Urea-molasses multi-nutrient block (UMMB) supplementation of dairy cows raised by smallholder farmers in Sariaya, Quezon, Philippines

An 'on-farm' study was conducted to determine the effects of urea-molasses-multi-nutrient block (UMMB) supplementation in Holstein-Friesian-Sahiwal dairy cows raised by smallholder farmers in the southern part of Luzon, Philippines. There were a total of 105 cows in the project. The basal diet of these animals was cut-and-carry forages (20-30 kg/head/d), obtained from cultivated and natural grasses, given with mixtures of trees and shrub leaves (1-2 kg/head/d). During the day, the cows were allowed to graze. In the summer months (March-April), rice straw and other agricultural by-products, e.g. corn stover, were provided. To assist with long-term sustainability of the project, a UMMB Production Centre was established through a micro-financing scheme. The calving interval of the UMMB supplemented cow group was 418 days, while that of the unsupplemented group was 504 days (P <0.05). The monthly milk yield of 343 kg of the treated animals was higher (P <0.05) than that of the untreated group (273 kg). The body weight of the supplemented group was 430 kg, and of the unsupplemented group was 400 kg. The supplemented cows had a better body condition score of 3.2, compared to 2.8 on a scale of 1 (very thin) to 5 (overfat), for the unsupplemented cows. (author)