This top rated radio broadcaster is a
certified farmer-entrepreneur. He can definitely make money on almost
anything that grows on his farm. He also makes use of his time as
productively as possible, be it on his farm or on his free time
before and after his time slot as anchorman for the popular morning
talk show segment. He epitomizes the popular American saying that
goes: “A true entrepreneur is one who when thrown to the Florida
Swamps, makes money from the alligators, including their cries”.
After acquiring an abandoned farm land
in the middle of Guimaras Island-province a few years ago, he
immediately brought in some of his siblings, cousins and some
laborers to clean and start a farm. He also conditioned the
century-old mango trees so they can bear fruits which he can sell
when matured. He also initiated any type of crop which he think will
help him earn and pay for the lease of the land.
While experimenting with crops, he was
introduced to the possibility of raising white leghorns, the chicken
breed ideal for commercial egg production. So he approached a
commercial raiser for an initial stock of 250 heads, on a complete
system: cages, facilities and stocks. The supplier also transferred
the technology of raising using the commercial approach where
everything relies on feeds and veterinary medicines.
FARMING AS A BUSINESS:
The initial egg production system and
stocks enabled him to learn the ropes of egg farming, from producing
eggs to selling them in every possible market outlet. He treated the
initial egg project as his hands on farm education. He realized then
that the most important aspect of farming is making profits and
collecting the cash so that you can plow the money back to operations
or use it for other important transactions like paying for bills,
expansion and for helping pay the tuition fees of his younger
siblings whom he was sending to school.
His most important lesson so far is
that profitability is only measured by the money one has collected
and not the sales which may be mostly accounts receivable and may
even turn to bad debts if not aggressively collected. He recalls
during the interview that a seemingly successful woman-entrepreneur
refused to settle her account for Rod's egg deliveries by questioning
rod where the delivery receipts were. Rod retorted that he kept an
accurate record of everything as demanded by his accountant and told
her that she can have the balance of her debt if that is how she
treated her suppliers. The said woman still owes Rod about
P35,000.00- too big for a budding entrepreneur like him!
While all aspects of farming is
essential and that one has to perfect everything, recording and book
keeping, says Rod, is the most important task for a
farmer-entrepreneur. By learning how to record every transaction, one
knows where every peso comes from and where it goes. “In the early
stages of my farming business, I often wondered where my money went
and even if I had sizable sales, I continued to end up adding to my
farm investment from my main source of income which is my salary as
radio anchor man. It was good that I met some people who helped me
realize that farming is a business and like all businesses, one has
to keep track of everything”.
With the things he learned from 2007 to
the present, Rod has learned to become an astute businessman and
farmer. His initial venture into the egg business now gave way to
many other farm activities such as raising native chickens, goats,
native pigs, vegetables, and others which can add to the income of
the farm. Every project initiated, Rod says, should make money so
that it can add to the income or help defray expenses.
EGG PRODUCTION:
From the initial stock of 250 heads,
Rod has expanded to 2,000 heads. The initial foray was a system
provided by the chicken supplier where Rod learned the ropes and his
expansion program was mostly his innovation, from housing to cages to
the use of probiotics or beneficial micro organisms which may help in
the growth and egg laying capacity of his flock.
Use of antibiotics-free feeds and
Probiotics. Receiving feedback from his buyers, Rod has started
using antibiotics-free feeds provided by a supplier who guarantees
the quality of the feeds. This practice has enabled Rod to collar the
account of several hospitals and food chains where antibiotics-free
eggs are being demanded. To offset the possibility of diseases
attacking his flock, Rod turned to the use of probiotics which he
makes by himself. “Using probiotics has weaned me from
antibiotics-based pre-mixes and water additives. Antibiotics may
protect the chickens but residues are transferred to the eggs and
those who eat them become immune to antibiotics treatment. This will
endanger their lives in case of infection where they will not anymore
respond to treatment”.
“The probiotics technology has helped
me a lot. Not only that my flock is strong, they also have a
relatively higher egg-laying rate at more than 78%. Industry rate is
at 66%. So with a flock of 2,000. I have an average daily egg
production of 1,400 to 1,600. Even my old layers are still laying
eggs beyond the industry cull age of two years! Besides, even if I
still raise native chickens on the side, their presence is not a
threat to my layers. Ordinarily, poultry experts would tell you that
raising other birds near the layer flock is a big risk. But look
inside my poultry house: there are stray native chickens feeding on
the floor”.
OTHER INCOME SOURCES:
“Egg production is my cash cow but
all other projects contribute to the general income. My native
chickens provide me with a few thousand pesos every month and they
are fed with the waste feeds, earthworms, maggots and the grasses
they can forage from the land. I am still expanding my goats and I
project that next year, I will be selling goat meat. The manure
produced by the chickens are fed to the earthworms and the castings
are bought by other farmers. But still I have more than enough manure
and organic fertilizers so I have grown red chili pepper which gave
me an estimated P2,000.00 per week. I am still expanding the area so
that I can get more from the chili since the market is stable”.
“I have also given attention to the
old coconuts on the farm by cleaning the tops and fertilizing them
with chicken manure and salt for its chlorine which is needed by the
coconut. Periodically we harvest them for their green and mature
nuts. We don't need to dry the nuts for copra anymore because the
price of mature nuts for cooking and the green coconut for its water
provides more income and we can sell them directly”.
SELLING DIRECTLY TO THE CONSUMERS:
Rod learned that the successful farmer
is himself the salesman. “The reason why most farmers are poor is
that they leave the selling to the middle man. It is the middle man
who makes the most profit. But I have short circuited the system by
doing the leg work myself. I have connected with the large consumers
like the hospitals and franchise food companies by offering them
slightly lower priced but quality eggs. My other come-on is my
practice of not using antibiotics which these institutions welcome as
it provides healthful and safe food for their clients and customers.
My hands-on marketing style allows me to talk with customers and get
their feedback so that I can further improve my products. This also
gives me the opportunity to learn about new things to produce and
sell.
OPEN-MINDEDNESS:
Being open-minded is one attribute of
Rod Tecson. He is always willing to learn and try new projects,
technologies and approaches. “ By being open to new technologies, I
was able to learn how the simple technology of making your own
probiotics can strengthen the flock, get them to lay more eggs and do
everything cheaply so that we stretch the budget and earn more. I am
also a risk taker so that I would venture into something new with
calculated risks, which is, that if the experiment fails, I can still
recover but if it succeeds, I could earn more”.
“So far I can say that I have
succeeded as I was able to send three of my siblings to school,
expand my farm operations on this 1.4 hectares hilly farm and buy a
few essential things which can somehow allow me to live with some
comforts. And I guess, the love of farming and making money out of it
has helped me find a girl of my dreams and sing a ditty or two to her
every time we are here at the farm”, Rod stated finally.
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