Business and Leisure Mix in Agribusiness
A politician who is a former journalist proves that agriculture can be a rewarding venture, not only in terms of money but also self-fulfillment.
WHO SAYS BUSINESS and leisure don’t mix? In politics these should not, but in agribusiness these perfectly do.
North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Fantin Piflol knows this well for he has always enjoyed farming where he mixes business with leisure.
In 1993, he acquired and developed 10 hectares located at the foot of Mt. Apo, in Paco, Kidapawan City and named it Braveheart Farms in honor of his youngest child who has a hole in his heart. His farm is planted to forest and timber trees, Longkong, mango, and other fruit trees.
Vice Governor Pinol, who is also a journalist, raises tilapia, freshwater bangus, and poyo, too. He also maintains his family’s rubber plantation for this has been significant in his life. He recalls that when he was young, he had to wake up very early to do farm work in their rubber farm to help his parents augment their farm income. It was their bread and butter and if not for it, his parents wouldn’t be able to raise him and send him to school.
Today, in their rubber farm, there’s a seedling and budwood, or clonal nursery, with imported and outstanding clones from Malaysia such as RRIM 600, PB 260, PB 330, and USM 1. There are also timber clones like MP 908, 921, 202, and 225. He also owns 100-hectare rubber farm in another area.
He raises goats, too. He has 400 head and he feeds these with flemingia, rensonii, and other forage crops that thrive in his farm. He raises Anglo Nubian and Boer goats imported from California, U.S.A. Recently, he imported La Mancha goats also from California for breeding, meat, and dairying. The milk of this calm, dairy breed is rich in butterfat.
He wants to venture into commercial dairy production. In fact, he already acquired a mechanized pulsator from U.S. for this purpose. Anyway, it wouldn’t take long for him to establish and succeed in this enterprise because just recently, his Braveheart Farms has been accredited by the American Dairy Goat Association. It’s the first goat farm in the Far East that has become a member of this prestigious association of dairy goat breeders in America.
Moreover, Braveheart Farms is the grandslam winner of the 2007 Boer Goat Competition held during the National Goat and Sheep Congress of the Philippines.
Vice Governor Pinol is also raising and Breeding prize game fowls like Sweaters, Kelson, Roundheads, Hatches, and Greys. He has outstanding breeders, too like Dink Fair, Larry Carter, and Col. Charles Givens. He has already started to cross Spangled Kelsos from Travis Clark with Spangled Hatches from Col. Givens. Last year, he bred about 400 stags arid produced 400 two-year-old cocks.
With this number and breed of fowls, he has acquainted with other game fowl enthusiasts and that includes Palawan Governor Tod Reyes and world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao who even visited his farm to see his Oklahoma Hatch.
Agribusiness is really an enjoyable and profitable venture. It’s where business and leisure mix, and Vice Governor Pinol is certainly happy with it.
November 8th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
can you please help me becouse I need the phone number of Mr DINK FAIR FROM ringgold lousiana