Seventy-two-year-old woman farmer Felicidad Dela Cruz and also a member of the Upstream Livelihood Farmer’s Association sold three rams in her neighborhood at Brgy. Dagupan, Luna, Apayao with total collectibles of Php 13,000.00 on October 1, 2020.

The livestock were under the Sheep Production Project of Apayao granted by the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program in 2019.

Months after Mrs. Dela Cruz received the five sheep (four ewes and a ram), 7 offspring were produced as of September 2020.

“Ti pinagited yu iti tulong kadakami nga nakukurapay nga farmer ket makaited iti inspirasyon. Ita nga madama iti krisis iti COVID-19 pandemic, nagdakel nga tulong etuy nga pagbirukan nga naited kadakami. Gapun iti naaramid nga agreement iti miyembro iti association mi, kada beneficiary babaen na etuy nga proyekto ket agited to iti offspring kin iti sumarunu nga beneficiary. Iti partek, agishare nak to iti lima nga offsprings. Tapnun nu kasta dumakel iti pakadanunan na etuy nga livelihood,” shared Mrs. Dela Cruz as she was grateful being the beneficiary of the program.

(Helping poor farmers like us is very inspiring. During this COVID-19 pandemic, this is a great help for us. As an agreement between the members of the association, each recipient will be passing the offspring of the sheep to the next-in-line beneficiaries. For me, I will be sharing five offspring of the sheep to the next grantee in order for this livelihood project to expand.)

In addition, Mrs. Dela Cruz also shared that sheep production is a good source of income since she was able to purchase food supplies for their daily needs. From her production sales, she was able to purchase five rolls of wire for her animal fencing worth Php 6,500.00.

Today, Mrs. Dela Cruz is rearing her five original sheep and four offspring in order to produce more.

Management practices imposed to sheep farming

According to Mrs. Dela Cruz, the primary goal is to reduce stress through good management. On her part, she is regularly providing fresh and clean water for the sheep early in the morning and in the afternoon. She added that sheep will consume a couple of gallons of water each day and more when it is hot.

“Dal-dalusan mi tay paginuman da once a week tapno haan nga narugit metlang,” [We usually scrub their drinker once a week to keep it disinfected] Mrs. Dela Cruz expressed.

She also added that providing a barn is an important factor to further provide the animal stocks with shaded area, so that during warm or cool weather, they have shaded area that will keep them safe.

For colder climates, sheep spend time in their shelter. According to Mrs. Dela Cruz, sheep need a shelter that protects them from rain. She and her husband are providing thick hay beddings.

“Tapno metlang haan da unay aglamin nu tay kapigsa tudu, ik-ikkan mi isuda iti ruut nga mabalin da pagidaan,” [For colder climates, we make sure that these animal stocks are clean and warmed by giving them thick bedding of hay.] Mrs. Dela Cruz shared. ###

Writer: Kathleen Faye Agonoy, Information Officer I, SAAD Apayao
Copy Editor: Jennifer A. Valcobero, SAAD NPMO Public Relation and Comms Officer