Samal Dairy Farm
I didn’t see too many people drinking fresh milk in the Philippines during my last visit. Those that I did see drinking milk were doing so of the powdered variety. I didn’t really question whether that was due to economics or availability. It didn’t really affect me as I quit drinking milk long ago, but that’s another story.
So I was quite surprised to run across this story of a dairy on Samal Island. I’d heard nothing of it previously but then again I haven’t had a chance to venture out on the island much yet.
Samal Dairy Farm supplies cow’s milk under the Samal Dairy Fresh brand to the local market, especially Davao. Their product line boasts a variety of melon milk, durian milk, fresh milk and mango milk. These come in 1 liter and half liter Pet bottles packaging. It sells at Php 45 for fresh milk and Php 55 for flavored milk, farm gate price. At their Muffler Man Shop in Davao City, these are sold at Php 55 and 65 pesos respectively. Foreigners in the area have already taken a liking for their products.
To date they have 48 cows broken down as follows:
Pregnant dams –5
Milking dams – 12
Yearling heifers-12
Bull calves – 3
Mature Bull – 1
Growing (?) Calves –14
With a daily milk production of 80 liters , they dream of increasing their herd to a hundred to make up for the economies of scale. To them, rearing 10 head is just the same as rearing 50 to a hundred animals. Samal Dairy Fresh Farm is bent on improving its waste management system by creating a biogas digester which will make use of the accumulated cow dung in the farm to generate methane gas. The effort started last November 2007 and is on its way to completion anytime soon. With this, the farm expects to lessen the farm’s P9 thousand monthly electric bill consumption. The biogas digester shall be used to augment fuel resources needed in the processing area. A deep well was also constructed as water source for the farm.
Samal Dairy Fresh products can be found in Asia United Bank, Stella Maris, Davao Doctors Hospital, Pag-Ibig office, the BIR and other government offices in the locality.
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re are several dairy farms wihtin a 15 minute drive from my home here in the outskirts of metro manila. I often here foreigners and even Filipinos stating ‘you can’t find fresh milk here’. It’s not true.
I’m delighted to see news about small family-size farms like this one. Even more delighted to see that they are hard at work gaining the double benefits of reduced pollution and free energy from methane digesters. It’s actually a triple benefit, because after the manure is ‘digested’ the residue makes great fertilizer with almost none of the common ‘manure smell’ … win-win all the way around.
Many peple are waiitng for the “government” or someone else to “give permission” to cleaning our own environment and making our own energy. Thank goodness there are folks who ‘take the cow by the horn” so to speak and do what is already doable.
Hi Randy, wow, thanks for this article. Good to know about this. I also wondered why I don’t see fresh milk in the stores – other than powdered or boxed milk. I’m curious if Stella Maris is the catholic school they are referring to. That’s my alma mater!
Hi Dave – it’s great to hear there are a number of dairies there. I hadn’t run across that, but I realize there is much I haven’t experienced yet. I’m interested to see if they are able to expand their business to cheese and butter, as they hope.
It does sound like they are going about it the right way. Sometimes necessity really does encourage positive change.
Hi Ellen – glad you found it interesting. Sounds likely that Stella Maris would your school. Do the school’s have fresh milk as part of their lunch?
BTW, I can’t view your blog anymore. Just comes up blank other than the header info.
Hi Randy, oh oh. I have moved the site to http://sailsamal.com/blog/
This way, it is linked to my main website. What address were you using? I can still go in to http://blogs.sailsamal.com/ because I am keeping this alive for a while. I moved all articles and comments over already, as of yesterday.
Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Randy – Samal Dairy Farm recently opened their own shop in Davao City. It is on JP Laurel, in front of Davao Power and Light. I saw it for the first time a few days ago. I haven’t had the time to drop in yet, but I intend to go check it out.
Hi Bob – thanks for the update. It’s good to see them doing well. I guess there is a market there for that, even if it is just a small one. Let me know when you make it there.
Thanks for stopping by, always good to hear from you.
Hi Randy, when I was in Stella Maris (ages agoooooo) we didn’t have fresh milk!!! I will have to ask some cousins who have children still studying there. Probably one or 2 left – they are all growing up so fast. Or, I can ask my alumni classmate who is now teaching Chinese classes there.
Thanks for your email, btw, have to check on what went wrong. Not my dept.
What browser are you using?
The consumers in developing countries rarely care for the quality of milk being consumed, more so in the absence of government controlled dairy farms or milk distribution system. In the light of these facts, it is heartening to note that Samal dairy farm with just a modest beginning is doing wonders in Philippines. Best of luck
Hi Dairyman – could it be that they don’t care of the quality because they grew up on powdered milk and rarely had the opportunity to drink fresh milk or would you say it’s more a matter of cost?
There a lot of foreigners in some areas of the Philippines, and I would think those from certain countries would still be seeking fresh milk.
Randy C.,
Im glad you started a dairy farm in Mindanao. Its good to provide healthy drink to kids. By the way where did you get your cows from? do you do AI as well? Our company is a dairy genetic provider you can also check our website. Thanks.
Edwin
Hi Edwin – not my farm or my cows. I just thought it was an interesting article and I was glad to hear about it.
To whom may it concern,
Im Mark Limuel B. Florendo a 22 yrs. Of age, single, seeking for an On-Job-Training(OJT).for my Special Course (Dairy Production and Management)Central Mindanao University,Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon,Philippines
So much interested to work in your farm.
Hoping to hear from you soon.
Thank you and more power.
Hi Mark – I posted your comment, and I suppose there is a chance someone from the dairy might see it. I feel you would have a much better chance of employment if you contacted them directly. Just to be clear, I have no affiliation with the dairy farm.