Farmers attend DA seminar before getting dairy cattle

By Ayra Galanza

MOUNTAIN PROVINCE farmers recently attended forage development and management training in preparation for dairy cattle that would be given them this October, under the Cordillera Dairy Cattle Project of the Department of Agriculture – CAR. Farmers deom Bauko,Bontoc,andTadian towns were the first ones to the seminar.

Dr. Anthony Bantog, DA-CAR Livestock Chief, welcomed participants and encouraged them with some advice. “It’s good if your farm is near or beside the road so that you wouldn’t have a hard time in bringing equipment and materials. I hope that your forage and housing will be ready when the cattle arrives,”

Ronnie Erni and Flordeliza Reyes from the National Dairy Authority lectured on the types of forages and how they can be planted.

Forage plants come in different varieties and must be adapted depending on the location. Reyes echoed that “other countries are more advanced than us. The situation in the Philippines is different so we need to adapt.”

Forage is the most important factor when it comes to dairy farming. According to Erni, “dairy cattle needs double the sustenance compared to a regular cow. This is necessary for the cow to be able to produce milk.”

The farmers were made to experience the actual planting process. Fodder trees and forage grasses brought by the NDA were planted in select sites.

After, the participants took home a one kilo bag of stylosanthesas a starter pack for their forages.