JOMEL PAUL M.

PALMA
 The major constraints to growth and development of the cattle industry are low
breeding base, poor nutrition and herd management, localized peace and order
situation, efficient marketing systems and structures and unfavorable government
policies are the major problems encountered in backyard operations include
inefficient breeding techniques, inadequate feed supply and lack of adequate
technical support, veterinary and extension services from the government. This
scenario shrank the country's cow-calf operations both in number and production
performance.
 With the increasing demands for beef coupled with the declining trend in local
cattle population, it is expected that importation of both beef and live cattle in
large volumes would continue unless something is done to augment the local cattle
industry. Nevertheless, current trends in the livestock industry showed that the beef
cattle sector had the biggest room for growth and productivity.
 The Philippine beef cattle industry is traditionally led by the private sector and is
largely of the smallhold or backyard endeavor. It is considered one of the country’s
least developed commodity for the past several years. This is demonstrated by the
reduction in local cattle population and the continuous importation of both live
cattle and beef products to satisfy the local demand. The decline of cattle
population is primarily attributed to high slaughter rate.
 In general, the growth of the cattle population (2.7%) was much more than that of
buffaloes and is also the result of considerable imports of both dairy and beef
cattle into the Asian region. The largest increases were noted in Indo-China, with
Cambodia (8.6%), Laos and Vietnam (7.5%), followed by Indonesia (3.5%) and
Myanmar (0.4%). The Philippines had a negative growth rate.
 Commercial feedlot fattening operation emerged and proliferated on account of
the huge demand for meat and meat products. Three things accounted for this
great demand--the ever-increasing population, changing food preferences of the
Filipinos, and import liberalization.
 However, the industry is heavily dependent on the importation of feeder stocks
coming mostly from Australia. In 2018, the number of imported live cattle was
17,982 head or 23.79 percent while 90 percent of the country’s beef supply is
imported from Brazil. Almost 97 percent of the total importation was feeder cattle
and the rest were classified as breeders.
 In 2018, the cattle
production at 263.00
thousand metric tons,
liveweight reduced by
1.24 percent compared
with the previous year’s
output of 266.30
thousand metric tons,
liveweight.
 The total volume of cattle production in
2018 was 263.00 thousand metric tons,
liveweight. This was 1.24 percent lower
than the 266.30 thousand metric tons,
liveweight output in 2017.
 Decreases in production were noted in
all quarters of 2018, except in July to
September wherein production
improved by 0.12 percent from a
decline of 3.46 percent in the second
quarter.
 13 regions posted declines in cattle
production. These regions were:
CAR Ilocos Region
Cagayan Valley CALABARZON
MIMAROPA Bicol
Western Visayas Central Visayas
Eastern Visayas Davao
SOCCSKSARGEN CARAGA
ARMM
*CARAGA posted the highest decrement of 8.86 percent, compared with the
previous year’s production of 1.57 thousand metric tons, liveweight.
 The top 3 producing regions
were Northern Mindanao,
CALABARZON and Ilocos
Region. These regions had a
combined share of 35.37
percent to the country’s cattle
production.
INVENTORY
 As of 1 January 2019, the total
Inventory of cattle was
estimated at 2.54 million heads
Terminologies
 Bull- a Sexually mature male.
 Cow- a female that has produced a calf.
 Heifer- a Female that has not produced a calf
 Heiferette- a heifer that has calved once, dried up and is fed for slaughter
 Steer- a castrated male
 Calf- a young cattle (less than 1 year)
Terminologies
 Calve- the act of giving birth
 Stocker- weaned cattle that are run on grass or fed by roughage diets
 Cow-Calf Operation- a management unit that maintains a breed herd of cows and
produces weaned calves for sale.
 Yearling- a cattle of either sex that is 1 to 2 years of age.
 Crossbred- an animal that is a product of the crossing of two or more breeds.
 Feeder Cattle- Those requiring more Growth and/or fatten before slaughter
 Feedlot- beef cattle enterprise where cattle are place confinement, fed harvested
feeds and fattened slaughter
1. What are your resources?
Think about the land, feed, equipment, facilities, labor,
etc. that will be required for a beef cattle operation. Land
availability and feed resources are often limiting factors. In
terms of equipment, think about trailers, feeders, waterers,
chutes, calving pens, wagons, etc. Many of these items can
be purchased used at farm sales. Perhaps you have some of
the items already that you are using in other farming
enterprises. Fencing and shelter would be big upfront
facility expenses.
2. What is your knowledge level?
How comfortable are you with animal health, nutrition,
reproduction, well-being, etc.? For beginner producers
there are many quality educational programs
available. Work with veterinarians, nutritionists,
experienced producers, extension specialists, etc. to find
the educational resources that you need.
3. What would a budget look like for your cattle operation?
Working through an itemized enterprise budget can help
you identify all the potential costs and potential incomes. Many
land grant university extension programs have farm
management specialists and online budgeting tools that can help
you with this process. Production costs can vary tremendously
farm to farm and income can vary significantly depending on
numerous production and market variables. Profit margins are
sometimes narrow. Budgeting effectively can help to identify
areas of potential improvement.
4. What sector of the beef industry is the best fit for you?
 The beef industry can be broadly divided into cow-calf production and feedlot
production. Cow-calf operations manage breeding herds to produce new
offspring every year. Feedlot operations feed those offspring to market weight
and sell them to be processed into retail beef.
 There are also stocker / backgrounder operations that specialize in feeding
weaned feeder cattle to a certain point before selling to feedlot operators. There
are, of course, many variations and combinations of these sectors. Some cow-calf
producers retain ownership and feed their own cattle to market weight,
essentially operating cow-calf and feedlot operations.
 Seed stock producers raise breeding stock for commercial cow-calf producers;
and club calf producers raise show stock for 4-H and FFA exhibitors. Think
through a marketing plan and determine which sector of the industry would
make the most sense for you.
5. How might you add value?
As a small player in the commercial commodity market, you will be
very much at the mercy of the cattle market. Sometimes, small cattle farms
are well positioned to take advantage of niche markets that may add value
to their cattle. There is growing demand for natural, organic, source
verified, grass-fed, etc. products that can be sold directly as freezer or
locker beef. Some small producers use farmers markets to gain exposure
and build clientele. Perhaps you are interested in beef cattle genetics of a
particular breed and you would like to pursue seedstock production. Even
if you choose to market weaned calves as commodity feeder calves, there
may be ways to add value. Because small lots are sometimes at a
disadvantage marketing through auction markets, you might look into direct
marketing to a cattle feeder, combining lots with other small producers, or
retaining ownership through a custom cattle feeder.
6. What production system would work best for you?
Productions systems vary based on region, climate, resources, and
many other factors. In the Midwest, the most common system has
historically been spring-calving cows that graze pasture during the growing
season and consume hay, silage, grain, and other stored feeds during the
winter. Numerous variations of this system that can work well. In some
areas, grazing crop residue and stockpiled forages can extend the grazing
season dramatically. Alternatively, there is growing interest in dry lot and
confinement production of beef cattle. There are many ways successfully
raise beef cattle.
7. When is your calving season?
Calving season is an important component of your production
system. It is usually best to have a short, defined calving season to produce
a group of calves that are similar in age and weight. Although, most herds
calve in the spring, you can establish your calving season (and associated
breeding season) to be whenever you would like. There are many factors to
consider and there is no perfect answer to the question of when to
calve. Plan your calving season considering labor availability, weather,
facilities, feed availability, marketing plan, etc.
8. What is your breeding plan?
Bulls are incredibly important to your breeding operation. They are
responsible for breeding multiple females and thus affect not only pregnancy rates
but contribute greatly to the genetics of your calf crop. For example, if you have
one bull and twenty cows, each calf gets half of his/her DNA from that single
bull. Bulls are also expensive. It is easier to justify spending a lot of money on a
bull if you can spread that cost out over many cows. (One mature bull should easily
be able to cover 25-30 cows in most situations.) It becomes more challenging
however to justify the cost of an expensive bull for a lesser number of
cows. Artificial insemination (AI) is an option but requires a clean-up bull to breed
those that do not settle through AI. It may be worth considering leasing
agreements, partnerships, and other creative arrangements to acquire your bull
power. Think not only about cost but also about biosecurity and genetics as you
make bull decisions.
9. What are your feed resources?
Feed is probably the most important input for a beef cattle
operation. Adequate nutrition is critical to the health, well-being, and
productivity of your cattle. Feed cost is the biggest cost of a cattle operation
and often the number one factor in determining profitability. You must feed
cattle well-balanced rations but do it in an affordable manner. Plan for
adverse weather events such as drought, flood, cold stress, etc. It is often
wise to have a back-up supply of feed on hand.
 What are your talents and interests as they relate
to beef cattle production? What aspects of cattle
production do you find interesting? What aspects
of cattle production do you enjoy? You are much
more likely to be successful if you are interested in
and passionate about what you are doing.