MANILA, Philippines -- In every line of farming, there is usually one or a few who excel in a number of ways. Just like Surapong Peanprasop who owns the Tropical Dairy Farm in Tamung, Kanjanaburi province in Thailand.

We met Surapong during our tour of dairy farms last September 18 to 24 together with local dairy farmers and government personnel involved in dairying.

Mr. Surapong is a civil engineer but he is now full-time in dairying – managing his own farm with 140 dairy animals as well as serving as consultant to other dairy farmers who are members of a cooperative.

What sets Mr. Surapong apart is that he has studied thoroughly the requirements of his dairy animals in every stage of development so that he is able to provide the right nutrition and management of his herd. And for that, he is richly rewarded by his cows.

Mr. Surapong has complete records of milk production of his cows and during our visit, there were a number of them giving from 28 to 34 liters of milk in one day. That’s more than double the average milk yield of other farmers’ cows in his country. Of course, some of the animals have been milked for more than 200 days and so their milk yields are on the decline. Just the same, the average could be 16 to 18 liters per animal. That’s already profitable, according to him.

What are the keys to high milk yield of Mr. Surapong’s dairy animals? For one, it is important to have superior genetics. His animals are crosses of Holstein Friesian and their native cattle with much higher percentage of Holstein blood (mostly 96% Holstein). That way they are high milkers yet adapted to the hot and humid weather in Thailand.

One important thing that Mr. Surapong does is that he makes sure that his animals are very comfortable in their quarters. There is very good ventilation, and they are provided with resting beds in between feeding and milking time.

When the animals are being milked and are also eating, fine mists are sprinkled over their heads. By making them very comfortable, they let loose their milk voluntarily.

Mr. Surapong’s feeding schedule is unique. He feeds his cows eight times a day! But quantity is not the most consideration. Balanced nutrition is.

Here are some pointers we got from our listening to his lecture to the group. During the first month after calving, the cow usually produces a lot of milk but does not have the appetite. She needs enough nutrients to sustain its milk production, so what does he give his cow that has newly given birth? He feeds her with what he calls power feed. That means a ration with a high protein and energy content of 19 to 25 percent. Although he usually gives only six kilos of power feed per head, that’s enough to keep the good health of his animal.

Even before the cow is scheduled to give birth, the animal should not be too fat nor too skinny. When the animal is too fat, it usually suffers from acidosis. If it is too skinny, it cannot sustain high milk yield. He does not recommend feeding the lac-tating animals with fresh grass and concentrate. He prefers dry materials to go with the concentrate such as dried corn husk. A higher dry matter content in the feed is needed by the milking animals.

Mr. Surapong has his own feed mill so he mixes his own feed. That way, he is sure of the quality of the feed that he gives his animals. He also produces his own silage for feeding. Four hectares out of the 6-hectare farm are devoted to the production of corn and grasses for silage making.

He has seven workers in his employ. That’s all he needs to keep his operation running smoothly. The week before our visit, he averaged 900 liters of milk per day which he sold to a multinational company through their cooperative. Members of their cooperative produce an average of 17 tons of milk a day. Compared to the Nongpho Dairy Cooperative, their Tamung Dairy Cooperative is small but the farmers are happy because they are making money.

By the way, our trip was under the auspices of the Royal Thai Embassy in the Philippines headed by Ambassador Prasas Prasasvinitchai.

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Agri-Kapihan this Sunday – There will be an Agri-Kapihan this Sunday, October 30, at the courtyard of radio station DWWW, 23 Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Quezon City, from 8 to 11 a.m. Starting November, the Agri- Kapihan will be held every Saturday, 8 to 12 o’clock noon at the St. Vincent Seminary along Tandang Sora, Quezon City.

In the Saturday Agri-Kapihan, the different agencies of the Department of Agriculture will be sending their representatives to talk about government programs that will be of help to farmers. On November 5, BPI will send its representative. Vegetable seeds will be given to attendees.

For the latest developments in farming log on to: www.zacsarian. blogspot.com.