TINOC, Ifugao, Sept. 19(PIA)- - The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVET) here conducted a 2-day Farmers Livestock School (FLS) on Sheep Production attended by 44 farmers at the Mugao Training Center in Barangay Impugong here.

PVET Training Coordinator Ferdinand Dunuan said the training aims to equip the farmers who are beneficiaries of sheep dispersal from the Department of Agriculture with appropriate knowledge and skills on good practices on sheep production.

Topics discussed during the 2-day training include raising sheep that involve lamb fattening, lamb selection, feeds, rearing house; Diseases and Control that includes diseases of sheep, causes and effect, prevention and control and veterinary medicines, Forage Preservation that consists of the materials and tools needed, procedure, feeding time, silage characteristics, Silage Making involving their importance, step by step procedure and the materials. There were also the hands on demonstration on forage preservation, silage making and urea treated rice straws as feed for the sheep.

Municipal Agriculturist Pedring Manghi thanked PVET for conducting the training despite the COVID-19 pandemic since the sheep dispersed to the beneficiaries need much care and proper management for them to produce more.

Agricultural Technologist Adeline Tindaan said that the training is very important for the farmer beneficiaries to equip themselves with skills and knowledge in managing their animals.

There are many reasons why sheep farming should be promoted in Tinoc- the weather is favorable, sheep are easy to handle and generally do not require inputs, elaborate facilities and equipment and consume roughage or forages as their primary feed and a minimum amount of supplemental feeding. Grasses and other farm by-products are abundant in the area.

Aside vegetable gardening as the major source of livelihood in Tinoc, stakeholders are looking forward to sheep production as an industry that will produce meat and food for the families as well as sell in the market for additional income. JDP/DBC- PIA CAR, Ifugao)