PH’s oldest stock farm turns 91

THE Ubay Stock Farm (USF) in Ubay, Bohol that has the biggest area among the country’s government livestock facilities recently celebrated its 91st anniversary,   making  it   the oldest in the Philippines.

The celebration was made more significant with the station’s hosting   of the Livestock and Poultry Production Week from Sept. 17 to Sept. 21.

This  featured  a three-day  training on meat processing, mini rodeo, horse shows, pregnancy diagnosis, forage identification  and poultry dressing contests.

The celebration’s  theme  was  Animalympics:  Enhancing Animal Welfare.

Livestock and Poultry program coordinator Joel Elumba of the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7)  said the theme underscores the government’s campaign for the humane treatment and handling of animals pursuant to Republic Act 8485, known as the Animal Welfare Act of  1998.

In her message, DA-7 Regional Executive Director Angel Enriquez cited the important role of Ubay Stock Farm in producing quality animals for livestock farmers. She challenged the USF staff to make the facility a premiere research station for livestock in the next nine years during which it celebrates its centennial year.

OIC Supt. Marianito Doydora shared that from an  animal holding station that opened in 1917  under the American regime, USF  has evolved into a  training and research facility  in addition to its livestock  production.

The station  is the accredited livestock technology training facility for Visayas and Mindanao.

Among the trainings  it has conducted for government livestock development workers and farmers were on artificial insemination for large animals, forage production, and animal health and nutrition.