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Land Bank & JICA , Agriculture Credit Support Project Workshop
Land Bank, Agriculture Credit Support Project Workshop
May 25, 2011
Today Land Bank and JICA hosted a workshop at the City State Hotel for their Agriculture Credit Support Project (ACSP). Tetsunari Gejo of JICA was the team leader of the workshop.
AGF was represented by its consultant Rene Almeda. To give readers an overview of what ACSP is we have copy pasted part of the invitation letter.
The Agriculture Credit Support Project (ACSP) aims to increase investments, to create new job opportunities and to improve agricultural productivity in the rural areas by providing loan funds and contributing to the National Government’s goal of "Poverty Reduction”.
Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) is the executing agency responsible for the overall implementation of ACSP throughout the Philippines. ACSP will provide financing support for agriculture and agri-related projects using Japanese ODA loan fund secured through loan agreement between Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and LBP. The loan funds can be provided directly from LBP or through its conduits to the agricultural clientele; i.e. small farmers and fisher folks (SFF) individuals/ groups, small or medium enterprises (SMEs), large agribusiness enterprises (LAEs).
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Seminar Participants of RFU 111 Goat Production
Accelerating Goat Production in Region III
May 18, 2011
Today we took time from our busy schedule to welcome participants of a seminar hosted by the Department of Agriculture, RFU III for government agricultural technicians in the field. The theme of the seminar is Accelerating Goat Production with focus in dairy goat production.
AGF shared its experiences with the Alaminos Salad Garden taking center stage to meet part of the daily nutritional requirements of goats.
Sharing of information is part of AGF Corporate Social Responsibility program that is why we continue to support request for farm visits from various government agencies. Today it becomes more relevant because the participants were government agricultural technicians and staffs of government breeding station in Region III. The network created brings the opportunity in spreading of information that nutrition is the key to be successful in raising goats . As they return to their respective municipalities more farmers would learn from the experience learned by the technicians during their farm visit at AGF.
It is the belief of AGF that when people see they remember, that is why we continue to accept farm visits to our farm. It is our way of saying thank you for all the blessings we continue to receive from above through the years.
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Calf Rumen at 4 weeks, Diet: Milk, Hay and Grain
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Calf Rumen at 4 weeks, Diet: MIlk and Hay
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Rumen Development
May 18, 2011
Early weaning of kids to milk the dam earlier is one issue we want to address at AGF. Ever since we at AGF decided to stop bottle feeding our kids in late 2009 and leave the kids with the dam to nurse, we have seen great improvement in the kids being weaned at 60 days. In doing this we have sacrificed milk production for our Milk Star fresh goat's milk.
In our continuous search to compromise with Milk Star goat's milk production, the idea to shorten to 45 days the weaning of the kids is being studied. The number one issue is rumen development of the young kids. The rumen papillae development would be the main issue.
Researching from the website of Penn State, College of Agricultural Sciences we came across a study of rumen development, comparing the rumen of calf fed a diet of milk, hay and grains to the rumen of a calf fed hay and milk. We have copy pasted the pictures of the 4 weeks rumen. |
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4 Weeks of Age, Diet: Milk, Hay, Grains
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12 Weeks of Age, Diet: Milk, Hay
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The 4 weeks of age rumen from a calf fed grains is compared to a 12 weeks of age rumen. The pictures clearly shows that the grain fed 4 weeks of calve has a larger stomach and greater rumen development than a 12 weeks of age rumen of a non grain fed calf.
This finding is very relevant to AGF dairy operation since we are heavily grain feeding our dairy goats. Concentrate Feed intake would be the basis in weaning the kids. Once the kids eat more than 100 grams of concentrate feeds a day he would be a candidate for early weaning at 45 days. Ideally we want the kids to eat 150 grams of concentrate at weaning.
Sign of poor intake for early weaned kids is pot bellied and rough hair coat. Since we can not see the rumen, concentrate feed intake would be a good basis of rumen development in very young kids.
It is very clear in the study at Penn State that concentrate feeds helps in th early development of the calf rumen papillae. The development of the rumen papillae is clearly seen in the pictures of the 4 week of age rumen grain fed calf. The dark color rumen is the rumen papillae development compared to the lighter colored rumen of the calve on a non grain diet.
AGF wishes to acknowledge Penn State for the pictures from their website and the ideas taken for their research in rumen development in young calves......Thank You, Penn State for the Knowledge and Pictures..........AGF |
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IFEX 2011 at SMX Convention Center
AMAD, IFEX and Alaminos Milk Star Marketing
May 16,2011
Alaminos Milk Star is the brand name of Alaminos Goat Farm (AGF) fresh goat’s milk. In July 2008, Alaminos Milk Star scored a milestone in Philippine Agriculture when it became the first fresh goat’s milk to be sold in the Supermarket trade in Metro Manila.
In May 2008, Editha Salvosa of Agribusiness Marketing Assistance & Development, AMAD Region IV-A, invited Alaminos Goat Farm to join the IFEX show at the World Trade Center for free. It was the biggest single break marketing wise for Alaminos Milk Star goat’s milk. The exposures from the show lead to a lot of things for Alaminos Milk Star marketing program. It also showed the importance of trade shows for small emerging agricultural companies like AGF.
Zac Sarian, the agricultural editor of the Manila Bulletin visited the Milk Star booth and fell in love with goat’s milk. The day after Alaminos Milk Star had a picture in the Manila Bulletin and this was followed by a series of write up for Alaminos Goat Farm dairy operation. The friendship with Zac Zarian was beneficial in creating awareness in the existence of Alaminos Milk Star products.
The buyers of the big supermarket chains left their calling cards at the booth. A week later the manager of SM Hypermart personally called Toti and invited him to sell Milk Star at SM HyperMart. The IFEX Show through the invitation of AMAD Region IV-A in 2008 was the first trade show AGF joined, it was instrumental in solving the marketing side of moving a highly perishable fresh goat’s milk to the market. It opened the eyes of AGF that trade shows are a cost effective marketing tool in promoting and creating awareness about Alaminos Milk Star.
Annually, AGF sets aside a budget to join at least 4 trade shows a year as part of its cost effective marketing effort to create awareness about the brand, Alaminos Milk Star.
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AGF Darwyn with AGF 532, Milking Goats in Tropical Philippines
Show Me the Money...Milking Goats in Tropical Philippines at the 14th Dairy Congress, Davao City
May 7, 2011
AGF will have a chance to promote its advocacy, the Alaminos Salad Garden to a big crowd of dairy practitioner at the Davao Convention Center in Davao City on May 12 at 5:00 pm. The event is the 14th Dairy Congress. Rene Almeda will be presenting the highly successful Alaminos Salad Garden, Show me the Money.........Milking Goats in Tropical Philippines. The presentation at the Dairy Congress by AGF is sponsored by FGASPAPI’s President Ben Rara.
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Art with Indigofera in the Background Still Doing Good Despite of the Long Dry Spell
See and hear us passionately share our thought about our favourite tree legume Indigofera from our Alaminos Salad Garden.
It has always been our stand at AGF that to get the full potential of good genetics, nutrition is the key factor to attain success in goat dairying. Join us at the 14th Dairy Congress as we share our experiences on how our life have change when we seriously pursued dairying goats in tropical Philippines as a viable and sustainable enterprise. |
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Young Boer Doeling Loves Indigofera
Boer Loves Indigofera, Just Like the Dairy Goats at AGF
April 27, 2011
The question about the palatability of indigofera was the first issue we have to address before promoting it as our primary tree legumes in the Alaminos Salad Garden. This was one issue that for so many years prevented goat raisers and the academe to give serious thoughts of feeding indigofera as legumes for goats big time.
We stumbled upon the often taken for granted indigofera during the hot summer of 2009, when the forage grass and legumes were fast drying out in our farm. Felino Serdan, AGF farm manager decided to feed the still fresh and green indigofera to his dairy goats for their late afternoon feeding. It was like a gift from heaven during the hot months of summer as the dairy goats were mulching it.
Felino discovered that the dairy goats loves indigofera. He pruned the indigofera down to 120 centimeters from the ground every 30 days. In doing so he observed that the milking goats even loves indigofera more. The biggest discovery made was the sustainable volumes being harvested and improvement in palatabiltiy at 30 to 45 days interval in cutting.
To Felino's amazement his dairy goats were giving him more milk than before when he was not feeding them indigofera. Records from AGF milk recording project will confirm all these statements.
The picture above show how a young Boer doeling loves indigofera. To further strengthen the statement that goats loves indigofera it would be a good idea to introduce indigofera while the goats are still young like what we practice in AGF.
These experiences with indigofera led us to make it the lead tree legume in our Alaminos Salad Garden. Indigofera is drought resistance once established in land enriched with goat manure. It is among the easiest to plant from seeds when done at the start of the wet season. Don't miss this opportunity in improving the quality of feed intake of your goats to maximize their full potential . Indigofera is one way to go for a more profitable and sustainable goat raising industry. Lets do it. |
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Rene Almeda with the Staff of the Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization
AGF Goes to the Philippine Senate for Seminar on Goat Raising
April 25, 2011
Alaminos Goat Farm have accepted the invitation of Director Efren Nuestro of the Bureau of Animal Industry to be part of the team to hold a seminar on goat raising for the staff of the The Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM), Philippine Senate, under the chairmanship of Senator Francis N. Pangilinan.
Rene Almeda, consultant of AGF acted as resource speaker presenting his typical line, Nutrition and Genetics as the key to success in goat dairying in the tropics. The now famous Alaminos Salad Garden was highlighted during the seminar presentation. It was a good day interacting and sharing information about the development of goat dairying in the Philippines with the staff of Senator Francis Pangilinan at Philippine Senate. |
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Milk Star with a View of Taal Lake
Milk Star with a View of Taal Lake
April 22,2011
The Milk Star team takes a weekend Easter break in Tagaytay City. AGF Milk Star team took time in revisiting Robinson Supermarket and Rowenas Pasalubong. Rowenas Pasalubong has a new branch in the rotonda besides Days Hotel. The brand new place is huge with a restaurant. AGF is looking at returning to the shelf of the two outlets in the second half of the year as Alaminos Milk Star fresh goat's milk production starts to normalize.
Team Milk Star stayed in Summit Ridge, Tagaytay. In choosing Summit Ridge we at AGF considered the nice location and beautiful view of Taal Volcano from the hotel. A major factor also in choosing Summit Ridge is its being part of Robinson Supermarket family. Alaminos Milk Star team considers Robinson Supermarket as one of the most friendly supermarket in dealing with suppliers. This is also our way of saying Thank You to Robinson Supermarket for being a friendly trading partner of Alaminos Milk Star. |
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Alaminos Goat Farm
Art Almeda
Along Maharlika Highway
Alaminos, Laguna, PH
0917 500 4294 - 0917 500 1982
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here to email us
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