DA-Davao ties corn and livestock programs to secure local animal feed ahead of El Niño

The Department of Agriculture in Davao Region (DA-Davao) is combining its corn and livestock programs to increase local animal feed production and ease seasonal forage shortages, according to SunStar.

The move comes as the agency's distribution of cattle, goats and other ruminants grows the region's livestock industry and raises demand for steady, nutritious feed. A projected strong El Niño could also slow pasture growth and tighten supplies further. DA-Davao said prolonged dry spells slow the growth of grass and other forage, which can affect animal growth, reproduction and milk production, as well as farmers' income.

DA-Davao's Livestock Program held a three-day Corn-Livestock Feed Development Training and Benchmarking activity, the agency said in a Facebook post on Friday, Oct. 23. Participants included farmers who received ruminants under the Livestock Economic Enterprise Development (LEED) program, corn cluster members, dairy farmers and silage producers. On Oct. 21, they toured the feed mill, goat farm and cattle farm of the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center Foundation Inc. in Bansalan, Davao del Sur.

Lectures covered the Livestock and Poultry Development Plan, which DA-Davao said could help farmers cut feed costs, rely less on imported feed ingredients and follow the national framework for animal nutrition.

The Davao Oriental provincial government said on Oct. 12 that its El Niño task force expects below-normal rainfall from November 2026 to January 2027, followed by a dry spell in February and March. The province said its agriculture office and DA-Davao will prepare feed, seeds and fertilizers, and enroll livestock raisers in the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. program.

This year, DA-Davao turned over ₱16 million worth of livestock and poultry to flood-affected farmers in Tagum City and announced a ₱4.5 million LEED cattle project for Lupon, Davao Oriental. A regional board also approved a ₱148.1 million Integrated Livestock Enterprise in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, which the agency said would benefit 1,330 raisers and meat dealers.

In Davao City, Councilor Ralph Abella, who chairs the City Council's agriculture committee, said at an Oct. 6 media forum that imports weigh on local livestock prices, especially for hogs. He estimated that imported products supply about 80 percent of the market and urged consumers to buy local. "We really need to help our farmers by buying from them," Abella said.