Agriculture Business Week

Unknown to many, the biggest commercial swine farm in the Ilocos Region and probably one of the biggest in the country is in Barangay Bugayong, Binalonan, Pangasinan, which is located parallel to the national highway.

The DCU Farm started on a rented land 23 years ago with five weanlings, which were raised for fattening. Today, it is already at the 1,000-sow level in a sprawling contiguous area and has been incorporated as the DCU Farm Corporation.

Equally astonishing is that the owner, Danilo “Danny” C. Uy, is a high school dropout who established the small piggery because his neighbors were quarreling over the waste generated by a small kropek factory he established about a year earlier.

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Posted on August 16th, 2012 under Livestock. Tags: Hog, Pig, Swine. Comments: 6

Coming from the heels of ebola reston virus and AH1N1, typhoon-induced devastation and business risks brought about by foreign trade agreements, the swine business in the Philippines has become an interesting business, if not complicated. Pundits will definitely agree that this multi-billion peso sector, along with the corn industry, has faced more challenges than any agribusiness in the country.

Nevertheless, the industry’s resiliency is as “fat” as ever with stakeholders vowing to revive its vibrancy and entering 2010 with very bright prospects. Amid all ordeals, industry players are determined to hurdle insurmountable obstacles to get the sector back on the right track.

The stigma of 2009
Data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) show that in 2009 hog production managed to post a 1.16 percent increase due to the number of fatteners which resulted in increased number of animals sold for slaughter in Visayas and Mindanao. BAS also said the control of Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive System (PRRS) due to vaccination in Luzon regions resulted in the recovery of farms in the third quarter of last year.

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Posted on June 23rd, 2010 under Livestock. Tags: A(H1N1), Disease, Ebola, Hogs, Livestock, Pigs, Swine. Comments: 3

Care and Health Practices

Common Diseases and Parasites

Hog Cholera or Swine Fever

Pigs gets contaminated through direct contact or by eating uncooked slops or kitchen scraps containing the virus

Signs

• Fever, loss of appetite
• Increased thirst, chills and sometimes vomiting
• Constipation, later followed by diarrhea
• Inflammation of the eye (conjunctivitis) thick discharges causing eyelids to stick together
• Reddish, purple discoloration of skin at ears, abdomen, inner thighs or tai
• Death ensues 4-7 days after onset of signs
• Prolonged duration of illness (chronic form) terminates in pneumonia or hemorrhagic enteritis, or both

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Posted on October 10th, 2009 under Livestock. Tags: Disease, Pigs, Swine. Comments: 3

Hog raising is a very popular enterprise in the Philippines such that there is a proliferation of backyard producers, which dominates the swine industry and a healthy viable commercial sector.

Despite the crises facing the swine industry, still many people are venturing in this enterprise. This manual hopes to bring appropriate technology to the interested farmers and would-be swine producers in order that they may realize profitable production and improve their quality of life.

Kinds of Swine

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Posted on October 9th, 2009 under Livestock. Tags: Hogs, Pigs/Hogs, Swine. Comments: 2

In the banana producing areas in Mindanao, the growers have a problem with their so-called “rejects” which are either too small or too big for the export market.

One big plantation alone may have 15 tons of rejects every day. There are some businessmen who buy the rejects dirt cheap (P500 per truckload) but they can buy just a small fraction.

One company that is taking advantage of the availability of cheap off-size bananas is Perfect Milling, a feedmill in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, managed by Aerol Conde. Thanks to the off-size bananas, Aerol can produce high quality feeds at a lower price than the competition. He said that his feeds (for swine and poultry) are at least P40 per bag cheaper than the leading brand in the market.

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Posted on September 9th, 2009 under Fruits, Livestock. Tags: Banana, Feeds, Fruits, Pigs/Hogs, Swine. Comments: 1

Here’s an in-depth look at the world of swine raising and the potential business you can get out of it.

Another biosecurity measure is, regular monitoring of animals for diseases. All incoming livestock must be tested and quarantined before transporting them to the hog house.

Waste management is a key biosecurity measure. Improper waste management in the hog house can inevitably lead to profit losses. Sanitation in the pens may be performed by dry cleaning or by using a power sprayer to minimize water usage in cleaning the pens. The use of slatted flooring also lessens water usage in cleaning. Pens should be built to maintain the pigs’ temperature levels to minimize the need to wash them. Trees and foliage may be planted in the vicinity of the hog house to keep the animals cool in hot weather.

An anaerobic process called biogas production may be used to extract methane gas from the animal wastes. This greatly reduces waste odor in the hog house. Another anaerobic process that can be adapted is the use of a septic tank, commonly known as the poso negro. A lagoon may be built with aerators as an aerobic process of waste management. Solid wastes may also be mixed with plant residues with effective microorganisms like Trichoderma and Azotobacter to produce organic fertilizer within a month.

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Posted on August 31st, 2009 under Livestock. Tags: Disease, Meat, Pigs/Hogs, Swine. Comments: None

Here’s an in-depth look at the world of swine raising and the potential business you can get out of it.

Sows and gilts should be full-fed with a high-energy ration for fourteen days prior to mating to ensure a maximum ovulation rate.

Mating should be done at the most appropriate time for the sow to guarantee the maximum litter size. Signs that a sow is in heat should be closely observed before mating. These include exhibiting restlessness and frequent grunts, mounting other pigs, frequent urination, swelling and reddening of the vulva with possible discharge.

Sows and gilts should be mated to the same boar in one heat period with an interval of 12 to 25 hours. An ideal boar to sow ratio is 1.25 to 30.

Sows should be settled in the furrowing house seven days before expected date of furrowing to give the sow ample time to adjust to her new environment. Sows and gilts should be de-wormed and protected from internal parasites and should be treated for external parasites two weeks before expected furrowing date.

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Posted on August 4th, 2009 under Livestock. Tags: Artificial Insemination, Business, Meat, Pigs/Hogs, Swine. Comments: None

Here’s an in-depth look at the world of swine raising and the potential business you can get out of it.

Housing facilities play an important role in raising profitable hogs. The swine house should be constructed to aid in the maximum performance of the stock. Poorly constructed hog houses unquestionably facilitate health management problems that should be avoided.

Hog houses are ideally built on a slightly sloping area to facilitate proper drainage. This prevents the house from getting too muddy and allows convenience.

Concrete floors should be built for permanent hog houses. This facilitates ease in cleaning and minimizes parasite and disease incidents. Concrete floors should not be too abrasive to cause leg and feet problems. However it should not also be too smooth to be slippery when wet.

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Posted on June 18th, 2009 under Livestock. Tags: Breeding, Hogs, Pigs, Pigs/Hogs, Swine. Comments: None

Here’s an in-depth look at the world of swine raising and the potential business you can get out of it.

Swine is believed to be the earliest animal to be domesticated, proven by paintings and carvings of pigs that date back to 25,000 years have been found. Swine is one of agriculture’s best sources of income and a very good source of protein.

The Philippine swine industry is dominated by backyard hog farming, which claims 76% of total swine stocks while 24% come from commercial farms. The swine industry contributed to 80% of the total Philippine livestock output in 2004.

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Posted on June 8th, 2009 under Livestock. Tags: Duroc, Landrace, Pig, Pigs/Hogs, Swine, Yorkshire. Comments: 2

Here’s an ABC guide on how to choose, and care for your piglets.

Despite the many crises the swine industry faces, many Filipinos still venture into swine-raising as an enterprise. This may sound all hogwash during times of porcine crisis, so we will let statistics speak for it:

Selecting a bloodline
Today there are imported breeds of meat-type swine presently available in the Philippine market ‘there is no ultimately ideal breed that gives the most profit. Instead, producers should consider local conditions mid other Factors such as farming experience, finance and purpose when choosing a breed to raise.

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Posted on May 4th, 2009 under Livestock. Tags: Pigs, Swine. Comments: 6

Controlling the odor from pigpens has been the challenge for many swine raisers, especially in urban areas. Unknown to many, PCAKRD’s Magsasaka-Siyentista (MS) Felimon `Boy’ Santander from Mandug, Davao City, a swine raiser and a biogas advocate, has come up with an alternative and environment-friendly farming technology to combat.

MS Santander constructed his own modified biogas digester in his backyard in 1995. It eliminated the unpleasant odor coming from the pigpen, at the same time provided a free source of cooking gas. He also started to promote biogas and provide free file] to his neighbors. Consequently, other pigpen owners requested Santander’s assistance in constructing their own biogas digester.

MS Santander’s modified digester’s features are simple. It uses concrete materials. His digesters range from 2m3 to 20m3. Through his modified biogas digester, Santander has proven that biogas technology can also be used in small-scale backyard pigpens.

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Posted on May 2nd, 2009 under Livestock, Technology. Tags: Biogas, Digester, Pigs, Swine. Comments: 17