Time For Getting On The Ground

Yesterday, it was confirmed that Cong. Procy Alcala will be the new Secretary of Department of Agriculture.

Early this morning, Tere texts that she and Dante are on the way to Manila to do initial support work for Secretary Alcala. Rare time that we can all get together, she calls to ask if time permits, will Zac Sarian and I have time for coffee after work?

The strong rain late afternoon didn't deter us from meeting up. Over dimsum and pots of tea, we shared laughter and just assuring ourselves who the real people are.

Its been sometime now since we all met. As usual, started with Zac and my itchy soles....wanting to get out of Metro and visit farms. For Doc Rey and I it is learning. For Zac, more often than not, in search for stories to tell. We went to Quezon and met the Earthkeepers (search tags Earthkeepers). In one trip to Davao, Tere led us to meet Dante and Tibaw...she said "they are True Blue Farmers".

Rest is history and it started a real respect of one another....not just because of the experience in natural farming...but more of natural people.

I didn't want to miss this...over long conversation, taking photos. I was able to capture the core group of Secretary Alcala.

Dante and Tere were the major movers and researchers for the Likasaka book on natural farming.

They credit the push and spreading of their work, to a lot of support from Zac Sarian of Bulletin.

I am thankful for the opportunity of being with them on a relaxing note. We were not work, we were their break from it all...it was for us all to get grounded. Tomorrow, it is time to get the feet on the ground to do the work.

Easy Way Out

Make it accessible and simple. It will benefit your caretaker and your Sunshines :) Your caretaker will not miss doing it if it is simple to do. The Sunshines will want to step out earlier and more often when they don't have to go through a maze to find that door.

It is very important that they have easy access to the range outside. That is where they go hunting for their food. That is where they get their exercise and develop their lean bodies.

Pick a design that will work for you. Depending on the materials used for your housing, there may be easier ways to do it.

Necessity

Water is one.

In our visit to Platinum Island Farm, we came from the top and as we were descending the road that leads us to the farm, I spotted this blue drum and told my company that we are near as I see a semblance of a water tank. You know how we have those blue drums as water reserve containers?

I forgot all about that sighting and when we were being toured around the farm and saw THIS! OMG...this was the small blue drum from the top!

You need water for everything...cleaning, feeding. You have to make sure you have a source of water all the time.

Marigolds

Do you see these plants a lot in organic or natural farming plots?

They are called Marigolds, used for pest control and management.

Take time to research and understand how Marigolds can help you. Learn how it works best given your areas, farm plants and situations.

AANI Harvest Festival

AANI Harvest Festival: Farm in the park! July 16-18 at AANI Herbal Garden, Quezon Memorial Circle.

Fiesta ambiance with farm animals, zoo, barbecues, fruits, veggies, wine tasting, free seminars, music, gardening and cooking demos. Merrymaking, Agri and Aqua Kapihan etc.

This will celebrate AANI's anniversary.

There will be a seminar on Raising Sunshine Chicken:

Saturday, July 17, 8am, by Doc Rey :)

Free entrance. See you there!

Platinum Visit

During the 3rd Pinoy Organic Festival, what caught me to Russelle Buenviaje's booth was her sign of "Sweet Tuba". I love this drink and bought all that was left in her cooler, after I tasted the 1st bottle I got. A lot of veggie sellers that day, and she stood out because of her Tuba.

You really need to have something to catch attention and stand out tall :) It was during the chatting that I learned Platinum Island Farm is one of the few OCCP certified farms. It was about those days that Zac Sarian and I were talking about taking a trip somewhere to relax and work at the same time. Obviously, those are almost always farm visits, and we do nationwide ahahhaha, travelling as it was also part of our resting. So I asked Russelle if we may visit her? It was set for the 18th of June.

As you turn the bend to get to their gate, you have to cross a river. It was such a lovely sight. I just watched last week "Prince of Persia" and I got the feeling of a draw bridge being lowered so we can enter.

We were treated first to pitchers of Sweet Tuba and Mushroom Burgers. Except the bread, everything came from the farm. The burger was very good! It had that Italian-Indian taste in the blend of herbs and seasonings. What looked like Thousand Island Dressing was actually Squash Sauce with mayonnaise (that was store bought too).
The vegetables came from the more than 3500sqm greenhouse.

We were so full that the chitchat and interview by Zac Sarian took place in the cool terrace. By the time they were done and ready to go around the farm it was too hot for me to walk and go around. Russelle took the car to tour us around the vermi, green houses, coconut trees.

We got back to a ready lunch prepared by sister Niel. Except for the grilled meat, everything was produced in the farm.

Russelle is a very charming farmer. No frills, no airs, no unsolicited answers nor information to prop her farm.

Why was it named Platinum Island Farm? It is better than Gold and it is bounded by a river.

On the way out, I saw this and remembered to take home my Sweet Tuba.

Shoe Away

Posted before about my colorful and soft rubber boots (farm and rain) and my everyday Crocs...but after I tried this FiveFingers, so comfortable and literally feels like walking barefeet :)

Just like being bare, you tread through rough terrain. You feel the ground. More than just communing with nature and feeling more...you exercise your body naturally.

Have you tried walking through sand and pebbles? It gives you that tingling sensation. Here, you won't get that tickle, but you do a compulsory point and flex with your toes. You get a better grasp.

Try FiveFingers. Read more here. I think this will me my last search for comfy footwear. You can get them at a stand alone booth at Rockwell. The sizing is tricky, you can't ask someone to buy it for you. Don't rely too on the measuring instrument. Take time to fit and flex those toes.

Will You?

Who do you think will wear these on their feet? I will, for an obvious reason :)

99.99% of the time, I am in Crocs. Even my wedges are Crocs. I swear by the comfort and have them in several styles. When I find one style I want, I get it in several colors. The rest of the .01% of the time, I am in rubber boots in very playful designs, for farm visits. Even colorful, they are most comfortable as they have arch supports.

Today, I went by a branch at Bonifacio High Street to look for some new styles as it can get boring when I look at my feet. The moment I entered, I saw the Sun shining. It was part of the limited edition for the World Cup and the Sun design was for Argentina.

No second thoughts for me. Asked for my size immediately.

Basic

This week was spent in a basic meat processing course.

I may not be really into this processing but I wanted the basic knowledge so I can discuss our products with consumers and when dreaming of new products in my mind, I can sort of know from step 1 if it is workable or not.

Glad I took this class. From sanitation and hygiene, observance of safety (one of us had his toe fractured), preparation, packing, costing....the more you learn, you are snapped out and awaken to the fact that you don't know enough.

Why did I join? So I can understand my mind's creativity in developing my sausages :)

We have now signed up for the Advance Class. Thank you to BAI's APDC. There are good men in uniforms and lab gowns :)

PS: No stools. no seats in laboratories and processing areas. After these, I appreciate the food processors!

Hi-Precision Diagnostics

This may seem out of place....posting about a medical diagnostic clinic. Not at all.

Safe food, safe preparation and safe handling is a full circle of system. In my taking a course on meat processing at APDC, a requirement was a clearance of good health to handle food. You can't enter the lab if you didn't have it.

I needed an XRay with asap results. My neighbor recommended Hi-Precision Diagnostics. Got there at almost 6pm. No line, very helpful staff. The best thing was the result was downloadable the next morning. If I got to the clinic before 4pm, when there are Radiologists to interpret, the results would have been available to me thru the internet soon after that.

Just what I needed. I was able to attend today's classroom activity. Downloaded the results during the lunch break. The lab activities were open for me to attend by 1pm :)

Clean and accessible clinics. Results you don't have to go back for. I will surely refer Hi-Precision Diagnostics to others.

Safe in all aspects and topics.

Urban Food

Another topic on the nipple drinker....hahahhaha.....but then it is really practical and thinking out of the box may not be enough. So many usage and ways to use it.

We are spending a lot more time in our urban setting and wanted to have some free ranging Sunshines in our midst. Doc Rey started with seven chicks in May and targeted to harvest it in August. Having fun brooding and planning for urban set up. This is when you get assured that when given common sense care....they survive even when left for several days during brooding. Don't ape that. Only a vet's gut feel and experience can pulloff brooding in absentia!

Before we knew it, they were big already and ready to range :) We get so excited as we get to see them only on weekends in Manila.

We thought that if the farm used nipple drinkers...then why not in the city? Very logical when no caretaker. In smaller setting, you need a smaller water receptacle too. Doc Rey was figuring out how to insert the PVC pipe at the back. I said why not remove the faucet and insert thru that hole.....two heads are better than one!

The water container was set on a hollowblock. It was the right height for now. As they grow, you adjust the height of the pedestal.

Yes, Doc Rey also has an auto feeder for them now. My fruits and vegetables are shared with the Seven Sunshines!

My neighbor saw it and thought about raising some and encouraging the community. I really hope so....Yes, people can take care of their own for food. Start with how many chickens you can consume in a month.

Be There And Observe

Doc Rey is spending a couple of days in the farm. The rains have started to come and he wants to see the flow of work and the water.

The roofs of the housings aren't leaking, but the monitor seems too high and the opening is taking in rain. He made some adjustments. The caretaker just said the houses were leaking.

Some portions near the ranging areas were collecting water. Move ranges? Nope. Landfill. Some shovels of gravel on the area and no more paddles.

Make things easier to haul things....use a hand tractor with a cart, to ferry supplies among ranges.

Rain was so strong today. Doc Rey had a 4X4 with him and was very confident. By dinner time, he calls that he got stuck! Laughs and said that he didn't think the mud will be a problem. There was no need for any pull. He stepped out and placed a rock under his tire.

That's it. Be present and observe. Only way you can solve problems. Remote control is OK only when you know the movements and can picture the scene. Being told of a problem when you are clueless to history and guessing won't work for the long haul.

Auto Feeders

When you are growing, sometimes it is not best to add manpower. I believe in a few good men :) Rather than add labor, decrease work load.

Such was the case in the farm. Recently we need to develop a new area for ranging, at the same time the load of grow out Sunshines in the farm increased to almost triple because of demand. As per previous posts, you have read by now what steps we took in making life easier for the farm helpers.

Why auto feeders? Initially, it was to make feeding easy. You just fill up the auto feeders and that will take care of the adlibitum needs of the chicks. More often, they still want to play outside in their range. Note that most are outside?

What additional benefits?

1) The chicks were not stepping nor scratching on their feeds. No wastage. The auto feeders are hanging and the chicks can't reach the feeds to play and waste.

2) See the beddings of the housing? Clean, because no feeds gone astray.

PS: For the nipple drinkers' advantages:

1) No cleaning for waterers. Boy, that takes a lot of time and effort!

2) So convenient to just open the faucet. Our water is from our own deep wells.

3) No wet floors too, as no waterers are upturned.

Add to that the ease in rearing free range colored broilers! Am not saying that all you have to do is sit to watch the Sunshine Chicks. You have to give it a lot of TLC for it to be robust and ready to face the open range in 21days.

Get Ready

The rains have started to come. Although it is still so hot and humid, there is rain to water our plants, to give us food on our tables.

Planting materials have been prepared. Seedlings to be bought have been chosen. New farm area is being visualized as being forest like already.

Yes, we are planting soon. Are you ready yourselves? Do so, if you plant now, in less than 5yrs, you will have fruits that are the sweetest and freshest fruits. Surely they are the ones that you favor as you are the one who chose what and where to plant. As for veggies, in no time at all, you can proclaim that you are growing your own food!

5yrs ago, we developed an area. Now we are reaping the fruits of that labor.

The 3rd Pinoy Organic Festival

The venue and set up for this show was simple and basic. Tents, ordinary tables, under the trees, in the parking lot. No frills, no extravagance...by default it went with what basic and organic really meant. The attendees were mostly farmers, which is the point of this event. It was a good convergence for farmers like us.

Senator Miguel Zubiri was there. He is the principal author of the Philippine Organic Agriculture Law. At the end, it will really be the organic and natural farming practitioners, herbal advocates and the consumers who will be guided by moral ethics and common sense. Oh well, that is my opinion.

Doc Rey conducted a seminar on the last day. Very well attended and the interest was held.

I went around Sunday morning and found a sweet tuba seller! My favorite drink ever! Asked her to reserve the last bottles for me and asked her if we can go visit her farm. She is one of the few OCCP Certified Organic farms. Timing, because she also wanted to carry Sunshine Chicken in her store to go with her veggies. That should be another post, after we visit the farm.

I asked Mr. Sarian, editor for Agriculture of Manila Bulletin if he wanted to join the trip. That is how agri friends spend time together....farm visits :) We get to enjoy good company and the best fresh produce.

It is those farm tours that allow us to know, where to get what. We really see how the farms are operated and how the produce are grown. Oh no, we are not a certifying body nor an organic organization. We are just enjoying time together with friends.

Mr. Zac Sarian during opening day.

Pro Active

We always think of ways to make it easier for the farmhelp to cope with the ever increasing workloads. Goes with either growth or you get more work when you are lax and you always go back to fix things :(

I want to think that we are always busy because we are growing.

Our ranges have the nipple drinkers as water system for the Sunshine rangers. I don't know why we haven't done it for our brooding area and houses too??? We were meeting on how to make things lighter for labor and talks about motorized curtains so you just flick a switch, auto feeders even in houses, additional water pumps installed, solar panels for lights...and of course why not nipple drinkers in all houses!

A drum is attached to a faucet outside the housing. You just have to open the faucet to let water into the drum. If you need to add some concoctions to your drinking water, it is easily done in this drum. Water is dispensed when the chicks peck on the nipples. As a bonus, they have a perch.

Habits are hard to break and there are still waterers placed inside the housing. The farmhelp will stop doing that once he is convinced that he isn't being eased out of his job.

Eventually we will go into mechanized feeding system for the Sunshines. Not really to get rid of farmhelp...it is so for them to do other things that machines can't do...like plant vegetables and trees :)

Let's Play

The cages are opened up early in the morning for the chicks to catch the coolness of the previous night, with the dew drops everywhere, before the heat of the day dries them up.

We try to catch that time too, as it is a joy to see the different ranges liven up with the chicks like preschool children during recess time. There is one range that was quiet... shouldn't be as it was a large area and had a lot of trees where they can play around and scout for insects.

Closer look...and see they were all playing and burying themselves in the mounds of ricehull! Looks like their beddings are scheduled to be turned and changed. They decided to smell the sheets first :) They have the same color and you don't see them from afar.

That is not just playground for them...there is food almost everywhere. One functions best in their natural habitats and ways.

Incidentally, we are based in Santiago City, Isabela.

Learn & Know

After rounds of taste testing for our Sunshine Chicken Sausages, we have come out with the right blending that we suited for the Asian taste buds.

Soft introduction to our regular clients, and we got reorders the week after :) During IFEX 2010, we launched it and got new clients who reordered after their initial purchase at WTC. The stocks we thought will last us for about 3weeks, went in those 3days.

We are done with our new batch of Sunshine Chicken Sausages (garlic, sweet, herbs and spicy) today and have already scheduled the June processing date. Now, new recipes are playing in my mind. After the safe taste buds...I now want to do my artisan sausages :)

Meantime, I have signed up for a meat processing course and have scouted for our equipments for a kitchen we will dedicate for the sausages.

Why study meat processing? Only way I can explain and detail better this new product line. You can't sell something you don't know. You can't give away what you don't have.

PINES

Am not going to Baguio...but it would be a nice idea in this heat :)

Am talking about joining the 1st Philippine International Eco Show (PINES), organized by CITEM and DTI.

August 26-28, SMX Convention Center (beside Mall of Asia). All three days will have good conference programs.

Read about Philippine International Eco Show (PINES), Eco-Solutions for a Greener Tomorrow.

Join us there, if you are interested in ecology and green friendly goods, produce and services :) Find us around the activity area, booth B13.

AANI, May 30 - Updated

WHAT: Raising Sunshine Chicken from Day1 to Harvest
WHERE: AANI Quezon Memorial Circle,
enter thru gate across PHILCOA
WHEN: May 30, 4pm
WHO: Doc Rey
FEE: Am not sure if free or they are charging for maintenance,
please contact AANI at (02) 497-2755

Where Are We In July?

WHAT: 3rd International Flora and Fauna, Green Living Expo
WHERE: World Trade Center, Pasay City
WHEN: July 22-25, 2010

We were part of the 1st ever International Flora and Fauna held at WTC in 2008. It was a nice show interconnecting aesthetics with usage.

Hope you enjoy this show as much as we did.

Sunshine will be there! Side by side with the AANI friends.

Seminar scheduled: "Raising Sunshine Chicken", July 24, 2pm. We will have it in the AANI cluster, outdoor setup.

What Is Relaxation To You?

I am a sea, mountains and privacy loving person. So when I first saw Pamalican Island, where Amanpulo Resort is situated...this is it!

In my generation, there was this canned show from the US, "Fantasy Island"...that was the air as you got welcomed as you alighted from the plane. Several golfcarts and reception line greeted you...ready to brush you far from everyone else instantly. We are the only ones who got introduced to several people...only because we were not there as guests of Amanpulo, but as guests of A. Soriano Foundation for their livelihood program.

We went through a maze of gardens and trails for golfcarts and bikes. Some of the guests that arrived on the same flight, had their golfcarts enter inner trails. You will know that those were their Casitas. From the trail, not visible. You just know it is there.

The clubhouse boasts of a nice swimming pool. But that I can't comprehend. Travel far, pay good money, for a swim in a pool? No sir, not for me. Give me the beach :)

The East side is where Lagoon Club is situated. Not many people come here, but that is why I like it. Very quiet during the day, but the night spot for early dinner. I chose my own little corner...

In my heart, from my spot, this is mine :)

Oh see who claims his own lane... So many of them on land, while the Yellow Orions own the treetops.

Another favorite spot of mine was atop a hill that overlooks the West side of the island. You have the hill all to yourself. The whole works follow you and is set up there. Chef, waiter, supplies...the view, the breeze...I suggest dinner here. You have it all to yourself.

Look to your left and you see the West side beach area. That is where the West Villas and Casitas are located. Can you see them? They can't be seen from the golfcart trails, nor from the beach :)

Beach weddings are normally held here. The resort personnel say that some really go in Tuxedos and their Bridal Gowns. I can relate to that. I remember being in a beach in Hawaii and we witnessed a dressed up wedding on the beach. It was very pretty and romantic!

This spot is the signature photo used by Amanpulo. The image doesn't speak enough for itself. You have to feel it and be there. Actually, we have a souvenir photo taken here...hahahahah but I guess because of our size, we covered the whole idea of the composition. See the island at the back? That is Manamoc. It is now waiting for us to sail over there to do our work :)

Now again, this will relaxation for me, except that we are on a working trip. The accommodations and facilities are clean. Personnel are quietly around. They just approach when needed. You have privacy, the sea, mountains plus plus. You don't see anyone....but when you do see each other in trails, the smiles are there.

You sure are paying for being unknown and not bothered by others. That I will say is the primary reason to go to Amanpulo. No wonder it has become a go-to for celebrities. Their guest list reads "who is who" from around the world.

The downside? The cost. But then, luxury does have a price tag :) As for me....I don't need to pay for that privacy. But yes, Amanpulo is a getaway.

Happy Pigs

We had to walk about 15mins from the beach to the field office of Andres Soriano Foundation in Manamoc island in Palawan.

First there were dried Seaweeds on the beach. Then I was greeted by a lot of happy pigs! No pens - on a long noose so they can walk around and exercise, on natural beddings (as the whole place is really sand), given fruits and vegetables for food.

I think most of the pigs were smiling as we were walking by....hmmmmmm, they might be saying that they saw a fat visitor :)

Our guides were telling us that some things are common in each household: Pigs, Rimas tree and a member who is employed at Amanpulo Resort.

Where do the happy pigs go? Mostly to Amanpulo tables and to the nearby islands.

Manamoc Rimas, I Will Call It

The moment we went inside the field office of Andres Soriano Foundation in Manamoc, we were offered these fried Rimas.

I love these fried varieties that was introduced to me by Tita and Pol Rubia of AANI. But these ones today were so different. Deep yellow sunset in color, they were very sweet, creamy like Durian and big like Melon slices. We can't have enough of it that we asked for it all the time.

These Rimas fruits are abundant on this island. You see the trees everywhere. The fruits will be mistaken as Jackfruits (Langka) to the uninitiated. So abundant they are, that they are fed to the pigs...and now to the Sunshines :)

We asked for some planting materials and hopefully in our farm they will grow well. Expecting to have some Manamoc Rimas in Santiago City, Isabela in 2 1/2 years :)

Amanpulo & Manamoc

One of the most well known and highly rated restaurants in Tagaytay, get their dressed Sunshine Chickens from us, to augment the kitchen needs when they run out. Actually, they get day old chicks from us to grow in their own farm.

About 3 weeks ago, I get a call from our Tagaytay restaurant client, that we got referred to the Aman group, whose one property here was the Amanpulo Resort in Palawan. Soon after, we get a call from the A. Soriano Foundation people who looks after the community islands around their Amanpulo, giving them livelihood etc.

After getting some dressed Sunshines and eggs for the Amanpulo kitchen to try....can we do a seminar in their Manamoc office? They will fly us to Amanpulo..... Wow, who hasn't heard or read about Amanpulo!

Took some days for me to say "yes". Doc Rey and I are so afraid of heights and taking a 17seater plane will be like riding a rollercoaster on air to us! I was trying to convince Doc Rey to do go with an agri friend, but he wanted me as companion. Searched the internet about flying to Amanpulo. Hmmmmmm read very good reviews. So ok...after a couple of days, we agreed.

Glad we did! From the time we got to the A. Soriano Hangar, we were met by the Andres Soriano Foundation staff at the entrance, lunched and flew.

Basing from the flight map, this is our first view of Manamoc.

Approaching the runway of Amanpulo Resort....

Even before landing, you see a line of golfcarts and Amanpulo staff waiting for you. As we alighted, HR Manager and F&B Manager greeted us and welcomed us warmly.

After a light meal, freshened up and now we are all set to crossover to Manamoc. See the island behind us? 30 mins away, that is where we went for the seminar.

The brooder and housing was almost done when we saw it the next day. After the seminar, it was time to go and visit the first location of the project for comments.

Originally I had no intention of going to the farm, 2kms away. But I heard that the generator was going to be turned off, then there were motorcycles for us...so game! I haven't taken a motorcycle ride for ages...and these are the smaller bikes and we were on the rough road climbing a mountain. It was so much fun being a back passenger...the wind, the view, the company :)

I was really glad to have made this trip. Enjoyed Manamoc so much...its community, the people, the A. Soriano Foundation people. Even while still there, Doc Rey and I were talking about what we can give to them. The chosen communities of the ASF are the better ones we have seen so far of the many ones that we have encountered that are receiving livelihood programs.

My Amanpulo experience will be a topic of a separate posting.

Sam Gye Tang

One of my daily reads is pinoy cook, and last week's topic got me running to a Korean grocery.

I was going to make Sam Gye Tang after I found this recipe.

Using my reliable huge crockpot, I started with this.

Timed it to have it ready for a very early breakfast before we fly to the secluded and beautiful Amanpulo in Palawan!

6hrs into slow cooking

8hrs in the crockpot at low....perfect! My favorite? Was the sticky sweet rice inside the chicken as you slice it.

Highly recommended! Use free range chicken in the Philippines of course :) Get Sunshine!

No No

Don't wait for this to happen before making a range rotation. It is so depleted and barely any sign of life.

We suggest not to have goats and chickens in the same range as both of them eat grass to bald the land. Sure goats and chickens may co-exist in the same farm, but have a several ranging area.

Caretakers err and we also miss on somethings because of a lot of work and matters in our minds. Like this ranging area...mistake. Common mistake...which makes it worse because it is so easy to to have avoided it.

Range rotation! Think of what is bad for you, it will be bad also for the land. If you get depleted and dry, it will take more than just vitamins to get you up and about. Rest, rest rest and in terms of time, you will have to wait and ride the down time.

It happened to us also. It occurs when you trust too much, thinking that your instructions are listened too.

The above wasn't caused by mixing goats and chickens. It was a case of not moving a batch of layers on time.

Plan ranges. Make it easy to rotate. Set up posts and just move nets.

Took time to dry up that area. It will take time to revive it. Rake and water. Rake and water...rake and fertilize. Soon after you will see bursts of new life. Notice that when you aerate...new kinds of flora comes out. They had been burried, waiting to be unearthed :)

Grass Height

People ask if they should just let their grass grow?

Sunshines love soft grass. If you have an unused area and the grass is tall, cut them down to about one (1) inch. Let it rest first before you let out a batch to range in the newly cut area. Why wait? Because the Sunshines will attack the sprouts as soon as they come out and the grass won't have the opportunity to thicken.

For this photo, why didn't we cut? This is not a ranging area, it is where the ready to slaughter wait to be picked up. No shade in our farm's entrance, so the tall grass acts as umbrellas :)

Avoiding My Eyes

Above is one of our holding areas. That is what we call the areas where we send our "to harvest". Why do we move them? Easier to transport to dressing. No more selection here, they had been chosen already.

When I was at the farm the other day, they decided to miss making eye contact with me. Maybe they think that I have the final say on who goes at that phase......they all go, per holding area.

On a normal basis, they go by the net and look at the other side....it must apply to all..this "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence" thing :)

My point here might be missed....it is convenient to have a "holding area". Preselect the ready to harvest. Move them to an area that has food, so they are ok while they wait for their time. Keep it near the access road for easier transport.

If your harvest keeps up with your sales, then perfect. If not, I suggest invest in freezers. Dress all, instead of feeding them. There is a curve in growth. Once reached, what they eat won't convert to gained weight. Even if they gain...assess the weight requirements of your market. Harvest when you reach that weight.

Healthy Cravings

For people who have a sweet tooth like me, I have to find my fix and find answers to my cravings. Yes, most often they are very unhealthy with all the sugar, cream and gooey delicious stuff!

We have become such milk drinkers. 10lts of Goat and 10lts of Carabao's, a week, between two adults. Sure, Goat's is healthy...but I get my fix from Carabao's milk. So creamy and yummy without preservatives. Besides, milk is a complete food. I don't get hungry...but then, I still love to eat :)

Today, all alone in Manila...I wake up with cravings. Shouldn't be the case as I had three (3), yup three huge slices of Mango Bravo last night as midnight snack! Stood up to get some Goat's milk and opened a pack of Almond Crunch. I get those packs of nuts and keep it my pantry.

Nuts and milk...healthy cravings are not impossible :)

Canal

When we first brought the idea of this property to our agri friends, Zac Sarian instantly told us to build a canal all around. That will make the former ricefield dry and we get to use the elevated area as planting area and we get to have a default fishpond all around the property.

I took this photo on day1 of the back hoe in the property. Pretty fast work. Today is his second day and he is almost done making the canal/fishpond. Didn't appreciate the idea at first, but now that I can see it, very simple and good. We get to have chickens, vegetables and fishes for our consumption.

Tomorrow, we start on our farm road, that will be some sort of roundabout in the area where we will have a reception or rest area.

We let this new ranging area rest for quite sometime. When they started fencing and some movements happened to the soil, new plants instantly came out. Rest to give time for new! In five (5) yrs, we should have a mini forest here.

Planned on the planting materials and will be ready to replant soon. Poultry houses will be up after that. It was nice to have the opportunity to plan after experiences. If you have tendencies for flooding, then instead of relying on pumps to throw water, we worked on canals, dams and valves to release water.

We are like an island after this! Water all around that is actually a dam/canal, now to hold our swimming food. Can't wait to see my winding road also!

That will have to wait, while we go to Amanpulo on Tuesday....join us in Amanpulo in Palawan :) We are actually doing a seminar there for a group and our host decided to fly us there. Even if it was open for others.......its not easy to fly there unless a guest.

Going To Agrilink 2010

Barely having time from the turnaround after IFEX, we now get a call about our booth for Agrilink 2010! That is in October, but it takes time to plan, so yes....we are now starting to look forward to our October show.

Our 4th year to join Agrilink, touted as the biggest Agriculture trade show in the Philippines.

WHAT: Agrilink 2010
WHERE: World Trade Center, Pasay City
WHEN: October 7 to 9

We always plan to give you something better :) See us at our booth!

Cooling Effect

What do you do to cool yourself these days? I have my wet tissues inside the chiller section of my ref. There are several packs that are chilled and I take one (1) with me when I leave in the morning and return at the end of the day. Bottles of body sprays are in the ref too. During long trips, I have them inside a cooler where we keep our drinks too inside the van.

How about my chickens? How do they cool themselves? Sure there are shade trees around, but they want to wander.

Some of our ponds have dried up because of this El Nino we have. The Sunshines have thought that their ranging areas have been widened for them. They now leisurely take a walk down there. It should have a very cooling effect....the wet grounds, the large leaves of the Water Lilies that act as umbrellas in our story books.

I decided to see what they were up to...walking down to go up close and personal.....Wasn't sure to what they were up to down there...

They had been munching on the Water Lilies! No, no, those are not Parsley leaves that seem to border the pond...they are chewed Water Lilies.

Searched on what they may be enjoying and typed Water Lilies on my search button. Water Lilies are edible and medicinal :) Besides, Sunshines know what is good or bad. They were taught well as chicks hahahhahahaha.

It Goes Up

The temperature may be very high these days, but we have observed that early mornings in our farm tends to be breezy and cool. Today was no different, so Doc Rey instructed to have several of these drums set inside the brooders. The chicks will have a choice, when they feel warm they go away. But when chilly, they have warmth to run to. The brooders are well ventilated, so there will be no problem of having it too warm.

I have written about this drum in several past postings. You put holes around the drum. Set it atop a base like hollow blocks...so the chicks won't burn if they get pushed towards the drum. When elevated, the chicks may walk around and under :)

Am not sure what was used today, but normally they burn coco shells, wood, rice hull.....fire goes up.

Some are wary about using alternative heaters such as charcoal or burning other materials, as they think the smoke will suffocate the chicks.

See how the smoke goes up? Have you ever seen smoke that bends and goes down? Unless they are seeking ways to escape :) I know.... you have images of burning rooms in movies, where you see smoke crawling under closed doors. Then, eventually once they are out, they go up again.

After the material used had burned...you have charcoal or carbonized rice hull that is perfect for use as bedding material or for your organic vegetable plots.

IFEX Philippines 2010

Right after we set up on opening day, good that I decided to take a picture, as there will be hardly time after as we got busy. Talk talk talk....time to rest a little, then a flurry of activities again. Thank you to CITEM's Doris, Luz and Pia for promoting IFEX 2010 well.

Co-branding, co-ordinating, co-marketing....Alaminos Goat Farm and I met in IFEX 2008, since then we had been helping and supporting each other. Great decision to show side by side. Without borders :) We have the same market profile and it suited us well to be associated.

I won't push a product that I don't believe in. Doc Rey and I consume 20lts of milk a week. Alaminos Goat Farm supplies us with 10lts while I get my other 10lts of milk from Philippine Carabao Center. The best milks I can say. The Carabao milk gives me the cream I live for, the Goats give me the best milk, closest to mothers' :)

Best opportunity to bring out our Sunshine Sausages for intro to the general public. Did pretty well. People who had bought from us had already reordered them, just a few days after. I can't say what sold best. All sold equally well. Salve of APDC, the developers of Sunshine Sausages was there the last day. She saw how the response to the product was, and will be scheduling processing dates again.

Totie and company of Alaminos Goat Farm assisted us from ingress to egress.

Rocky helped during Summer schedule breaks...must be the two good looking men that attracted and brought in the sales? It may have helped, but it is really the healthy goat and chicken products that pulled them in :)

Full support is important from suppliers to media partners and co brands. BTW, Louis Perrault of SASSO was behind us too.

I tell you.....am not yet done posting this and we got a lot of calls from institution accounts already for Sunshine Sausages. I love IFEX :)

Umagang Kay Ganda, May 5

Set the alarm at 2am this morning, so I can roast a chicken for the table set up for Umagang kay Ganda guesting today. Chicken done by 3:30, so we met the call time of 4am.

The morning variety news shows are harder to do because set ups are done early. Shoots are done earlier than interview time. Then, more often than not, you stay until "goodbye" time :)

Today was no different. Set up by 5am. Photos were taken for background showing while interviews at about 5:30. Actual interview was at 6:30.

Nope...I am not complaining. Nice to sit around the studio and grounds. There is a different world there. A corner or a garden becomes an instant set up for the "traffic guy"...a meter away, with a tarpaulin background, transforms to the "weather man's" stage. You think we were far away? Uhuh....an arm's length, drinking coffee :)

Winnie Cordero has interviewed Sunshine Chicken several times for Agrilink events. This time, she sees us with eating chickens and not live dayold chicks. She instantly noticed the new line of sausages.

After that, we went to World Trade Center for ingress of IFEX Philippines 2010. I like doing the booth early, before everyone gets there. The official contractors are everywhere busy, but they can still attend to you for your needs.

Pays to be settled early...you know.

Chickens Have Wings

Wings are part of a chicken and they are not easy to throw away :)

In our new line of No Chemicals, No Preservatives Sunshine Sausages, we had to debone the chickens. We had this mound of chicken wings that wasn't even attempted to be deboned anymore as it will take a lot of time and effort.

It was originally packed to go to the freezer for giving away etc...then the person who was doing the product development thought of marinated Chicken Wings!

That story got to the interview last Saturday during Radyo Negosyo. They asked about our roasted chicken that was brought for stylized food presentation and the talk went to the tray of sausages. Next to it, lay the wings. I actually had it there because it was a filler as the tray was kindda big. I was open about the story of the wings, how it was brought about and the original throw away state it was in...but then, people who are used to developing and creating, finds ways to use things.

Now, the wings might bring us to higher plains :)

Wake Up Early

Normally up by about 5:30 to go to the farm, if we are in Isabela. In Manila, 6am is our lazy day. When there are farm visits or out of town seminars, we get roused by the alarm at about 5am.

We get a call today for guesting at Umagang Kay Ganda, a morning show over ABS-CBN. Call time is at 4am...that means up at 3am, May 5.

I can't complain. Thank you for these opportunities :)

Seminar For AANI, May 8

WHAT: Seminar in Raising Sunshine Chicken
WHEN: May 8, Saturday, 3pm
WHERE: AANI Quezon Memorial Circle, enter across PHILCOA
WHO: Doc Rey

This will a free seminar given by AANI (Agri Aqua Network International). For details please call AANI at (02) 497-2755.

Wisdom From Age

Do you find yourself sometimes not wanting to attend to something then ending being happy? I do and did recently.

When we were invited to do a free seminar for a group of Senior Citizens, I was wary....maybe it is the picture of sad, very old people in my mind...flashes of your civic activities in homes for the aged when you were much younger.

Two weeks ago, Doc Rey scouted the area but didn't enter. He said it looked nice inside, but it was way not accessible and far. So on the day, we got to the gate. The instructions texted to me was "open and close the gate after you"....fairy tale segment of bad times to come? Bad me! I should have seen it as independent minds and movements of the group we were to encounter.

At the end of the driveway, we were greeted by the organizer and the owners of the venue. They knew Zac Sarian, who was with us, and were so happy as they had been inviting him to visit the place but he didn't find the time then. Zac also didn't know where we were going nor who owned it...so everyone was equally surprised.

It was actually good as I didn't have to entertain him as Doc Rey as doing the seminar. The owners toured him and they went through the garden that showed very interesting finds for Zac. I won't preempt as am sure he will write about it in his columns as he was so excited.

I sat myself at the back near the table for the boodle lunch. 30mins prior to lunch, some of the men and ladies stood up to prepare the table. The rolled Banana leaves were unruly when laid. I thought about rolling them the other way...thank God it worked :) I saw how the men brought out their swiss knives and worked on the table and layout of things. Not contented, one even brought out garden shears from his body bag to clip on the some wayward materials. One laid out Banana fruits from the fresh tangkay that was brought as baon. It was laid in twos at intervals. Meant to be shared by all. What struck me the most???? The man who had shears went through all the Banana fruits and clipped the top. The most logical reason for me, was that it was going to be easy for the person to peel the banana. Wasn't that sweet a move?

Although I was at the onset of an Asthma attack and had to rest, I observed and had a different seminar meant for me, all to myself. This group wasn't a helpless lot. It is good that Senior Citizens have a bonding. They know one's needs and wants. They have taken full responsibility for themselves. They have the tools for their activities.

This must be the good that the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts training brought to us. I saw it most evident as they were prepared :) I don't know if the kids these days still have those trainings :(

Don't get me wrong. This was a very intelligent group. Much like you and me when we get to their age now :)

Some posts ago I talked about retirement without knowing I will see why in the next days. My friends and I were also talking about setting our own retirement place. That way we all know one another and will enjoy activities together. We will have the same set of friends and family members are known to one another.

Going Back To What You LIke And Have

I learned a lot of things last Wednesday (boy why is it spelled that way). We, together with Zac Sarian and Doc Rey went to Batangas to conduct a seminar that merits another post, and to visit a grower near by.

This grower I remember well because he had attended a seminar thrice, yes 3X. First, maybe then he was scouting what to do. 2nd, by then he knew he wanted to grow Sunshines and he brought a partner with him to attend. 3rd, he just got his first batch and maybe wasn't confident about it or he just needed to be reassured that he was doing right.

On the way to the farm, Doc Rey was always mentioning that this was the one who wanted to do some work with drug rehab guys as he just got out of rehab. I wasn't paying attention as this man was middle aged already...but then, Doc Rey did visit him already some two weeks back...

Because I know his loading schedules, I was expecting to see a free ranging batch and a brooding batch. Gone are the supposed to be ranging batch as it got bought in one flash. In Doc Rey's last visit, he mentioned the availability of RTR in this farm to another vet friend. Good the referral got through.

I told you, there is a market for the "ready to range" RTR as we call it.

The grower started talking...how he loved farming even as a kid...but he got wayward...etc etc. He spent 8 yrs in rehab, he is now 54...not yet graduated from rehab fully. So it means he was in rehab since he was about 46, but was dependent for like almost 30yrs. So Doc Rey was right!

People who know me know how blatantly open I talk (others will say tactless), so I said good he wasn't affected! He talks intelligently, he doesn't move in slow motions. He is very well mannered. I wouldn't have guessed.

Getting side tracked! My real point here is that when he wanted to recreate his life, he went back to what he knew he wanted to do but never did...farming :) He had good friends and family who propped him up. Working as scaffoldings, but not as crutches for him..w/c is really good, I think.

He saw this idle farm of his friend and the friend offered him to spend time here and work together. Step one, he was going to farm. In the process he was enjoying, working and being productive. Things he hadn't done for a long time. Now, he even wants to give projects to similar drug dependents still in rehab. He is so happy with a clean life that he wants to do everything all at the same time.

Hold it :) Focus....

He was looking the other way :)

Then Zac Sarian showed him the mature Kalamansi Trees. It just needed some caring and fertilizing. It was already mature and should be very productive with a little work done on it. Much like our farmer here, don't you think? :)

These Kalamansi Trees will give income to the farm.

Our farmer stopped and listened. Saw the light.

Then he talked about expansion. Very excited because he is seeing the prospects in the first small ventures.

Next to the Kalamansi Trees...ready for use :)


When you don't know where to start or what to do for the first steps. Go back to yourself and enter your heart...then look out around you.

No Preservatives, No Chemicals - Free Ranged Sunshine Chicken Sausages

We had been testing several groups' taste buds....it really varies! Much like a Villar, Gibo, Erap and Noynoy stuff.

What I and my friends wanted, was what the APDC group didn't like. Taste has really something to do with food you grew up with. The common Filipino taste buds don't like herbs blah blah....we met all. We came up with four (4) variants: garlicky (patterned after the Vigan Longanisa), sweetish (skinless), spicey and the herbed.

Now we have produced and will introduce it during IFEX Philippines 2010.

For the past two weeks we had been asking our customers to taste test and some of our dealers/wholesalers. When they found out that our freezers had it already, they started ordering! We hope to leave some for the IFEX in May 6-8.

These sausages are at PHP500/kg and will be included in our home delivery route. You may order it in assorted variants :)