Hog Raiser in Laguna Shares Benefits of Using Natural Feeds

Fri, 11/04/2022 - 13:52

DILIMAN, Quezon City—With today’s health risks, going back to the basics is one way to be safe in terms of food, especially when it comes to meat.

This is why Agripina Ochoa gives naturally sourced feeds to the native and white breeds of swine that she raises. These include grass, darak, copra meal, and “power plants” like trichanthera.

“We don’t buy commercial feeds. We just make use of whatever is available in the farm. Even grass can be used as snacks for the pigs,” she said in a radio interview.

Because of this, Ochoa shared that the meat produced from the pigs in her farm has less fat and is tastier compared with those commercially raised. Likewise, there is no foul odor in the farm and the production cost is lower.

“[During the outbreak of the African swine fever], our farm was not affected. This might be because of the concoctions that I learned to make through the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI). I use these up to now. This might be why our pigs have strong immunity,” she remarked.

Ochoa started farming way back in 2006. Her farm in Magdalena, Laguna, called Agrie’s Integrated Natural Farm, is a 1.3-hectare area that features swine, chickens, fruit-bearing trees, cacao, among others. It became a certified Learning Site for Agriculture of the ATI in 2016.

Ochoa spoke more about her farming practices on ATI’s “Agri Asenso” teleradyo program, which aired last October 22. The full episode is available for streaming at https://www.facebook.com/ATIinteractive/videos/849491529833814.

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