Last October 9, 2021, DZRHTV through its program AgriAsenso featured Butuan’s own cowboy Olegario “Jun” Ayensa. This fellow is the farm owner of CountryFields Agri Farm located in the Barangay Tungao this city. The farm is a sprawling 12-hectare integrated/diversified agricultural land where four hectares of it are dedicated for livestock and dairy production. Jun is a former Senior Program Manager of Heifer International Philippines and is currently a Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) cooperator of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).

During the program, hosts Henry Uri and Antonietta “Niet” Arceo (OIC-Asst. Director of ATI) asked Jun to share his expertise on Dairy Cattle Production and Management. We found that interview valuable especially for farmers who want to engage in dairy production. Hence, we extracted bits of information from AgriAsenso and did further research on the topic for a more in-depth discussion.

Macapuno farming
Jun explained that at first, his farm was not yet into dairy production. It was originally engaged in Macapuno farming. Macapuno or coconut sport is a special variety of coconut that produces a soft translucent jelly-like flesh with little to no coconut water. It is a popular delicacy and flavoring in the Philippines that makes it highly marketable here. However, Jun said that when you engage in this type of business you have to realize that it has a long-gestating period. It takes almost a decade for coconut palms to produce their first fruit and about another decade to reach peak production. So, for a farmer to survive the waiting period it has to find other means to stay productive and profitable. This led Jun to integrate livestock and venture into dairy production.

An Udder Truth
Jun stressed that for a farmer to be successful he has to study the value chain that he is engaged in. He has to know first the market and its viability before he backtracks to the technology. So, for him marketing aspect in farming is crucial. And based on his study, dairy production has a high demand in the local market which is why he never had second thoughts in putting his stake in this kind of industry.

As a Cow 101 guide, let us clarify some basic terminologies. A cow is a female bovine who has given birth to at least one calf. Like any other mammal, only she is able to produce milk after she has given birth. The ‘virgin’ bovine called a heifer cannot produce milk yet. All the more with its male counterpart called the bull who is not born with udders - that single mass hanging beneath the cow’s body, consisting of pairs of protruding teats where milk is extracted.

During the interview, Jun said that since bulls cannot produce milk, they are sold to farmers who are into beef cattle production. This may sound discriminatory but the LSA cooperator explained that if they are allowed to stay, they will be competing with the dairy cows for food and space. While some may argue that cows need a bull to impregnate them for reproduction and milk production purposes, Jun explained that in dairy farms Artificial Insemination (AI) is used. Reproduction is not through natural means because they want to reduce disease transmission and ensure genetically superior offspring. We have to understand that in any dairy operation, the quality of the dairy herd is key to its economic success.

Jun also added that in dairy production one should know the type of breed and genetic makeup because there is a difference between cattle that becomes steaks and those that provide yogurt.
“Hindi lahat ng baka magagatasan. Some of them are raised as beef cattle. You have to get the right kind of breeds in order for you to get quality milk,” he noted.

We learned from him that Holstein Sahiwal cows which originated in South Asia are the best dairy breeds for tropical countries such as the Philippines. Because of their heat tolerance and good milk production they have been exported to many countries for decades.

Another dairy cow is the Jersey which can produce more milk than the Sahiwal given the right nutrition and food. Fortunately, the National Dairy Authority (NDA) is importing these breeds from Australia and is giving them to farmers to accelerate the development of the Philippine dairy industry.

Farm Area Requirements
According to Jun, traditionally, for every cow, there should be one hectare of pasture. However, with a more advanced dairy technology and a well-developed pasture area in terms of volume and quality of grasses, a one-hectare area may be feasible for six cows. Jun mentioned the Signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens) which is good for grazing. It is a vigorous, medium-lived (5 years) perennial grass with leaves that are short, hairy, and bright green in color. It is relatively free of pest and disease problems and is palatable to all kinds of livestock and can even withstand heavy grazing.

There is also the Guinea grass which is taller and is used for making silage and hay. Silage is a type of fodder made from grasses and other green foliage crops which are preserved and fed to cows and other livestock during times when pasture is not good especially during the dry season. It is highly palatable, digestible, and provides good nutrition for the cows. Jun mentioned corn and sugar cane silage as a good source of food for dairy cattle.

Aside from forage, the dairy farm also needs a cowshed and milking parlor. A cowshed is where the cattle are brought to rest after grazing. Cattle will be more efficient in the production of milk and in reproduction if they are protected from too much heat and stress. As Jun would put it “when the cow is happy and comfortable, it gives you more milk.”

A milking parlor on the other hand is a place where cows are milked. After milking, they are returned to their feeding area and/or cow shed. The study shows an increase in labor efficiency and reduction of injury and stress when cows are milked in a milking parlor than in their housing area.

Another consideration in dairy farm management is preventing cattle escapes by putting up electric fences. In addition, there should also be paddocks on the farm. This is a temporary subdivision where cows are moved to intensively graze in one area while the other portions rest.

Cow-culator Time
Jun revealed that one Holstein cow costs around Php 85,000. But he was lucky enough to get his two foreign-bred cows from NDA. The agency has dairy cattle dispersal programs for smallholders to help meet the projected demand in the region. Through breeding, Jun now has a total of 14 dairy cows on his farm.

“Usually, the Return of Investment (ROI) takes 2 to 3 years. That’s the payback period when you are able to milk the cows,” he said.

“One cow can produce around 10 liters a day. Some of it will be fed to the calf while the remaining is sold at 30 pesos. If you process it, you will get 70-90 pesos a bottle.”

In CountryFields Agri Farm, they process milk into value-added milk products like choco milk and other flavored drinks or as white cheese and yogurt. Their mini processing plant was given to them by ATI in 2018. They sell the products in downtown Butuan and in nearby provinces.

Dairy consumption is growing in the Philippines. More so now that the Department of Education (DepEd) has partnered with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and NDA for its milk feeding program. This partnership is in compliance with Republic Act (RA) No. 11037, or the “Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act” signed by President Duterte on June 18, 2020. The program was later integrated into the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. In this program, DepEd targets to feed 3 million children by the end of 2021 and probably more in the years to come. This means that there will be a high demand for milk to meet the government’s milk requirements.

“We encourage the farmers to go into dairy production because there is the market at the same time it will also provide nutrition to the family. Also, small farmers need to partner with the government like ATI, NDA, DOST, and DTI as their support system. They need to have passion, motivation, and knowledge in science-based farming and technology-based enterprise,” Ayensa ends.