Sta. Barbara [Pangasinan, Philippines] cattle fattening project: methodological considerations and implications for future on-farm research
1987
Calub, A.D. | Roxas, D.B. | Carangal, V.R. (Philippines Univ., Los Banos, College, Laguna (Philippines). Inst. of Animal Science)
On-farm systems research is being implemented at Santa Barbara, Pangasinan [Philippines] collaboratively with rice farmers. The University of the Philippines at Los Banos [College, Laguna, Philippines], the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries [Philippines] and the International Rice Research Institute [Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines] are jointly implementing a project that seeks to improve overall farm productivity by increased cropping intensity, especially through the dry season. Legume crops such as mungbeans and cowpea are intended to provide residual fodder to livestock after the grain is harvested. Pretrial evaluation showed that rice crops yielded about 3MT/ha. Rice straw yield and weeds, which compose the bulk of livestock feed, could support only the present stocking rate of one animal unit per hectare at a gain of less than 0.2 kg/day for 1 to 2 year-old fattened cattle. Post-trial feed profiles showed that more legume biomass or more feed of better quality could increase daily live weight gains to 0.5 kg, making it possible to increase animal holdings. Some approaches that show potential for increasing biomass and crop yields are: planting dual-purpose legumes after rice; planting fodder trees; planting other forages in field bunds and backyards; improving the use and storage of rice straw and other residues. For this program to be successful, interdisciplinary research with active farmer participation is essential. Second and third generation approaches, such as introducing more dual-purpose legume cultivars and using simplified economic analyses, need to be considered.
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