Agriculture Business Week

One reason goat raising is profitable and becoming popular nowadays is the fact that there are a lot of products one can make out of goat’s milk.

Cheese, pastillas, yogurt, and soap are some interesting goat milk products. And these are what a farmer scientist of the Southern Mindanao Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium in Davao City has developed and makes money from these days.

The lad is Darwin Tinasas. He has trained many farmers on goat raising, and he processes at least 100 kilos of cheese weekly, which he sells at P900 per kilo.

This owner of a 5-hectare integrated goat farm in Sitio Balengaeng in Los Amigos, Tugbok District, Davao City has also developed a ricotta cheese. It’s a byproduct of the whey drain. Dog breeders buy this cheese as it reportedly helps develop dog’s muscle formation.

He also finds yoghurt and pastillas valuable. More so the goat’s milk soap; it is in demand as spas and beauty shops proliferate nowadays. In fact he supplies at least 500 pieces of soap weekly to local beauty shops and spas.

“Our soap has no extenders but it produces a lot of suds which is preferred by customers of spas and beauty shops,” Tinasas said. “The lactic acid in goat’s milk helps smoothen the skin by exfoliation, and it also contains vitamins A and D, which benefit include giving skin strength and suppleness.”

IMPROVING BREEDING AND FEEDING SYSTEMS
Developing various goat’s milk products necessitates increasing the herd’s
milking capability. Improving milk production starts at the selection of breed, says Tinasas. It is important that you choose the right breed that can supply enough milk.

He recommends the Anglo-Nubian stock as these can tolerate heat, hence these can adapt to tropical countries like the Philippines. This breed, he adds, has 4.5 grams of butter fat, which is higher compared to their breeds which usually produces only 3.5 to 3.8 grams.

Feeding system should be considered, too. The capability of the herd to meet the demand for milk, says Tinasas, lies on their nutrient intake. For his herd, he has at least 42 types of nutritious forage and legumes. He grows forages like Setaria, Attratum, Native. Napier, Florida Napier, Citronella, Ratun Maize, Kornivia, and Tully. His collection of legumes include Flemengia, Indigofera, Tetragona, Centrosema, Madre de Cacao, Acacia, and Calliandra.

He has tried also to supplement his herd’s diet with mulberry leaves, which he learned could help promote milk production as it contains excellent protein concentrates. This seems to be true as he has observed that milk production has increased from 2.8 liters to 3.2 liters per goat per day with mulberry included in the diet.

The time of feeding is also crucial in milk production. “We used to equally feed our goat three times a day, but I observed that it would be better to feed them more late in the afternoon when they have lesser activity and will continue eating up to night time. The food that they ate will be converted into milk the following morning,” Tinasas said.

Animal health care is also crucial in promoting milk production. That’s why Tinasas regularly deworms his herd every three months, and does fecalysis before and after breeding.

“Fecalysis helps in identifying presence of parasite as well as determine the exact dose and medicine you have to give them,” he adds. “In this way, you can minimize production cost.”

SHOWCASING TECHNOLOGY
Pleased with Tinasas’ success in goat raising and milk processing, the Philippine Council for Agriculture Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) chose his goat farm as a demo farm for its project Science and Technology-Based Farming (STBF).

This project aims to make farmers appreciate and learn the benefits of technology application in goat production. And at least 30 farmers have taken part in it.

The introduction of STBF in his farm had been very helpful in the improvement of breed and in the enhancement of the quality of his goat’s milk products. The PCARRD, says Tinasas, provided technical and financial assistance for the purchase of equipment. Among these is the milking machine, which hastens milk collection and improves quality as contamination is avoided. The pasteurizing machine, on one hand, prolongs milk shelf life.

Tinasas is very willing to share his knowledge on dairying, which is the result of his experience and training and exposure trips abroad. He is glad that the number of goat farmers in the country is increasing so as the demand for goat meat and milk products. And for this reason, he plans to expand his processing area to increase milk production and more importantly, to generate more jobs in the community.

By Noel T. Provido