 10 years alot of these people will leave the country side and search for jobs in the cities.This translates into fewer people working the land and producing food for the masses.China will face difficult dicisions,build mega farms which produce quanity over quality and more direct imports.China has the fastest growing middle class,more personal wealth means customers will look for better quality products.The Philippines as an agriculture society is poised for a piece of this action,exports of agriculture products like goats.High quality meat products for those who are willing to pay more for higher quality meat products.With the numbers of boer bucks in country now,the Philippines might be able to carve a market for Philippine exports with eyes on the Chinese markets.Sheep farming worldwide has been in decline for some years now.My counterparts in Australia and New Zealand are telling me China is the future market for lamb and they are going after this market with real zest.The Philippines will require Govt. help to send a trade mission to countries like China to see what products, meats and vegetables the country can produce for export markets.The Philippines has every chance to find and specialize in markets for Philippine products for export.Goats is one of those specialized markets.

[neodragon0l]

Good analysis.  Government support is required to make goat exportation successful

[alaminos_goatfarm]

More Blessings @ AgriLink 2010
October 11, 2010

I cannot think of the perfect words to describe how grateful the whole Alaminos-Milk Star Team is with the number of people who visited our booth last Thursday, Friday, Saturday  (October 7-9) in the World Trade Center in Manila. We knew that AgriLink is the biggest show we participate in every year but even while we were there, attending to all the inquiries, buyers, consumers, agriculture-enthusiasts, we still couldn’t believe it. Simply stated, it was an overwhelming experience for all of us.

Visitors beat the heat by eating our goats milk ice cream which was sold out by mid-day. Our goat’s milk plain and strawberry flavors were also a crowd-favorite. Many people looked for goat’s cheese and these interested consumers bought the kesong puti and our feta cheese which is goats cheese with olive oil and herbs. Our Hungarian sausages were also well received. After people tasted the half cuts we were selling, they immediately bought the frozen sausages (including longanisa and goat meat) to be brought home. On the first day, we also sold goats meat dishes such as Papaitan and Kalderetang Kambing.

We also displayed our top breeder goats and although we were not able to sell all of them, visitors were interested in our friendly and well-pampered goats, feeding them and taking pictures with them.  AGF 001, a full bred boer goat was one of the unsold goats but he was one of our favorites. We’ve nicknamed him Bubba because of his sweet attitude towards everyone who approached him. In the goat show, Mitra Line AGF 1454 won as the  Best Anglo Nubian doeling in the goat contest.

This year, we also made a last minute decision to sell indigofera seeds and mulberry plants. A lot of visitors were very interested in these plants and seeds. In AGF, it is no secret how much we advocate feeding dairy goats with the indigofera because of its practicality and its role in increasing our milk yield.

With the positive response we once again received, we are very hopeful that there is still a big portion of the market we can capture with goats milk. It is really a matter of creating awareness about our product. Ever night as we were closing, so many people were still looking for the goats milk but it was already sold out. I hope that everyone who was able to try our goats milk during the show will remember us and eventually switch to Alaminos’ Milk Star as their milk of choice for themselves and their whole family.

Once again, we thank everyone who visited us. Each one of you inspires us to aim higher and produce more quality products so that you will never get tired of drinking goats milk and accepting all the value added products we present to you.

Last week, we prayed to God that AgriLink be a success. We never imagined God will shower us with so much blessings. We feel very loved. Drink healthy, everyone and love goats milk! A VERY BIG THANK YOU to all of you.

[mikey]

Small ruminants industry get support from government
[13 October 2010] The small ruminant industry in the Philippines is getting a much needed boost from the government, and was the focus industry of Agrilink 2010, in the Philippines. The industry, which is a source of meat, dairy and other products, is seen to help the Philippine government's drive toward food self-sufficiency. Although its potential remain largely untapped, the Philippine Department of Agriculture is pushing for its development with two new projects. The first aims to increase and upgrade the breeder base of goats by breeder stock infusion. The second aims to set up a network of genetic farms, both public and private, that will make the improved stocks available to farmers and enable them to upgrade their stocks.

[mikey]

Australian lamb exports to Asia still high
[19 October 2010] Australian lamb exports to Southeast Asia and Greater China eased 6% to 2,525 tonnes swt in September compared with the same time last year. Despite the dip, shipments to the region during the nine months to September remained at a record high volume of 25,484 tonnes swt - up 16% year-on-year. Also impacted by high prices and the rising Australian dollar, Australian mutton exports to Southeast Asia and Greater China during September fell 34% on the same period in 2009, to 1,673 tonnes swt. Shipments to the region over the first nine months of 2010 decreased 21%, to 17,332 tonnes swt, with Malaysia (5,626 tonnes swt), Singapore (4,271 tonnes swt) and China (4,051 tonnes swt) now the largest buyers in the region.

[mikey]

Agri department pushes for Philippine halal food standards
[22 October 2010] The Philippines is stepping up the development of halal standards for food commodities to enable the country to tap the multi-million dollar global market for halal products. Mr Sani Macabalang, Head of the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Halal Food Industry Development Committee (HFIDC) and DA halal coordinator stressed the need for these standards, warning that failure to have them in place will prevent the country from competing globally. To develop the local halal industry, the HFIDC recommended the harmonisation of halal protocols and procedures by various government agencies, development of halal certification and accreditation competencies and capability-building of certifying bodies and government halal food inspectors, auditors and the like in close coordination with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos.


NOTE: I remember back around 2006/07 when I was aware of inquiries out of Malaysia for the export of 10,000 heads every month from the Philippines.There seemed to be no real willingness on anyones part to try and get this export off the ground.Then one day an announcement was made that the Philippines did not think 10,000 heads was possible and Malaysia went looking elsewhere.Lost markets are extremely complicated to try and regain.Lets hope there is a real willingness this time to get this idea lauched off the ground and get the state making money from its GNP.China is another hugh market.

[nemo]

during that time and maybe until now we are still in the infancy stage...

Unless a multinational company join the bandwagon it will be a turtle pace improvement for this sector.