Libertad USAD Farmers Receive Forage Chopper Support

Agricultural Technologist Rey Nelson Batalona, together with Punong Barangay Nena Tampepe, personally assisted in the delivery of a let-fall type forage chopper with a 500 kg/hour output capacity, powered by a 6.6 kW diesel engine, to the Libertad USAD Farmers Association of Barangay Libertad

The more than Php 168,000.00 worth equipment is intended to support the association’s livestock enterprise by improving the preparation and processing of forage feeds, reducing manual labor, and ensuring a more efficient and consistent supply of feed for their animals.

The association is also set to become a recipient of 26 heads of cattle under the Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Economic Enterprise Development (LEED) Program, a national initiative under the National Livestock Program. The program aims to help smallholder farmers and organized groups transform traditional backyard livestock raising into more productive and sustainable community-based enterprises.

Through the provision of livestock, production inputs, equipment, and other support interventions, the LEED Program seeks to increase local meat production, improve farmers’ income, strengthen livestock enterprises, and promote food security. It also encourages farmers’ organizations to adopt clustered and value-adding approaches that can help elevate backyard farming toward more commercially viable operations.

With the forage chopper and the upcoming cattle dispersal, the Libertad USAD Farmers Association is expected to strengthen its livestock production capacity and establish a more sustainable enterprise that can contribute to the livelihood of its members and the agricultural development of the community.

This initiative also reflects the continuing collaboration among the Department of Agriculture, the Local Government Unit of Prosperidad, barangay officials, and farmers’ organizations in providing appropriate interventions that empower local farmers and create sustainable agricultural livelihood opportunities.