I am back to what I love doing in the farm – the breeding of chicken and goats.
Contrary to the belief that since I have multiple tasks as a government official, I delegate the breeding program to my farm workers, I actually handle the breeding myself.
On weekends, I go home to the farm and transform myself from a Cabinet Secretary to a farmer.
I personally set the breeding yards of my gamefowls and I could identify all of my broodcocks, including their genetic lineage.
I keep a record book of all the matings for the season where the markings are indicated.
After a long absence from goat breeding, I have also started rearing three breeds of goats – Boer for meat and Anglo Nubian and La Mancha for dairy.
I used to have over 300 goats in the farm and my Boer buck, Rocky, and his offsprings, a buckling and doeling, romped off with the Championship Trophies in the NGSCP Goat Show in Cagayan de Oro in 2006.
Rocky is long gone but his genes could still be traced to many outstanding Boer farms in Mindanao.
I have acquired new breeding materials from my friend, American Boer breeder Vickie Geddes of the Tehachapi Boers of Tehachapi, California.
I also have a few Anglo Nubians from the Six M Galaxy line and La Manchas.
It will take sometime before I could reach the 300-head level years ago but I could get there again.
It is just a matter of waiting or “tiyaga” as they say it in Pilipino.
This is one trait of a farmer that many do not understand and it is called patience.
It takes years before a goat is ready for mating.
It takes at least 6 months before a pullet is ready to lay eggs.
So, to those who believe that agriculture growth should be measured on a quarterly basis, you better learn how to breed animals and plant crops.
Only then will you truly understand agriculture.
(The first two frames show my 2006 National Champion buck Rocky and my young children feeding Boer kids. The other photos show the Boers I am now breeding in the farm.)
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