CARABAO Carabao (Bubalus bubalis) is commonly raised livestock specie in the Philippines and Region VII in particular.

Generally considered as a backyard activity among farmers, this domesticated animal has gained remarkable importance in the past years as a vital component in food sustainability and income to farmers. Problems that beset carabao raisers are oftentimes location-specific, hence this techno guide for farmers. This commodity-focused reading material forms part of the Department of Agricultures effort in updating the farmers knowledge in livestock production to help improve their production output. This guide describes and illustrates the many steps involved in carabao production for both beginners and experienced raisers. This is presented in easy-to-understand terms that would be very useful to trainors and growers alike. Introduction The name water buffalo has always been used to connote the state of the peasant economy in Asia and the animal considered as the farmers inseparable partner in his farming activities. Its geogra-phical distribution is vast but approximately 97% of the world buffalo population is concentrated in Asia . The statistical data show that the water buffalo is essential an Asian animal. It is the main source of draft power and meat for the small farmers who constitute the overwhelming majority of the total human population of the different countries in Asia. In the Philippines, the water buffalo population is approximately 2.9 million head of which approximately 72% are used for farm operations. Water buffaloes are classified into two types: the swamp and the river type. The river type is exemplified by the Indian and sub-continent breeds. This group is considered under the dairy category because it possesses high genetic capacity for milk production. Good river type cows under Philippine conditions produce about 1,384 kg milk for an average lactation period of 287 days.

The swamp type to which the Philippine carabao belongs is distinguished by its natural preference for swamps or marshlands. This type is primarily utilized for farm work. In the Philippines when carabaos are past their period of usefulness at draft animals they are usually slaughtered and the meat is sold as carabeef. Due to old age of the animals the meat is inferior in quality and has developed a prejudice

among consumers. But when carabaos are fed, managed and slaughtered at the same age as cattle, the meat is as good as beef. Problems and Prospects

Carabao production can very well be integrated with crop farming. However, its potential for draft, milk and meat has not been fully exploited on account of several technical problems which limit its productive efficiency and utilization. The major constraints of efficient carabeef production which require intensive and sustained research are the following: 1. Poor reproductive capacity. Carabaos are late maturing animals with a long gestation period and calving intervals. They exhibit weak estrous phenomena, or silent heat which makes detection of estrus difficult. There is, therefore, a great need for intensive research on all aspects of its reproductive physiology. 2. Low productivity. Poor feeding and management practices contribute to low calf crop (40-45%), low milk and meat yield, and poor draft capacity. Since carabaos are known to be efficient converter of low quality roughages, coordinated research efforts are necessary to develop the technology at the farm level for maximum utilization of farm level for maximum utilization of farm by-products such as rice straw, corn stover, sugarcane tops, bagassee, etc. 3. High mortality. This is especially true among caracalves, primarily due to the high incidence of infectious and heavy parasitic diseases as well as poor management practices. As rule, health care system and disease prevention practices are not adapted by carabao producers. 4. Poor marketing. Inefficient marketing channels and strategies hamper marketing of the carabao and its by-products to the disadvantage of the producers and the consumers. This is compounded by the lack of standardization and classification of live animals and their carcasses and by-products.

GOAT 1. Nubians have very long, floppy ears and they can be any color. They have a convex nose and are one of the larger breeds of goats. Their milk tends to be higher in protein and butter fat than other breeds. They tend to be a little bit more stubborn than other dairy goats and make a distinctive sound. Even Nubian kids sound like they are complaining.

2. LaManchas have ears that are so small that it looks like they don't have ears and they can also be any color. They have a straight nose and are a small breed. The LaMancha sound is typical of other goats. In our experience, they are more calm and gentle than other breeds. When you own a LaMancha, be prepared to answer the question What did you do to its ears? 3. Alpines can be almost any color except solid white and light brown with white markings (toggenburg color); their face should be dished or straight. They have erect ears and are a medium-large breed. They are popular with dairies due the amount of milk they produce. 4. Oberhaslis have very specific color standards. They are a bay color, known as Chamoise, with a black dorsal strip, udder, belly, and black below the knees. They should also have a nearly black head. Another aceptable color would be all black but this is only acceptable for does. They have erect ears and are a medium-small breed. 5. Toggenburgs also have very specific color requirements. They are light brown and have white ears and lower legs. The side of the tail and two stripes down the face must also be white. They have erect ears and have the smallest height requirments of all the breeds, but most of the toggenburgs I've seen are pretty big. They grow a shaggier coat than other dairy goat breeds. They also are popular with dairies. In our experience, they tend to be a little wilder and more high strung than other breeds. 6. Saanens are usually pure white.

POULTRY What are the Different Types of Chickens? There are many different breeds of chicken found in poultry farms worldwide. Some of these kinds of chickens are explained below. Rhode Island Red: This breed can be further divided into single comb and rose comb. Chickens of this breed generally weigh from somewhere around six and half pounds to eight and half pounds. The color of their feathers are yellow and the color of the eggshells are brown. This is a dual-purpose breed as mentioned above

and are used for both purposes when it comes to eggs and meat. They originated in Rhode Island where they get their deep color and bulky frames. Langshan: These are available in two varieties, one white and the other black. The standard weight varies from somewhere around nine and half pounds to seven and a half pounds. The color of their feathers are white and the color of their eggshells are brown. It is generally used for getting meat than eggs. It is usually roasted and is well suited for capons than fryers. This breed originated in China and they are tall with long legs and tails. This breed comes across as a very active and energetic breed. Dorking: This breed is known for its fine quality of meat. They can be found in three varieties namely silver-gray, white and colored. The standard weight of these varieties are about six pounds. The color of their feathers are white and the color of their eggshells are also white. It is believed to have originated in Italy and was introduced in England by the Romans. They have a rectangular-ish frame and short legs. Cornish: This breed is the finest for the meat and broiler industry. The development of the muscles give it a good build. The color of the feathers of this breed is yellow and the color of the eggshell is brown. They are found in dark, white, white laced and buff varieties and weigh somewhere around ten pounds. This breed developed in the county of Cornwall. They have a broad and well-muscled body but they also need protection during winters. Appenzeller This breed originates in the Appenzell region of Switzerland. There are two varieties of this chicken. This includes the Spitzhauben and Barthuhner. The Appenzeller breed is generally kept as a show breed. This is not a fighting breed and can live well in confinement. Jersey Giant This chicken from United States are large chickens who were meant to replace the turkey. It is recognized by the American Standard of Perfection. They are very friendly chickens and do well as pets. He cocks are rarely aggressive and these chickens like begin around people. Wyandotte This breed of chicken is docile and kept for meat and eggs. These medium-sized birds have a rose comb with clean legs. They are suitable for confinement as well as free range in a run. These are very vocal chickens who are really friendly with people. Sultan This breed of chicken originates in Turkey. They are primarily kept as ornamental breeds and for competitive showing. Sultans have a decorative plumage and have five toes on each foot. These are docile and friendly chickens, who do not mind confinement. GEESE The ancestors of the domestic goose are derived from two distinct wild species. Western (European) breeds have been developed from the greylag, and Asiatic breeds such as the

African and Chinese from the swan goose. Despite their separate origin, the Asiatics and greylag types do inter-breed.

African Goose

Chinese goose Western breeds White breeds range from the heavy white Embden (up to 34 lbs) down to the tiny white Czech at only 9-11lbs. As well as these white birds, there are the beautiful American and Brecon Buff and the grey Toulouse. Geese also come in 'pied' varieties - the Grey Back and Buff Back as well as the curly-feathered Sebastopol. These breeds (right) were all developed from the wild greylag. Asiatic Crosses Crosses of the Asian and European types have produced distinctive breeds of Russian geese such as the Tula, Arsamas and Kholmogory, plus the beautiful blue German Steinbacher.

Steinbacher goose a Eurasian cross

American Buff

Brecon Buff goose

Czech geese

Price Floors A price floor is the lowest legal price a commodity can be sold at. Price floors are used by the government to prevent prices from being too low. The most common price floor is the minimum wage--the minimum price that can be payed for labor. Price floors are also used often in agriculture to try to protect farmers. For a price floor to be effective, it must be set above the equilibrium price. If it's not above equilibrium, then the market won't sell below equilibrium and the price floor will be irrelevant. Drawing a price floor is simple. Simply draw a straight, horizontal line at the price floor level. This graph shows a price floor at $3.00. You'll notice that the price floor is above the equilibrium price, which is $2.00 in this example. A few crazy things start to happen when a price floor is set. First of all, the price floor has raised the price above what it was at equilibrium, so the demanders (consumers) aren't willing to buy as much quantity. The demanders will purchase the quantity where the quantity demanded is equal to the price floor, or where the demand curve intersects the price floor line. On the other hand, since the price is higher than what it would be at equilibrium, the suppliers (producers) are willing to supply more than the equilibrium quantity. They will supply where their marginal cost is equal to the price floor, or where the supply curve intersects the price floor line. As you might have guessed, this creates a problem. There is less quantity demanded (consumed) than quantity supplied (produced). This is called a surplus. If the surplus is allowed to be in the market then the price would actually drop below the equilibrium. In order to prevent this the government must step in. The government has a few options:

1. They can buy up all the surplus. For a while the US government bought grain surpluses in the US and then gave all the grain to Africa. This might have been nice for African consumers, but it destroyed African farmers. 2. They can strictly enforce the price floor and let the surplus go to waste. This means that the suppliers that are able to sell their goods are better off while those who can't sell theirs (because of lack of demand) will be worse off. Minimum wage laws, for example, mean that some workers who are willing to work at a lower wage don't get to work at all. Such workers make up a portion of the unemployed (this is called "structural unemployment"). 3. The government can control how much is produced. To prevent too many suppliers from producing, the government can give out production rights or pay people not to produce. Giving out production rights will lead to lobbying for the lucrative rights or even bribery. If the government pays people not to produce, then suddenly more producers will show up and ask to be payed. 4. They can also subsidize consumption. To get demanders to purchase more of the surplus, the government can pay part of the costs. This would obviously get expensive really fastPrice Ceilings

A price ceiling occurs when the government puts a legal limit on how high the price of a product can be. In order for a price ceiling to be effective, it must be set below the natural market equilibrium. When a price ceiling is set, a shortage occurs. For the price that the ceiling is set at, there is more demand than there is at the equilibrium price. There is also less supply than there is at the equilibrium price, thus there is more quantity demanded than quantity supplied. An inefficiency occurs since at the price ceiling quantity supplied the marginal benefit exceeds the marginal cost. This inefficiency is equal to the deadweight welfare loss. This graph shows a price ceiling. P* shows the legal price the government has set, but MB shows the price the marginal consumer is willing to pay at Q*, which is the quantity that the industry is willing to supply. Since MB > P* (MC), a deadweight welfare loss results. P' and Q' show the equilibrium price. At P* the quantity demanded is greater than the quantity supplied. This is what causes the shortage. Recent increases in the price of gas have left many individuals asking for a price ceiling on gas. You now see why this is a bad idea. If the government sets a price ceiling on gas, there will be a shortage. Remember the long gas lines in the 1970's? This is exactly what happened.

If a price ceiling is set, then there must be a way to assign who gets the low supply of the product. Of course, since there is a legal limit on the price, the price can't simply be raised. There are several ways this is done without raising the price:

Lottery: One way to distribute a product for which there is a shortage is to draw names out of a hat. In some states there is a high demand to be able to hunt for moose, but the government has a limit on the amount of permits it gives out. Often these states have a lottery and if you are lucky enough to get drawn, you can try your luck at finding and shooting a moose during the season. Black Market: For those lucky enough to get some of the short supply, they are often better off selling what they have obtained to the demanders that will get more benefit out of it. In some cities there have been ceilings put on the apartment rent. While the demand for apartments increases, the rent remains the same. When some renters are ready to move, they sublease their apartment instead of ending their contract. If they were renting for $500, but someone is willing to pay $1000, then the subleaser can continue paying $500 and pocket the extra $500 he gets from the subleasee. Queue/First Come First Serve: Had they raised the price of tickets to $100 the opening night of Star Wars: Episode I, I wouldn't have been willing to camp out two nights to get a ticket. Since they didn't let the market determine the price, however, there was a huge line and those that were there first got to buy tickets. Of course, in this case they may have wanted the "buzz" that would come from having people camp out a week early just to get tickets, but there are other cases where a buzz isn't useful. Historical Use: Sometimes the government will allow the consumers that were already consuming to continue consuming. This would be hard to do since after the price ceiling there will be many more people claiming they have consumed in the past. Also, the quantity supplied is decreased which will even leave some of the historical consumers wanting.