How local crops can end malnutrition

MANILA, Philippines – The vegetables and other crops people grow in their backyards might be the answer to ending malnutrition in their local communities.

The Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), recently concluded its test production of complementary food using locally-available ingredients.

According to the World Health Organization, this is used to provide nutrients to children, especially when breastfeeding no longer meets the required nutritents intake.

Supervising Science Research Specialist Joyce Tobias said that the expensive imported fortified complementary food used by the WFP pushed them to find another option.

“Mahal ang imported kaya hindi advisable na laging iyon ang gamitin,” she explained. (It’s not advisable to always use imported food because they’re expensive.)

The new complementary food costs only P7 per sachet and P75 per pep bottle. A pack already contains more than half of the nutrient requirements of a child per day.

Our backyard can do a lot of things aside from growing local crops. It is also very useful in raising live stocks such as chickens, goats, pigs and even backyard cattle raising can also be done.

Of course a proper handling should be done or else the vegetables and other crops would end up being consumed by farm animals :).

 

More on this story . . .

Raising Cattle - All You Need To Know To Be Successful In Rearing Cattle?

There are many things that you can do to earn significant profit with farming activities and one of these is cattle farming, which is also known as the process of rearing cattle. Raising cattle basically means keeping cattle, which includes different kinds of beasts of burden such as cows, oxen, and sheep for production of milk and meat. Many cattle farmers engage in this because the industry is profitable, progressive, and the work to be done isn't as rigorous and demanding as other farming activities. If you're interested in learning about the different aspects of cattle farming, this article should be your first step to getting a clear idea of what you're getting into.

When cattle farming, one of the most important objectives is to determine what produce you are going to supply by breeding and raising your herd. Referring to many cattle farmers, raising cattle for their meat is a lot simpler as likened to other types of cattle such as dairy. You as the cattle farmer will instantly receive income once the cows have been sold for slaughtering and/or bought for breeding purposes.

Another important factor to rearing cattle is the choice of cattle breed, and in most parts of the country, these are the most popular:

o Droughtmaster

o Local Indian Dairy

o Friesian-Sahiwal Cross

o Brahman

o K-K (Kedah Kelantan)

As you go along, you will discover many books that will teach you the basic and advanced tips and strategies on how to effectively breed and rear cattle for profit. This means learning the basics on how to raise cattle, how to breed cattle, and even how to sell cattle to either corporations or direct consumers. All in all, you need to have a stable and solid business plan when dealing with business transactions to be able to receive profit worthy enough of your efforts and investments.

Hence, what do you require to do in order to successfully raise cattle? You need to have not only the animals but the equipment, the habitat, and the necessary medications in case something happens to any of the individual cows. Competencies on choosing and breeding is also important if you plan to raise a herd of high quality cattle. In order to do this, you need to balance selection of genetics with your hands-on skills in managing your very own herd. Once completed correctly and constantly, you will surely build a herd that many customers will keep an eye on to monitor.

Copyright (c) 2011 Adam Rise

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Masbate cattle raisers go organic

ROASTER Mary Jane Dalanon, one of the primary manufacturers of beef products in Masbate, with a roasted cow during the recent Rodeo Masbateño to showcase the quality of beef produced in Masbate province. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Beef manufacturer Mary Jane Dalanon is curious about how the “new” Masbate cattle meat will taste compared with the beef she now processes to make her products.

Dalanon, 41, owner of the largest beef products store in Masbate province, usually buys native cattle from ranches in Masbate City and nearby towns because the organic farming techniques employed by farmers and cattle raisers give Masbate beef a distinct succulent taste.

Now that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has turned over a mini liquid nitrogen plant to the local government of Masbate, the businesswoman is anxious to know whether the cattle to be produced through artificial insemination (AI) will be of better quality than what Masbate farmers and cattle raisers produce. More than the prospect of a better income, her concern is getting the meat that will continue to meet consumers’ standards, she said.

City Mayor Rowena Tuason said the nitrogen plant would help ranch owners and cattle raisers to produce better quality beef by allowing them to store genetic material or semen that they selected from their best specimens for cattle breeding.
 
The P6.5-million facility at Masbate Fish Complex and Bus Terminal has begun selling buckets of liquid nitrogen worth P80 each to cattle raisers to store cattle semen in preparation for AI exclusively performed by city veterinarians.

Read more from the article source:

Practice: High Efficiency Scraper for Cow Manure

Technical Description

The daily amount of feces and urine produced by a mature cow is about 8% of her body weight. Therefore, in a farm having 100 cows, the annual production of manure will be 2,000 tons per year. If this waste were washed and drained into the rivers and streams, it would not only need a lot of water, but would also cause a big pollution problem. However, the composition of cow manure is quite variable and very useful for the improvement of soil quality. The device designed here collects manure in a waterless and highly efficient way.

Uses and Merits

Overuse of chemical fertilizer will be detrimental to the capacity of the soil. At the same time, the disposal of fairy wastes directly by washing them into the river will result in serious environmental pollution. To collect the dairy wastes by using the devices described above will not only save water but will also ensure a clean farm. The utilization of used tires will reduce the space required for tire disposal. In addition, the undiluted manure will be an excellent source of organic fertilizer for improvement of soil quality.

The device was designed to be connected to a general loader. With a special rubber made from an old truck tire cut to shape, manure can be removed from the concrete floor. The scraper pushes and pulls as the loader moves in a fast and easy way. Also due to the flexibility of athe rubber part, the texture of the floor will not be damaged during manure collection.

Expert's Comments

This device, when used with well-designed manure storage and a spreading area on the farm, will greatly reduce the problem of farm waste. If the rain-drain of the pen is constructed with a separate draining system, the stored manure can be used in a more efficient way. The manure collection will be much more efficient if the runway in the housing area can be constructed with an appropriate width.

Location: Taiwan R.O.C

Article Source: Food and Fertilizer Technology Center

Livestock Expo 2015 - Better Than Ever!

The Country's Offical Livestock Show Is Back And Better Than Ever!
   
Livestock Philippines 2013 scores another successful show as no less than President Benigno S. Aquino III opened the show to more than 5,000 visitors and 200 exhibitors from 20 countries.

As it runs from August 7 - 9, LIVESTOCK PHILIPPINES 2013 is now one of the springboards in establishing livestock business opportunities not just in the Philippines but throughout Asia.

Visit the site

Promising outlook of cattle industry | Sun.Star

IN THE Philippines, the total cattle inventory as of January 2013 is only 2.497 million, according to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics.

The country's cattle holding provinces are Ilocos Region, 292,545 heads; Central Visayas (Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor), 272,307 heads; Northern Mindanao (Bukidnon, Camiguin, and Misamis), 271,700 heads; Western Visayas (Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental), 254,573 heads; and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon), 253,376.

Cattle raising in the country is predominantly a backyard endeavor.

About 93 percent (2.32 million) of the current population of cattle are

raised in backyard farms; only seven percent (174,547) are from

commercial farms. More on this article . . .

Source: Promising outlook of cattle industry | Sun.Star

DAto import Braunvieh cattle semen from Switzerland

This is an e-mail from (Agriculture and Fisheries Market Information System (AFMIS)) sent by Chito Relampagos (chitx2000@gmail.com). You may also find the following link interesting: http://afmis.da.gov.ph/index.php/component/content/article/401-da-to-import-braunvieh-cattle-semen-from-switzerland.html

Napier not just cattle feed

Napier Pakchong 1 which we have previously termed as the Super Napier from Thailand is not just for feeding cattle.

In fact, one businessman with a lot of foresight thinks that there is a much bigger potential for this fast-growing grass for energy generation rather than as animal feed. That means fuel for the big manufacturing companies like cement plants or electric plants.

How? Well, as the claim of the developer as well as the farmer planters of Pakchong 1, this napier is a super producer of biomass. It could produce as much as 500 tons of biomas per hectare in a cycle of one year. More . . .

This is now available in King Ranch at Rosario, Batangas.

Purchase includes the following

- Planting guide

- Certificate from Thailand Ministry of Agriculture

For orders, inquiries or farm visits please call 0917-572-6707 and look for Mr. King Carlos.

Article Source: Manila Bulletin

Lost hooves, dead cattle before Merck halted Zilmax sales

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/341872/scitech/science/lost-hooves-dead-cattle-before-merck-halted-zilmax-sales

WALLA WALLA COUNTY, WASHINGTON  - The U.S. beef industry's dependence on the muscle-building drug Zilmax began unraveling here, on a sweltering summer day, in the dusty cattle pens outside a Tyson Foods Inc slaughterhouse in southeastern Washington state.

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New government website for Cattle Raising information

BaLinkBayan is a one-stop online portal dedicated to the overseas Filipino. With the steady inflow of remittances to the Philippines and the growing awareness of its potential for sustenance and development, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) recognized the need to establish BaLinkBayan. A quip on the Filipino word balikbayan (a returning overseas Filipino), Balinkbayan is a means to connect Filipino individuals and communities to the Philippines through the Diaspora to Development (D2D) program of the CFO. This program promotes and supports diaspora-driven initiatives such as investment, philanthropy, and technology and skills transfer.

 The Cattle Raising page has a profile and Types of Cattle Raising information and other pages which still has to be populated with data.

It also contains tab pages on a per region basis of cattle price trends and contact informatiion for Technical assistance, Financing Institutions and related organizations. 

Generally this is a good site if it has all the information.

Visit the Cattle Raising page.