By ZAC B. SARIAN
April 14, 2010, 2:44pm

A new research involving a private goat farm and two government agencies has come up with proof that indeed, goat dairying can develop into a viable industry.

The research that proves the viability of milk production with Saanen goats in particular was conducted from September 2009 to March 31 this year. It was a collaborative effort of the Alaminos Goat Farm (AGF), the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and the National Dairy Authority.

Under the research which was financed by PCARRD, the daily milk production of the Saanen goats on the milkline at AGF was recorded during the seven-month period. And what did the study find? It found that the goats if well nourished and properly managed could produce a lot of milk.

For instance, the highest producer in the month of March, a second generation Saanen, produced 4.11 kilos (or liters) of milk each day of the month. The second top producer gave 4.05 liters daily. The tenth top producer gave 3.3 liters a day. These are all considered very high yields compared to the milk production of the animals that were originally imported from Australia. As per the record of AGF, the top 10 producers in November 2007 to January 2008 was only 2.6 liters a day while the top tenth gave only 1.53 liters a day. This means that the island-born milk animals performed much better than their imported parents under local conditions.

It may be recalled that most livestock experts in the Philippines have been skeptical about the feasibility of raising Saanen goats for milk production under local tropical conditions. Some years back, the Philippines imported a good number of Saanen goats under the PL 480 program of the United States. Nothing significant came out of this importation and this has probably enforced the local belief that Saanen is indeed not fit for local milk production.

Thanks, however, to Rene Almeda of AGF who was stubborn enough to try and prove that with proper nutrition and management, it could be profitable to raise Saanen goats. AGF imported 100 Saanen breeders from Australia in Mid 2007. By November that year, they already started to milk their imported animals. Soon enough, their milk production was being sold through two well known supermarket chains in Metro Manila. The original breeders have more than trebled in number and research continues to improve the performance of the animals.

On April 30, AGF, PCARRD and NDA will present their findings and possible future actions in a forum to be held at the goat farm in Alaminos, Laguna.
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MUSHROOM SEMINAR. There will be a mushroom seminar this Saturday, April 17, at the AANI Herbal Garden and Livelihood Center at the Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City. The following day, there will be an AANI farm tour to the dairy farm of former Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. in Calauan, Laguna. Melon growers in Victoria will also be visited.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/252609/goat-dairying-proven-viable