To discuss the prevailing trends in ruminant feeding and share innovations developed by farmers and scientists in addressing the current challenges that the ruminant industry is facing, the Institute of Animal Science (IAS) held its 2^nd Ruminant Forum (2RF) last September 12 with the theme “Feed for Thought: Karunungan Ukol sa Tamang Pagpapakain ng Baka, Kalabaw, at Kambing.”

A group of experts, farm owners, and cattle, goat, and carabao raisers gathered to share their best practices in promoting productive farming through an efficient ruminant feeding system. About 200 participants from all over the country attended the virtual event via Zoom which was simultaneously streamed through Facebook.

To share a message of encouragement and inspiration, UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. commenced the program with a video message. Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), also sent a message of support to the 2RF and invited the ruminant sector for collaborations with PCAARRD’s ongoing projects.

Also present to grace the event with their Welcome Messages were CAFS Dean Dr. Elpidio M. Agbisit, Jr. and IAS Director Dr. Rommel C. Sulabo.

Dr. Caro B. Salces, Deputy Executive Director of the Philippine Carabao Center, set the event going during the first part of the program as he discussed the Dairy Buffalo Roadmap for the plenary session. Dr. Salces caught the interest of the viewers with prospects of the future of the dairy industry and measures to attain its goals.

The second part of the program opened with Mr. Martin Gomez of Rancho Consuelo during Session Talks. He shared his management techniques of breeder beef cattle with low-cost sustenance but abundant forage supply to reach the potential of the animals. This was followed by the talk of Mr. Arnel Corpuz of Adelaide River Farm who emphasized the importance of readily available and quality feed resources to bulk up the weight of beef cattle. 

For Session 2, IAS invited Mr. Honorato Baltazar of the ALMAKAP Cooperative who stressed the importance of silage production as a quality feed for ruminants. He also shared how they secure forage materials for ensiling up to the marketing strategy of their silage, making it popular in the nearby farms. Ms. Charity Castillo from PCC National Headquarters discussed the potential of sweet sorghum for silage production which is comparable to the quality of corn silage but requires lower cost of production.

Session 3 aimed to engage the participants by focusing on the current feeding regime in the Philippines where Mr. Menandro Loresco of the Dairy Training and Research Institute at UPLB presented the results of their feed mapping research. He also detailed the available feed resources in several regions of the country as affected by season, and introduced the use of total mixed ration (TMR) which is currently gaining popularity as compared to component feeding. Asst. Prof. Christian Lualhati went back to the basics of ruminant feeding and reviewed the concepts of ruminant digestion, nutrient sources, and simple calculations to arrive at the optimum diet with the least cost.

To wrap-up the Session Talks, Dir. Neal Del Rosario of the Small Ruminant Center at Central Luzon State University extended their research on the benefits of legume-based feeding systems backed up with positive responses from the goat’s overall performance, while Dr. Ma. Adena Detera of Farm Vets Consultancy and Veterinary Practice enumerated the emerging diseases of ruminants and its impact on the fiscal status of the farm.

The event concluded with the Closing Message from Asst. Prof. Lualhati, head of the Animal Production Division at IAS and a photo opportunity to document the forum.

Following the success of the 1^st Ruminant Production Forum held last October 2021, 2RF was organized by the IAS Ruminant Team led by Dr. Arnel N. del Barrio in collaboration with selected project staff from IAS e-Extension Services Committee chaired by Ms. Kamla Zyra G. Lavadia.