BAGUIO CITY (PIA) – The Baguio Animal Breeding and Research Center (BABRC) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) recently opened its doors to the public, offering a glimpse into the various activities conducted on a dairy farm.
During the Milky Day celebration held at the BABRC in Dontogan, Baguio City, on May 23, 2025, visitors participated in a dairy development project field tour and witnessed demonstrations on milk pasteurization, yogurt, ice cream, and latte making, along with bullwhip cracking and other exhibits.
Spearheaded by DA Cordillera, Milky Day is part of the ongoing Farmers and Fisherfolk’s Month celebration. The event aims to highlight the region’s dairy potential and showcase government projects.
BABRC officer-in-charge (OIC) Ofelia Ducayag explained the reason behind opening BABRC to the public.
“We actually opened this also for young farmers around the city, kasi itong city natin is hindi lang naman siya city kundi may mga urban farmers, and among them are young farmers that we are hoping will delve into agriculture and since nandito ‘yung dairy project, iniisip natin na sana ‘yung mga magpoprocess in the future, mga collaborators ng dairy farm ay mga farmers dito sa area (We actually opened this also for young farmers around the city, because our city isn’t just a city, but it also has urban farmers, and among them are young farmers we hope will delve into agriculture, and since the dairy project is here, we are hoping that future processors, collaborators of the dairy farm, will be farmers in this area),” she said.
Ducayag also shared steps they are taking to boost the dairy industry in the Cordillera.
“We also see the potential of dairy farming dito sa Cordillera especially dito sa highlands dahil unique sa atin ang temperature and gustong gusto ng mga milking cows natin yan. Besides sa milking cows natin, there are also breeders, ‘yung mga anak nila ang dinidistribute natin sa mga farmers natin, so in the future, we are hoping na lumaki ang industry ng milk (We also see the potential of dairy farming here in Cordillera, especially in the highlands, because our temperature is unique, and our milking cows really like that. Besides our milking cows, there are also breeders; we distribute their offspring to our farmers, so in the future, we are hoping the milk industry will grow),” she said.
Ducayag hopes the facility will become an eco-tourism site, providing education to interested individuals and groups.
Formerly known as the Baguio Dairy Farm, BABRC is a 94-hectare government facility that houses technology demonstrations and research for the region’s crops and livestock industry. It serves as an outlet for high-quality dairy products and by-products and also functions as a production center for other livestock such as native pigs, chickens, and horses, and crops like coffee and citrus seedlings. **JDP/CVBT-PIA CAR
