THE country’s dairy cattle industry is among the primary sources of income of cattle raisers, particularly farmers in the province of Isabela, where there is a wide range of rice and corn fields which could be an abundant source of feed resources like green corn as forage/silage, rice straw, and corn stover.
But despite the vastness of areas, a number of dairy farmers is still faced with scarcity problem of quality feed resources for dairy animals especially during dry season, thus, affecting the supply of dairy products.
It can be noted that the country imports most of its milk requirements from leading dairy producing countries, based on a Philippine Dairy Update made by the National Dairy Authority.
The dairy supply situation is characterized by increasing local milk production, despite the availability of huge land areas suitable for livestock raising for the first semester of 2018.
The supply of forage is very low during the dry spell and the wet season is the peak season wherein quality feeds are high in supply, therefore contributing to the good milk production of cows.
In order to address feed quality and scarcity, and improve the current state of the dairy sector, it is recommended to come up with quality feed and roughages that will be made available all-year-round.
Forages and roughages are the backbones of the industry because ruminants like cow depend on them for milk and meat production.
Farmers need to be proficient in managing the development of forages and having an alternative supply of quality forage during lean months will help reduce the cost of feed production and increase milk production and profit.
A possible approach that can be made is through forage production and silage, enriched with locally-available fodder, could provide a year-round consistent feed supply with low-cost quality nutrients for livestock.
To operationalize the supply of quality forages, the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) is currently working with the Isabela State University (ISU) on a BAR-funded project “Adoption and Commercialization of Green Corn, Green Corn-based Silage, Haylage and UMMB Production for Dairy Cattle in Cagayan Valley.”
Corn silage is a high energy feed resource for ruminants being part forage and part grain, and in terms of nutrient content, it is lower in crude protein and higher in digestible energy than other forages.
As a minimum feed requirement, it is essential to provide a green fodder supplement to enhance rumen function for bovine animals and to increase milk production.
Forage conserved this way is known as “ensiled forage” or “silage” and will keep for up to three years without deteriorating.
Silage is very palatable to livestock and can be fed at any time. It is also considered the most convenient way to conserve forage crops.
The BAR and ISU project is expected to address the year-round availability of nutrient-rich feedstuff for dairy cattle/carabao; increased lactation period, milk production per head and total milk production; higher household income; improved nutrition of farm families, and less dependence on imported milk and milk products. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
