As a mestizo, Arob with his white face and buckskin orange body is growing fast with good-looking muscular frame that seems to adapt with his environment.
Born in October 2014, Arob is one of the 17 offspring developed from artificial insemination at the Mindanao Cattle Research and Development Project (MCRDP) in UP Mindanao campus in Davao City.
His caretaker named him Arob—the initials of Dr. Antonio R. Obsioma—the MCRDP research leader of the team that aims to transform local cattle industry through cross breeding Mindanao native cattle with superior cattle breeds from the US.
“UP alumnus and US-DA retiree Dr. Cecilio Felix introduced the idea of improving our native cattle by trying to crossbreed it with a Hereford miniature breed available in US,” Obsioma said.
Obsioma, who is also UP Mindanao’s vice chancellor, said that while our native cattle breeds had been adapted to the country’s warm climate and tolerate adverse conditions, they are not as good as the breeds in temperate countries that can produce more milk and meat.
“But the good thing with them [native cattle] is that, even under adverse conditions, they can reproduce,” Obsioma said, adding that if the good characteristics of our local breeds will be combined with superior breeds better offspring can be produced.
Genetic improvement
The idea then paved the way for the birth of MCRDP to conduct research on genetic improvement of local native cattle breeds through cross breeding with miniature Hereford bull. Using artificial insemination, the project sought to develop a foundation herd of miniature cattle crosses.
“In developing our local breeds, we can attain genetic independence to sustain beef and dairy production and, likewise, increase income of smallholder livestock farmers,” Obsioma said.
In 2013 the MCDP was launched and the Memorandum was signed between the Department of Agriculture in Region 11 (DA-11) and UP in Mindanao to embark on breeding Mindanao cattle via artificial insemination.
The DA, through its livestock banner program, provided P1.5-million assistance to develop the MCRDP in its livestock station located within the 200-hectare compound of UP Mindanao in Bago Oshiro, Mintal, Davao City.
“The said amount went to the construction of the building, purchase of native cattle and operational cost, such as feeds and wages for caretakers,” DA Livestock Program Coordinator Marie Ann Constantino said.
As joint research of DA-11 livestock program and UP Mindanao, the project developed miniature Mindanao beef cattle with improved characteristics from superior breeds through artificial insemination.
“Since it would be expensive to transport live animals from US, we just shipped the semen of Hereford cattle and do the cross-breeding through artificial insemination,” Dr. Rafael Mercado said.
Mercado, who is also the DA-11 assistant director, said the project aims to address food security amid the dwindling pasture lands in the country.
The semen from the Hereford bull and seeds for the pasture grass were provided for free by Dr. Felix. Hereford cattle are beef cattle breed widely raised in various climates primarily for beef production.
“Ten years ago we have about 200,000 hectares intended for grazing but now it is only close to 100,000 hectares. This means we have to find ways to cope with the increasing demand for beef cattle, while at the same time maximize our existing pasture lands,” Mercado said.
Promising results
IN just a span of almost four years, the MCRDP has produced 17 offspring of the native and Hereford breeds. Of these, nine are males and eight are females, including Arob.
“We have produced fast-growing and good-looking animals. We have not observed them having the difficulty adjusting to our local condition. They also look fertile and within the next few months some of the animals are ready for breeding,” Obsioma said.
He also noted that the animals are docile and easy to manage. “Although they are smaller compared to other breeds, they are meaty in appearance. They do not require too much space and they look efficient since they grow fast,” he added.
Based on the MCRDP, the miniature cattle could grow up to four feet and weighs between 227-300 kilograms, with maturity of 14 to 20 months. Since it grows faster than the native breed, it is expected to produce more meat, as well as milk.
“This type of cattle developed by MCRDP can be grazed even in backyards. One farmer who owns a hectare of land can raise up to four cattle with an average weight of 500 pounds each. If you multiply that with four times, that’s about 2,000 pounds of cattle being grazed in a small parcel of land which usually small farmers own,” Mercado said, adding that it is manageable for women to raise the animal considering its size and docility.
While getting bullish on the promising results of the research project, Obsioma and Mercado admit that much still needs to be done for the crossbreeds to be commercialized.
“As of the moment we cannot talk of commercial production just yet. Our intention for now is to establish information about these crossbreeds and how they perform,” Obsioma said adding that the research intends to help small animal raisers.
“If private sector would want this [crossbreeds] commercialized, we already have the technology,” he added.
Obsioma said the project is currently proposing for additional semen not only from Hereford but also Jersy breed. He said they also would like to institutionalize collaborators that will help in conducting massive artificial insemination.
Mercado hopes that their proposal for expansion of the project will be approved soon “so we can reach out to other areas and tap more stakeholders in developing our local cattle industry not only here in Davao but in Mindanao and even the entire country.”