A total of 871 cattle raisers in the municipality of Santa Maria in Isabela will benefit from the Cattle Production, Breeding, and Training Center established in Naganacan.

“Ay-ayaten tay kuma ta ado ti maitulong na daytoy nga proyekto. Kitaen yo no anya pay ti masapul ditoy center ta ado pay ti matulungan na (I hope that you will take care of this project because it will bring a lot of help. Identify what else the center needs so it can help more farmers),” Secretary William Dar told the recipients of the new facility.

Aiming to be a major cattle-producing town in the Cagayan Valley Region, the fourth class municipality of Santa Maria proposed the cattle technology training center to boost its local cattle industry wherein many small farmers are involved.

The project worth P3 million, specifically aims at increasing the local cattle population, upgrading existing cattle raising management system for sustainable production, upgrading local cattle genetics, and training local farmers on sustainable cattle management and technology.

In addition, the project aims to produce quality cattle for distribution to local farmers and train and equip artificial insemination (AI) technicians in the locality.

The Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office (DA-RFO) in Cagayan Valley will provide technical support and supervise the project. The RFO AI centers and facilities will also serve as the source of breeding materials to sustain the farm operation.

The center was inaugurated on December 12, 2019 by Sec. Dar and Mayor Hilario Pagauitan. ### (Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID)