I Agri With Less Antibiotics

And more of probiotics :)

I was advised today that one of the Sunshine growers, TJ Gonzalez, will be featured in the July 2009 Agriculture Magazine again.

Again, because in 2008, he had been featured several times about his finding and developing his niche market for the Sunshines he grows together with his partner Jop.

Sometime about 2 months ago, Zac Sarian featured TJ again because he is one of the growers who opts to raise our line of Naked Necks. This July, he gets featured with his Sunshines, because the cover features are on "less antibiotics, more on probiotics".

We are happy to have had TJ with us from the start. He has had the opportunity to try other breeds as he was asked to foster care a flock for a friend....good for all, as he was able to compare.

Actually, breeds aside....I am more proud of how we market our growers. Hopefully our growers are aware at what they are offered.

Given that the different chicks are all pure and from Certified Parent Stocks, the bottomline will be the chicks' growth will depend on the care that was given to it :)

We have seen TJ from good weather to stormy ones. He loves what he is doing, plants, animals etc. His passion is seen in his produce.

Less antibiotics, more probiotics.....less talk, more TJ of Baliuag Bulacan.

TJ's Agri Gimik

On May18, TJ is hosting an affair that coincides with Mika's bday. He will include seminars for his rare fruit member friends for high value crops, vermiculture, goat raising, and free range chicken.

Am not sure if this will be open to all to attend, but he said he has posted this event in sites...so I am presuming free.

WHERE? Baliuag Bulacan

Naked Necks, TJ Of Baliuag Bulacan

I asked TJ 2weeks ago how his Sunshine naked necks were doing. "Maganda, kasi pangit sila" Brought a smile to my lips. Can't blame the description, because true, the naked necks are not the cutest chickens to see. As bald, day old chicks, maybe....but as adults...well look at it this way , they seem easier to slaughter :)

Louis of SASSO of France says that it is sturdier and will do better under our Philippine conditions. The skin of this strain is thin, and the trained tounges will know that it is better.

We have alloted our Naked Necks to our growers, who have seen the benefits over our regular full feathered ones. Sometimes we have some left and our Solraya stores carry it on retail.

Today, Zac Sarian revisits Baliuag, Bulacan. He had featured TJ several times in the past in the Agriculture Magazine of April2008, Manila Bulletin, Bannawag and Panorama. Time to listen to what TJ has to say. He has good comparisons as before he loaded with the naked necks, he was just through harvesting his full feathered ones. Also, he fostered some 300 chicks for a friend taken from another stock. So he was able to compare three batches.

Look at TJ's Feb22 batch of the new line of Sunshines. They were just supplemented with unmedicated feeds, left free to range on living grass...no antibiotics nor hormones. Not even vitamins nor probiotics.


TJ got a lot of interest going for the naked necks. Yes, true, the strain is sturdier...BUT then, TJ has always proven to do well with his wards.

Today at 6weeks...he is thinking about loading the same bald ones soon.

He Found A Niche Market For Chicken Sans Antibiotics

Have you read Panorama of March 23, yesterday? Normally Manila Bulletin posts in their online issue. I guess due to the Holidays, their online site isn't updated.

Remember when Zac Sarian visited Farmer TJ's Krukukuk Farm?

This was the result of that meeting.

Watch out for Agriculture Magazine's April issue, to come within the week :)

Zac Sarian Meets Farmer TJ

Zac Sarian, Editor for Agriculture section of Manila Bulletin, wanted to meet a cross section of Sunshine growers.

First stop of a series of farm visits: Farmer TJ of Krukukuk Farm, Baliuag Bulacan. They now load 700 heads every 3weeks. Going up to 1000 level after TJ is able to plan his ranging and palay production schedules.

Tj was sick, but shaked off feeling under the weather after Zac engaged him in Sunshine talk. Basing from the number of pics taken, they spent a great deal talking...lead to rare fruit trees, making CRH, vermicomposting, niche they had developed, his plans to expand etc etc etc

After we left the walang katapusan kwentuhan....we had to grab Razon's halo halo near by :)

Aloe Vera As Growth Promotant

TJ of Krukukuk Farm had a pleasant text of getting 500g on his 2week old Sunshines....he thanked the Aloe Vera pots he got from us.

We went by his place yesterday, to drop off his copy of Kwentong Negosyo Feb-Mar2008. I forgot to acknowledge in that posting of mine that the pictures we used were from Joey Lacson of Bacolod and TJ of Krukukuk Farm.

Too bad we didn't see his present brooding. Maye next weekend.

You might want to review the article about Aloe Vera as growth promotant.

Rare Fruits Nursery

The seminar in 18 November held in Angeles City, Pampanga, was hosted by Rare Fruits Nursery, Solraya's Sunshine Day Old Chicks dealer for the area.

We have met Verns Reyes (agri_center of the PCARRD forums), the owner of Rare Fruits Nursery, on several occasions. We had agreed on a dealership for the area, to be kicked off with a seminar.

Turning to Fil-Am Friendship Hway from MacArthur Hway, seemed like the site was out of the way. But, as soon as we saw the place....we knew "this was it"...it had the air of Verns - refreshing, straight to the point, innovative, focused.

TJ and Verns has some alliances due to rare fruits, so TJ can't refuse him when asked to come for the seminar.

Not only did TJ do the seminar..he seasoned some chicken pieces with salt and pepper and did "inihaw na sunshine" for the guests. It disappeared FAST. We didn't get to taste it. From the looks of the guests, it was good.

We have good response in that area, basing from inquiries Rare Fruits Nursery is getting for the Sunshines.

Seminars will be scheduled there periodically.

Enjoy the slide and the videos.








Rare Fruits Nursery: Fil-Am Hway, Circumferential Rd, Angeles City, Pampanga. Infront of VC David Car Center

TJ's New Range

TJ emailed me this photos showing his new ranging area.

Basing from his pictures from day1 of his load of 23 Sunshines...he has steadily improved his community of rangers.

An Upcoming Seminar, A Favorite Business Forum & A Gardening Thread

These three elements that kept me busy and entertained yesterday made me think of what I can have inside my AANI booth after the seminar on September 02.

Last seminar left me hungry as men don't really eat and it was hard to order as it interrupts conversation. Mika, TJ's princess, am sure also wanted nice sweets while listening to adults talk chicken, rare fruit trees and bolahan.

My sweet tooth, Mika's image, wanting to spruce up a rather drab looking booth while in the process of fixing it (we got the next door space too so just in time to plan the new design) led me to order these plants :)

Farmer Tj's game with Chedeng and Dodong

TJ has had sleepless nights. I don't want to preempt him as his story will best come from him.

You have seen his album...let these pics tell you why he was worried.



This was our YM at about 4pm today

michael tom jim gonzales: about napang hinaan ng loob, lagay mo dun sa last last part from tj. Lots of lesson learn from the experience, sana hindi nyo nakita ito as set back bagkos as a free lesson and tipsfrom tj. ayan bombproof padin ang bahay ko buo pa pero yun lang diko naanticipate ang knee hi baha.

solraya: naku mamaya pa ako dyan....bagal ko ag ayos ng pics

michael tom jim gonzales: Sobrang tibay ng manok na ito siguro dahil na din sa breed quality, Yung sa alaga ko, and kung ano ano pa, will keep u posted sa situation ng batch 300 and batch 100. wala nga pala akong casualty s batch 300 kahit na 2am palang soak na sila, B100 meron naipit too bad kasi madilim walang light dun, unlike sa batch 300. o yan kabit m nalang sa pics ko. kaw na magkwento

solraya: ikaw mag kwent pag tapos na lahat..pero kabit ko sinabi mo para INTRO

Typhoon Dodong

Yesterday brought heavy rains, non-stop to the area of Bulacan where Tj is. He was busy the whole day. We texted a good part of the evening as he was worried. Eventually he had resigned himself to whatever comes. He gave his 100% but he can't control nature. That was how he felt.

This morning, he texted that his ranging area has knee deep water. I thought Tj must be sad. Soon after he calls and says he had evacuated the chickens to the bed of the Forward (truck) and that he was ecstatic at how the Sunshines weathered the typhoon and flood.

Today is another day....storm to intensify yet...

I told Tj...everything equal, the care he had given his Sunshines from day one, will see them through :)

Tj's flexibility outdid Sunshine :)

I came from an 8hr drive, had a 2hr sleep, had a hilarious nightmare about the seminar, woke up relieved that it was not real, texted TJ to wake up, got ready to go, drove myself as the "tamiya" will have to go to AANI too for the stocks for the booth.

As I parked, I opened the back, NO LAPTOP NO PROJECTOR! I thought "wow, the vet driving the tamiya must have been extra nice to make sure I didn't carry anything" :)

I called and inquired....nope he didn't do it! I walked slowly thinking how to tell TJ. The moment he saw me and was informed, he called his partner Jop to make sure he brought his flash stick and good thing the venue had a laptop and projector.

No one noticed that we lacked paraphernalia of pics from all batches...TJ was best under pressure. Doc Rey commented, the best seminar he had ever seen for the free range chicken. It came straight from the heart and was done in layman's terms.

One thing I noticed...no one from the audience had any smart alecky questions nor comments.

"Is it tough? How long does it take to cook? Is the taste OK?"

I like slow cooking....ever since I read that the smell of your "ginisa" equates to how much you love your mother-in-law....I do it with a lot of patience and love :)

I don't heat my pan. I put my minced garlic in some olive oil in a pan and then set it on low fire. Just when you remember you have a pan on the range, you start to get a tan color on the garlic. Why will you want to burn them when they look and smell gorgeous when tan.

I add my onions, again not increasing heat...still that barely there fire. When wilted and you sense that the oils have married....add your tomatoes.

The colors will merge, flavors will fully develop, I guess this is what home cooked food means. No need for seasonings as they have a distinct flavor. Now I understood why patience, merging and nurturing shows love :) Now, you can add your fresh vegetables for a quick stir-fry.

You asked about Sunshine Chicken's taste etc...why did I talk about my slow cooking?

Same concept. I do slow cooking on the tasty chickens. Why? So their flavors have time to develop naturally.

When I boil, I just add my onions and crushed peppercorns to a pot of water with the chicken. Then I turn on the low fire. Let it sit till tender, then season to taste :) It may sound forever, but actually doesn't take much time and you end up with tender and tasty chicken meat.

One of the most used in my kitchen is my crockpot. I throw in some lemongrass stalks, onions, whatever else you want, use minimal liquid as the chicken will be juicy anyway....turn it to low just before you leave for the day and you get home to a wonderful dinner :)

For turbo broilers, I set it 30mins on each side, for a total of 1hr per kilo at 300degrees. To have a golden color, add 10mins at 350degrees.

I suggest don't use over powering spices nor sauces, it unnecessarily masques the taste. Salt, pepper and fresh herbs are perfect.

This was a post from Tj :
Bing,sandy,
Ntry ko na ang s.shine chiken meat....
And it was great...ako kasi medyo sawang sawa na sa manok, halos daily ata ang chiken meat ang intake ko.. so sensitive na ako sa manok taste, nalalasahan ko na ang parang malansa na aftertaste ng white chiken.. pero when i tasted the rangechiken ang laki ng difference, may ibang linamnam talga siya, ang meat hindi mahibla.. walang aftertaste. lean ang meat.. it was A1 quality.. Tinola nga pala ang luto..
tj

Sunshine on Farmer TJ's Rangers

There is no need for expensive buildings to partake of tasty and healthy Sunshine Chickens on your table. It requires a lot of love though :)

His' Sunshine's weight will prove it all.

Farmer TJ's Sunshine Rangers :)

Pleasant surprise when I opened my mail today when I got these pics from Farmer TJ