Aro Pangasinan!: March 2011

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Friday, March 18, 2011

Urbiztondo Goat Farm

Goat raising in the Philippines is on the rise as there is an increase demand in goat meat and goat milk. It is also a way to provide a profitable livelihood for farmers as it requires minimum capital, it is low risk and easier to manage.

To maximize profit, farm owners have looked into Boer and Anglo Nubian breeds for sale as well as to upgrade the breed of local goats. Boers are known for their meat. A mature Boer bucks weigh between 110–135 kg (240-300 lb), and mature does between 90–100 kg (200-220 lb). A local goat costs a maximum of a thousand pesos only while an upgrade may cost more than P5,000 depending on its live weight. Anglo Nubians or Nubian does are known to for its milk which has a high butterfat content.

The government has realized the economic potential of goat raising. In 2007, the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Agrcultural Research has launched a Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) Goat Agribusiness Development Project wherein farmer-beneficiaries were given upgraded bucks (Boer and Anglo Nubian breeds) to farmer-recipients who meet the requirements on housing, ownership of five heads of doe, and pasture areas for grazing and forage. Upgrading the breed of goats is necessary to also upgrade the farmers' income, which means that they can now sell their goats at a relatively higher price.

There's a goat farm in Urbiztondo, Pangasinan that aims not only to produce elegant and productive lactating Nubians but also to help improve lives of people in the community by providing a source of income and educating farmers in sustainable goat raising technologies, self sufficiency, accountability, responsibility and other human values. Aptly named after the town where it is situated, Urbiztondo Goat Farm (UGF) is a family owned farm that aims to positively impact local community development. The farm is known for producing good looking and productive Nubians known as Urbiztondo Nubians.

Former Cotabato Governor Manny Piñol, one of the pioneers/experts of Boer and Anglo Nubian farming and owner of Brave Heart Farms has lauded Urbiztondo Goat Farm and it's owner, Camilo Velasco, Jr. He said in an email: "If there is anybody who understands goat pedigrees better, it is Milo. he is who I would call an "idealist" on goat bloodlines. I shared with him some of the best lines that I have including the only offspring of a black Anglo Nubian buck, jagged edge, the spotted goats from Oklahoma and the California line from Kastdemur's, Lakeshore and Elkhorn. He has two daughters of 70 Rocky, the best Boer buck of NGSCP 2007.

UGF's successful operation is hinged on proper farm management constituted by herd management, forage management and farm hand management- with a heart.

Here are pictures taken at the Urbiztondo Goat Farm:

You may contact Urbiztondo Goat Farm at the following numbers:

Magic Jack (424) 249 8685

Smart (0063) 9189447131

Globe (0063) 9175972554

Urbiztondo Goat Farm is located at Dalanguiring, Urbiztondo.

How To Get to Urbiztondo Goat Farm:

From Manila take the road to Camiling from Tarlac City. For those coming from Manila or the SCTEX, this means having to go though the Tarlac City proper. At the Camiling junction take the left turn through the Camiling Town Proper. This is the Carlos P. Romulo Highway or the Tarlac Pagasinan Road, that takes you to the Hundred Islands and Bolinao. But you do not have to go that far. At the Mangatarem Town Proper, take a right turn at the Mabini Street. This road takes you to Urbiztondo. Dalanguiring is about 1.5 kilometers from the Urbiztondo Town Proper.

Visit UGF's website at http://urbiztondogoats.webs.com/

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Pangasinan is Region 1's Best in Development Programs

Pangasinan is adjudged as the best province in Region 1 in development efforts, ahead of the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union. The province received seven out of eight awards for its various development programs in 2010. The awards were given recently by the Regional Development Councils (RDC).

The awards that Pangasinan bagged were the Hall of Fame Award, National Statistics Month celebration 2008-2010; Hall of Fame Award, Most Outstanding Coastal Resource Management Implementer 2009-2010; Best Provincial LGU Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Project Implementer for 2010; Best Project Implementer 2010; Best Poverty Reduction Program Implementer; Champion, 2009 Search for the Best LGU Province based on Local Government Performance Management System; and Champion, 2010 Search for the LGU Best Practice.

The lone award which Pangasinan did not get the best award was the 2010 Search for the Cleanest, Greenest and Safest Province. Pangasinan copped the first runner-up honors in that category.

Congratulations to Pangasinan! Mabuhay ang mga Pangasinenses!