Genestar Swine Technologies Co

Pig Production and Goat Management Newsletter

TECHNOLOGY RESOURCE IN GOAT PRODUCTION
Finally, we will have the goat book. It is a "must have" reference guide in the farm to improve herd performance. It is common to see goats due for slaughter weighing only 18 kg in about 8 - 10 months old, when it is possible to grow them to achieve 30 to 35 kg in about 6 months of age. Goat farming is a highly profitable business because demand is high and grass is its basic food. It requires only correct management strategies.

Goat herd productivity in the country is generally low, according to some surveys undertaken by teams of researchers from 2018 to 2025. Unfortunately, the volume of research work undertaken locally on small ruminants is extremely limited. ADG from birth to slaughter age is more or less 80 grams per day and national milk yield of dairy goats is 1.2 liters per day on the average. But there are individual goats that yield 4 -5 liters of milk per day in the country. The goat industry is also confronted with high mortalities due to parasitism and disease. We also see a rising dewormer resistance because dewormers are often misused. Likewise, not all goat producers are doing vaccination due to lack of awareness. For instance, not all are vaccinating against Enterotoxemia and Tetanus. Goats are very susceptible to tetanus. A major reason for this low herd output in both goat meat and milk is lack of knowledge in goat production.

GOAT MANAGEMENT GUIDE: This goat book covers 20 chapters of basic management practices on meat goat production. Breeding management, health, breeder selection, rearing and goat feeding management are extensively discussed to equip the goat raisers with enough tools to carry out a successful goat operation. This book was written exclusively to guide current goat producers in the Philippines in better ways of producing efficiently slaughter goats of desirable weight and carcass quality. But the materials herein are equally useful to anyone planning to engage in goat production regardless of scale in a tropical environment. This goat book addresses many flaws in the current goat husbandry practices in goat farms across the country as observed previously by the author. This book includes a documentation of observations in goat management from several commercial goat farms in the Philippines. Hence, management strategies that had been proven effective in the goat farms were packaged in this book. However, the contents also include updates from studies undertaken by teams of researchers here and abroad. Overall, the content focuses on building goat production as a viable and profitable business enterprise. This book is also well illustrated to make it a self-learning material and to make learning easy for the goat raisers in the field.

Book is over 650 pages and will be printed in glossy paper in both paperback and hardbound form.

INTERNATIONAL FARMERS SUMMIT 2026
SMX Pasay city
Similar to other national gatherings involving the country’s Agri sector, the 2026 International Farmer’s Summit will serve as a venue to exchange perspectives, knowledge, industry updates and ignite multi-sector collaboration that can shape a progressive roadmap of the agriculture industry. This event focuses exclusively on the livestock, poultry and acquaculture sectors and brings together industry experts, producers, and other stakeholders along the food supply chain. As innovations occur across many industries here and abroad, this event will showcase how much of that transformation had impacted our local agri industries.

Because of the large crowd that this event collectively attracts annually, this is also a big opportunity for the ruminant sector (goats and cattle) to showcase its potentials, generate interest in ruminants, expand market for this sector and highlight its role in economic development through the establishment of a sustainable ruminant industry. This is also an opportune time for the small ruminant sector to get heard because they represent a significant force in food production (for meat & milk) once the industry is developed. The number of goat raisers in the country is estimated to be close to around 700,000 producers tending to commercial and small-hold herds. Currently, there is much to be desired in the pace of development of the ruminant sector which had remained as an infant industry for many decades. To date, fragmented small-hold units widely dominate making up 99% of the goat industry.

Any ruminant enterprise must first be profitable to be sustainable and must be able to stand independently on its own. Small ruminants have an enormous potential to be a highly profitable livestock enterprise. Grass is its basic food so feed cost is much lower than that of swine. Similar to hogs, the goat industry needs to have nucleus and multiplier farms to accelerate genetic improvement of the local goat herds. Some feed companies had begun to recognize the market niche for ruminants as a potential market in the midst of the extreme depletion of the local hog population due to ASF. Laterly, we see a momentum in goat production heating up in the country with the entry of more players in goat farming and this is a good start for the transformation of the goat industry. Dairy goats remain an untapped resource and hold a significant card in improving milk supply in the country at lower investment cost.

Independent ruminant gatherings ordinarily draw only a handful of participants & sponsors because of its industry structure where there is a limited animal population which does not project an attractive market perspective for suppliers and other supply chain stakeholders. There are not many large commercial goat or cattle farms to deal with that can bring substantial product revenue except for feeds and dewormers. Dewormers are even misused paving the way for rising dewormer resistance. Not all are doing vaccination. Introducing innovations into the goat industry to develop profitable herd units would attract more entrepreneurs into this industry that can eventually lead to increased ruminant population and better market perspective.

For ruminant enthusiasts & entrepreneurs, this event is a venue to share insights and to explore opportunities.

Build your network. Meet new customers. Explore innovative solutions. Expand your business. 📈📈📈

There's no better venue to do all that than at The International Farmers Summit Philippines 2026!

📅 26-28 February 2026
📌 SMX Convention Center Manila

For inquiries on partnerships, sponsorships, and details on how to be an exhibitor, feel free to reach out to us through:

☎️ +63 921 546 2172
📩 [email protected]

Be part of this momentous event!

29th PINOY PORK CHALLENGE
This year’s theme "Learning from the Past, Leading the Future Forward" implies that pig production is a very dynamic field. The theme further implies “embracing new techniques and ideas for a sustainable future.”

Each year thousands of pig research outputs across multiple pig disciplines are turned out from around the world representing innovations, new strategies, and cutting-edge technologies all geared to improve herd efficiency. These research works are published in research journals that could be readily accessed by other investigators and reviewers. The pace of discoveries is overwhelming in many areas such that a traditional strategy may become obsolete after sometime. For instance, the field of GUT Health which was unheard of decades ago is now becoming the backbone of pig nutrition. The essential amino acids in pigs which was previously limited to only 4 have now expanded to 7 (which now includes the branched chain AA). Pig operations are now fast becoming digital inspite of the challenges and probably would soon embrace the field of robotics and AI.

There is no substitute in learning from the experiences of others. As stakeholders, we all came from highly diverse backgrounds but united for a common purpose which is advancing swine production in the Philippines. Let us hear from industry experts inputs of innovative technologies and new business perspectives which can be instrumental in shaping the future of the pork industry amidst the challenges. With a growing problem on resistance (AMR), studies on the the impact of pig nutrition on immunity should lead to development of nutritional strategies that optimize immune response..

The subject of ASF is a never ending storyline in the Philippines because episodes of outbreaks have been continuously recurring. In the past even highly biosecured farm units were strucked under various circumstances (e.g. floods, feeds, breaches in biosecurity). ASF outbreaks have occurred in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao with about 500 cases noted in the first half of 2025. As a result of these outbreaks, current hog population in the country have decreased by 11.3% during the first quarter of 2025 inspite of government herd-rebuilding initiatives. In the second quarter, hog production had even slipped down further by 7.5% tightening more hog supply. Currently, ASF vaccination trials are on-going using Vietnamese-made vaccines. However, in Vietnam, ASAF is also on the rampage affecting 33 provinces/cities with more than 100,000 pigs lost to the disease thereby raising questions on its efficacy.

We will hear updates on ASF vaccination, Pig nutrition including sow feeding, Piglet survivability, Gut health, Pig welfare, Pig reproduction and more. Dont miss this event on October 1, 2025 at Crowne plaza hotel in Ortigas center.

🎉 Registration is Still Open! 🎉

Don’t miss the 29th Pinoy Pork Challenge!

✅ Individual Registration: Click here to register now ➡️ https://pcsp.org.ph/
👥 Group Registration: For group sign-ups, please email us at [email protected]

Secure your slot today and be part of this event!

SOW FEEDING MANAGEMENT
The quality of piglets produced by the sow depends on how we feed and care for the sow during gestation. The postnatal performance of the piglets is being shaped while the piglets are developing in the uterus, so how we manage the gestating sow is crucial in securing optimal piglet performance in later life. To optimize sow performance, we need to maintain a dynamic state of appropriate body condition (as measured by backfat thickness) across the gestation and lactation phases. In the farm we do phase feeding because sows have different feed requirements during early, mid and late gestation stages and into lactation. Maintaining an ideal sow body condition is a key strategy for long-term profitability because body condition impacts sow longevity and reproductive performance.

A sow in ideal body condition must not be too fat and not too thin. An effective sow feeding program starts with breeding gilts of suitable weight by feeding them correctly during their first gestation. The feeding of the gilt just after mating differs from that of the mature sow because excessive feed intake during this period reduces embryo survival and potential litter size. Embryo mortality in early gestation in gilts is associated with lower circulating levels of progesterone which is required for preparing the uterus for embryo implantation.

We want a sow to produce maximum litter size with desirable piglet bodyweight and to produce maximum quantity of high quality colostrum and milk. A piglet weighing 1.3 or 1.4 kg at birth should weight 3 kg at one week of age. These objectives will require knowledge of the changing nutritional needs and appropriate feeding strategy of the sow across gestation and lactation.

Not a single week is the same in the life of a gestating sow. Each day the unborn piglets grow further and in theory each day would require a new nutritional strategy. The nutrient requirements of the sow in terms of energy and amino acid levels change between early, mid and late gestation phases and the feed provision must meet this demand. There is a dramatic increase in the nutrient requirements over the last four weeks of gestation. Current commercial genetic lines of pigs have their own nutrient recommendations with respect to energy, amino acids, minerals and vitamins.

In the Philippines, some farms feed their gestating sows once a day only while others feed them twice daily. Anyway, let us watch the video presentation and lisiten insights from the speaker’s perspective regarding this critical aspect in pig production – sow feeding management.

Sow feeding management is also extensivey discussed in our upcoming book “ MANAGEMENT OF THE MODERN SOW.” This book focuses in optimizing milk production to maximize piglet weaning weight and keeping the sow fit for achieving high conception rate. Keeping an optimum parity profile in the herd is critical in maximizing litter size. The author brings to this book field experiences in sow management.

Different aspects of sow feeding management