Animal breeding is the foundation of profitable production and one of the pillars of a strong nation. By having a strong animal breeding program in whatever species of farm animal, the citizenry is assured of adequate supply of food.
Animal breeding has been around since domestication of animals. There was a need for domestication because our ancestors needed animals for many purposes like draft, meat, milk, hide and egg. Animals were bred on purpose before history was written but the earliest record was that in the bible particularly in Leviticus 21. Of course that pertains to humans but it also applies to animals. The earliest records on animals were those written by the Sumerians and Turks whom kept records of breeding history of their horses. The Sumerians bred the Arabian horse with lineage that can be traced to date and the Turks from Turkmenistan bred the Akhal-Teke. The practical application of animal breeding was first implemented in England by Robert Bakewell in the 1700s. He bred sheep and cattle and produced animals that were sought after in his time. He also pioneered inbreeding and progeny testing. Gregor Mendel on the other hand was the father of genetics. He studied heredity and established two important laws of genetics. These are the Law of Segregation and the Law of Independent Assortment. Charles Darwin on the other hand established that natural selection is an evolutionary force. Another British, Ronald Fisher, provided statistical basis for inheritance.
In United States of America, Sewall Green Wright founded the modern theoretical population genetics and Jay Lush founded the science of animal breeding. He investigated and assessed traits of farm animals and improved them by initiating breeding programs that were practical yet effective. Interestingly, they were both based in research centers of agricultural universities.
The Philippines, being formerly under different colonizers---Spain, USA, and Japan---is still struggling with developing our own agricultural resources. Because before, as a colony, we were only after the production of what our colonizers needed like coffee, coconut, spices, and sugar and there were no efforts on the development of our own animal industry as a nation.
This is evident until today, for example, majority of our dairy requirement is imported. Only a small segment of the Philippine milk market is supplied by local producers. We also import a lot of beef and carabeef to augment our industrial requirements.
Dairy and beef cattle breeding in US and in Europe on the other hand is more focused and has a direction in a national framework because they have existing national breeding programs. Here, many farms rely on the products of foreign breeding programs which in the end may not be beneficial because our environment is different from theirs. Also, majority of our cattle are raised in small-scale backyards that often efficiency is sacrificed. I think that if we want to become more efficient we have to shift to bigger scale of production. This can be accomplished by the formation of producer’s cooperatives like what the Batangas Dairy Cooperative did.
The swine and poultry industry, meanwhile, is different. Most of the commercial swine farms that we have has advanced and directed breeding programs. Even the production performance of the commercial swine farms are at par with foreign counterparts but sadly, it only comprises a small percentage of our national output since majority of our pigs are grown in small and medium farms which are also backyard based and are lacking the technology and skills that are readily accessible and available to bigger farm enterprises. The transfer of genetics in this setting is also slow because the common backyard swine farmer is very difficult to educate. For example, some would not even take a second look at artificial insemination.
On the other hand, broiler and layer breeding are mostly done and directed by foreign companies and we are always at their mercy. This makes genetic cost quite high in these species. The broilers and layers being grown in the Philippines are foreign-bred. Expectedly, production performance is also at par with that of the rest of the world. It also helps that the buildings on most broiler and layer farms are being upgraded. Many buildings that are in use in the country are computer controlled mostly those that are owned by big companies. This improvement in housing is further improving the performance of broilers and layers.
One big obstacle in our country’s production of farm animals is the high cost of feeds which accounts for more than half of the production cost. This is due to scarcity of raw materials and the inefficient post-production and transportation system that we currently have. Local yellow corn for example, which comprises more than half of poultry and swine feeds, can be relatively scarce and toxin laden when the weather is on the extremes. Here in Cavite, there is no existing corn drying facility where small scale farmers could bring their produce during the rainy season. In addition, the continuing increase in fuel cost and hoarding by traders in some corn areas are also directly affecting the cost.
Soybean oil meal is another commodity that also has a big impact on the cost of feeds. It is the primary protein source or our pigs and chicken and we are importing our requirements from US, Argentina, and India.
In contrast, in US, they have vast lands planted with corn and soya. This, coupled with good post-harvest facilities and efficient transportation makes their feed raw materials cheap. This is brought about by the laws that were implemented early on their nationhood like the Homestead Act which gave the landless settlers their own areas to farm, the establishment of agricultural colleges and research stations which had strong extension efforts, and the aggressive mechanization of farm labor. This improved the efficiency of their agriculture and kept their production cost low. In addition, their government is heavily subsidizing farms and is even extending credit.
The Philippines, in general, has much to be learned in terms of animal production and breeding. The government can improve on many things like infrastructure improvement especially on transportation and post-harvest. We must also strengthen the extension services of our government research institutions so that investment on them can be maximized and be felt by the small farmers. Also, incentives for agriculture students must be in place to encourage more scientific farmers in the future.
Animal breeding has been around since domestication of animals. There was a need for domestication because our ancestors needed animals for many purposes like draft, meat, milk, hide and egg. Animals were bred on purpose before history was written but the earliest record was that in the bible particularly in Leviticus 21. Of course that pertains to humans but it also applies to animals. The earliest records on animals were those written by the Sumerians and Turks whom kept records of breeding history of their horses. The Sumerians bred the Arabian horse with lineage that can be traced to date and the Turks from Turkmenistan bred the Akhal-Teke. The practical application of animal breeding was first implemented in England by Robert Bakewell in the 1700s. He bred sheep and cattle and produced animals that were sought after in his time. He also pioneered inbreeding and progeny testing. Gregor Mendel on the other hand was the father of genetics. He studied heredity and established two important laws of genetics. These are the Law of Segregation and the Law of Independent Assortment. Charles Darwin on the other hand established that natural selection is an evolutionary force. Another British, Ronald Fisher, provided statistical basis for inheritance.
In United States of America, Sewall Green Wright founded the modern theoretical population genetics and Jay Lush founded the science of animal breeding. He investigated and assessed traits of farm animals and improved them by initiating breeding programs that were practical yet effective. Interestingly, they were both based in research centers of agricultural universities.
The Philippines, being formerly under different colonizers---Spain, USA, and Japan---is still struggling with developing our own agricultural resources. Because before, as a colony, we were only after the production of what our colonizers needed like coffee, coconut, spices, and sugar and there were no efforts on the development of our own animal industry as a nation.
This is evident until today, for example, majority of our dairy requirement is imported. Only a small segment of the Philippine milk market is supplied by local producers. We also import a lot of beef and carabeef to augment our industrial requirements.
Dairy and beef cattle breeding in US and in Europe on the other hand is more focused and has a direction in a national framework because they have existing national breeding programs. Here, many farms rely on the products of foreign breeding programs which in the end may not be beneficial because our environment is different from theirs. Also, majority of our cattle are raised in small-scale backyards that often efficiency is sacrificed. I think that if we want to become more efficient we have to shift to bigger scale of production. This can be accomplished by the formation of producer’s cooperatives like what the Batangas Dairy Cooperative did.
The swine and poultry industry, meanwhile, is different. Most of the commercial swine farms that we have has advanced and directed breeding programs. Even the production performance of the commercial swine farms are at par with foreign counterparts but sadly, it only comprises a small percentage of our national output since majority of our pigs are grown in small and medium farms which are also backyard based and are lacking the technology and skills that are readily accessible and available to bigger farm enterprises. The transfer of genetics in this setting is also slow because the common backyard swine farmer is very difficult to educate. For example, some would not even take a second look at artificial insemination.
On the other hand, broiler and layer breeding are mostly done and directed by foreign companies and we are always at their mercy. This makes genetic cost quite high in these species. The broilers and layers being grown in the Philippines are foreign-bred. Expectedly, production performance is also at par with that of the rest of the world. It also helps that the buildings on most broiler and layer farms are being upgraded. Many buildings that are in use in the country are computer controlled mostly those that are owned by big companies. This improvement in housing is further improving the performance of broilers and layers.
One big obstacle in our country’s production of farm animals is the high cost of feeds which accounts for more than half of the production cost. This is due to scarcity of raw materials and the inefficient post-production and transportation system that we currently have. Local yellow corn for example, which comprises more than half of poultry and swine feeds, can be relatively scarce and toxin laden when the weather is on the extremes. Here in Cavite, there is no existing corn drying facility where small scale farmers could bring their produce during the rainy season. In addition, the continuing increase in fuel cost and hoarding by traders in some corn areas are also directly affecting the cost.
Soybean oil meal is another commodity that also has a big impact on the cost of feeds. It is the primary protein source or our pigs and chicken and we are importing our requirements from US, Argentina, and India.
In contrast, in US, they have vast lands planted with corn and soya. This, coupled with good post-harvest facilities and efficient transportation makes their feed raw materials cheap. This is brought about by the laws that were implemented early on their nationhood like the Homestead Act which gave the landless settlers their own areas to farm, the establishment of agricultural colleges and research stations which had strong extension efforts, and the aggressive mechanization of farm labor. This improved the efficiency of their agriculture and kept their production cost low. In addition, their government is heavily subsidizing farms and is even extending credit.
The Philippines, in general, has much to be learned in terms of animal production and breeding. The government can improve on many things like infrastructure improvement especially on transportation and post-harvest. We must also strengthen the extension services of our government research institutions so that investment on them can be maximized and be felt by the small farmers. Also, incentives for agriculture students must be in place to encourage more scientific farmers in the future.