More views at the cattle farm of my uncle

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Rizal Philippines
April 17, 2016

These are other views on the way and at the farm of my uncle in a town in Rizal:  We had to travel about 6 to 8 km of downhill (steep) drive and two river crossing.  One road goes to Sta Ines which was the route we used before in 4 x 4

                                           Concrete portion of the road

                                         Mountain tree line is still green despite El Nino

                                 The cattle farm cowboys, healthy horses well fed and massaged

                                     The cattle transporter, the TLC 4x4  F40 version

Restaurants owned by former cattle rancher/LGU candidate

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Rizal Philippines
April 17, 2016

There are two notable restaurants both serving beef and bulalo and are owned by former cattle rancher:  They serve good food. One is along the Manila East Road, Run Bull and is always full.  The other is at Marcos Highway. near the Sierra Madre Hotel.  It is also full. most of the time

                                  What remains of the bulalo

                                            Sunflower to decorate the resto

                                             Plant decor at the table

                                       The owner is running for an LGU position, is eyeing VM and even
                                             M position for long term

Capon operations of the males at the cattle farm

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Rizal Philippines
April 17, 2016

                        It takes 5 strong cow hands excluding the dog to neuter a young male cow
                                        (Excluding the dog)


A cattle herd needs only 1 male for every 25 females.   So the rest of the males have to be neutered.  The neutered males gain weight faster but have more fat contents, and this makes the herd more peaceful.  Testosterone rich  males would quarrel with other males. So some of the males were neutered by having blood vessels going to their testes cut from from the outside with a device.

The males resist being made bading and they fight cry or rush out of the pen revolting.  Who would not?

                                          Herd returning from grazing in the mountains

                                       The Brahman stocks are well fed and large

More food sources at the cattle farm

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Rizal Philippines
April 16, 2016

These are the additional food sources at the cattle farm of my uncle:  pomelo, papaya, langka

         Pomelo

                                        Papaya

                                            Langka

                                                    Langka

These are on top of camote tops, tubers native chicken, and pigs

My uncle bought a USA catch and he shared this with all of us; may daughter pitied the deer

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Rizal Philippines
April 17, 2016

                                       The deer meat being skinned by Larry; an expert butcher


In our visit to to the cattle farm of my uncle, one of the cow hands went on a hunting trip the night before until noon yesterday and they bagged a deer (reminds us of Habakuk) The deer after dressing weighed 14 kgs.  The hunter sold to my uncle the whole deer for P300 per kilo.  He bought this and will pay on Tuesday (P4,200). He told me that he was nakikisama because the hunter would not find a buyer at that place (near Sta Ines -  it s remote area:   no water electricity and the only way to get there is by horse, motorcycle and 4 x4.   There were two river crossing

My uncle shared the whole USA (deer) with his driver, a butcher who work for a councilor of the town, me,  and pamangkin who is over all in charge of his cattle farm.  This morning, he texted me that he shared the the leg and spare ribs with his brother in law

Some questions:

1.  May deer (usa) until now?

2.  Is the deer not an endangered species?

3.  Are the hunters and their guns licensed?

4. Should may uncle have bought the deer or not?

                                  His knives was sharp and was able to skin and divide the carcass into
                                           proper division in 5 minutes

                                    For spare ribs, Larry got 1/2 of this, the other half went to my uncle

                                    What can be done to the skin?  My daughters pitied the poor deer

Organic native chicken, pig, are the latest craze in food consumption

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Rizal Philippines
April 16, 2016

Organic farming in Pavia Iloilo

I was told by a contractor whose family (father and father in law) are cattle raiser that the latest craze now especially in Iloilo (Pavia) is raising native organic chicken.  They are tastier, and are healthier.  They are not fed antibiotics, hormones or other strange molecules that are detrimental to health.  Health buffs and nutritionist endorse organic chicken

                                      Narive chicken

                                     Native pig

Cattle dogs in action

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Rizal Philippines
April 16, 2016

                              The cattle dogs wait for the new batch of cattle arriving from ranging


There are stories about cattle dogs (just like cowboys) abroad.  But I never saw one in reality.  Until today. There were three such dogs in my uncles cattle farm in Tanay Rizal.  Earlier during the day, they just waited for scraps and that was OK for them.

The dogs helped load the cattle into the transporter.  They worked together with cowhands, barking in unison, occasional nipping the cattle at their legs. I heard too, that the there  deer that was shot  and heard that the dog was a hunter too.  Great dogs.

More notes on food security from a contractor whose parents are bakeros

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Rizal Philippines
April 16, 2016

I conversed with a contractor from an island province in Mimaropa and we had interesting conversation at a buffet resto in Atrium of Megamall on food security and food production:

1.  Many farmers who are into citrus are converting to rice farming;

2. For citrus farming, you can raise sheep (where do you get them.  Can may uncle sell him sheep)

3.  He tried to learn about chicken and cattle raising but was never successful.  He makes more money on construction

4.  He discussed the new way of marketing tilapia which are in aquarium and delivered in tanks (done all ready in Bulacan and Pampanga)  It seems to very popular.  Like in seafood restaurants where you select your catch and have it cooked.   You  get fresh tilapia from aquarium tanks.

5.  He is trying to convince his children to engage in food production and food production.  Food security is now a major concern of the world, what with growing population and El Nino. For meat processing, you need mostly slicers.

6.  He lost two Bower goats which he bought for his father in law because he did not know the unique needs of the imported breed.

7.  For eggs, because of the high cost of feed, it is better to buy them from Batangas wholesale, cheap than have them in MIndoro.

8.  The Chinese farmers who dominate Mindoro poultry have their own feed mill and control corn supply from Occ. Min.

9.  He nearly married into the family of the mayor of Padre Garcia Bat. which is now the cattle trading capital of the Philippines.