The team of Schering-Plough Animal-Health Philippines Inc. led by Dr. Ma. Cecilia Magpantay, Dr. Zoilo Montemayor and Bob Mansilla and team mates sponsored a luncheon seminar for the Federation last September 08, 2005 at the Harbor City Restaurant in San Juan. The event was a discussion on a very sensitive topic among raisers that is farm management. The Schering-Plough discussion team was augmented by Dr. Corazon Occidental, head of the Vet Health Corporation, a Schering Plough distributor.

Dr. Deo Alcantara, the speaker for Schering Plough suitably conducted the seminar. Starting with an overview of a farm efficiency chart showing average figures from different farms, Dr. Alcantara noted that the average efficiency figures they have collected ranges from a low of 3.0 to a high of 5.20.

Farm efficiency was defined as the total quantity of feeds consumed divided by the total weight of animals sold in a given

period. Quantity and weight were in kilograms and the period covered was for a month.

A simple, easy-to-understand chart was also presented that showed the cost of the feeds based on the different farm efficiency factors.

Dr. Alcantara candidly explained that the higher the factor, the higher the cost – with the acceptable cost around P75 per kilo or a farm efficiency factor of about 3.5 to 5.

Several other factors affect farm efficiency, and one is the vaccination process. Despite the huge advantages of vaccination in animals there are also certain set backs. Dr. Alcantara observed that the industry practice looks at several diseases which both government and private practitioners are advocating. Government mandates vaccination against FMD and Hog Cholera, while private practitioners advocate vaccination against PRRS and APP.

He also enumerated other vaccines proliferating in the market that could be an integral part of certain farmers’ animal health programs.

It would take a minimum of two days for a piglet or a pig to recover from handling, particularly during a vaccination process. Dr. Alcantara related this to the number of vaccinations some farms are doing. If vaccination is done 8 times, then a loss of 16 growth days is incurred. With more vaccinations and stressful medications, the more days lost.

The suggestion is to discuss vaccination program with veterinarians before going through the rigors with the animals. Protection from the disease may mean drastically losing growth days. Have profiles made of the animals and analyze programs with veterinarians, and try to go back to the basics of animal health.

Farmer Freddy Ong was requested to share the secret behind the management policies of Family Farms and gladly obliged with a workshop. Farmer Ong recounted that after several

years of experience they discovered that concentrating efforts on making the surviving animals achieve full potential rather than focusing on reducing mortality is a working policy statement for their company.

This method makes their farms achieve a productivity target of 2 tons per sow per year.

Farmer Ong expounded on how his farm was able to implement this policy with the assumption that the farm is going through the dynamics of good breeding practices, even suggesting a culling rate of at least 30% per annum.

Taking the cudgels of explaining the pricing method of his produce, Farmer Ong suggested that it was time for the hog farmer to price from the pork point of view rather than the hogs, with the belief that the consumers eventually will justify the value of the product. He also advocated product standardization among the raisers to get the best value for their investment. Finally, he noted that it is the hog with the best recovery that will eventually make the money for the farmer.