Improving your herd? FILIPINO BIOTECH GROUP OFFERS FIXED TIME AI, EMBRYO TRANSFER

The post on the viability of breeding and growing in Mindanao of Wagyu, the Japanese cattle reputed to produce the most expensive beef, generated a lot of interest and inquiries on where to source breeding materials.

There is only one Filipino agricultural company, RAMCAR Corp. which operates the Umalag Ranch in Libona, Bukidnon, which owns the most number of Wagyu, both purebred and percentage, estimated at over 3,000 heads.

The company, however, does not have any available bull for sale.

So, yesterday, I reached out to a Colombian animal production expert, Alfonso Serrano, who belongs to a new Filipino biotech company and sought his help.

Serrano, along with Argentinian Federico “Coco” Krausse, was one of the South American animal production experts I engaged in my initial attempt as Secretary of Agriculture to improve the beef and dairy industry of the Philippines.

When President Rody Duterte appointed me Secretary of Agriculture, the Philippines was importing an estimated 80,000 tons of beef and 95% of its dairy requirements every year.

The program proposed the importation of Heifers and Cows from Brazil, Argentina and Australia for the massive Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer to improve the cattle population estimated at only 2.5-million heads.

The program hit a bureaucratic snag and the rest is a sad story.

Coco Krausse decided to leave the program while Alfonso Serrano stayed and partnered with the owners of a local company, LM 10, to set up the Bionova Livestock.

The company, beefed up by the Colombian Serrano, an Argentinian and Italian along with local veterinarians, accountant and businesss development associates focused on improving the dairy and beef cattle population in the Philippines..

Among the services offered by Bionova are:

– Fixed-time Artificial Insemination, Fixed-time Embryo Transfer;

– Reproductive Gynecologic Ultrasound;

– Evaluation of bulls and seminal quality,

– Training in Biotechnologies,

– Online Classes,

– Farm Assessment,

– Sale of Genetic Material (semen for Dairy and Beef operation);

– Dairy Technology and equipment.

So for those who would like to improve their cattle herd both for dairy and beef production, Bionova has a collection of semen straws which they sell at very affordable prices to the farmer ranging from P1,200 to P2,500 per straw with a 50% pregnancy success rate.

I have posted here some of the bulls whose semen was gathered for artificial insemination and also the contact numbers of the Bionova Livestock Corporation.

I hope this would help Filipino cattle raisers improve their stocks.

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!

#ModernizingLivestockIndustry!

(Photos show some of the bulls of Bionova and the contact numbers of the company. Last photo shows Alfonso Serrano of Colombia and Nico Bolzico of Argentina in Masbate.)