Developing the ideas to start pig production businesses in the highlands of Papua New Guinea

In this blog I write about the field days... Through the drought we pushed along with the commercial elements of the main farm and measuring the performance of each batch of pigs fed the various silages and premixes in the wooden pig house. I wanted to test how receptive the local villages might be about raising some pigs for us.   I thought they should see the pigs in our pig houses and see firsthand the cassava silage.  Would they be able to grow cassava themselves and process it in the same way? The field day: Chairs and a tarp for shade set up extended the mess  Field day poster:  The business To this end Miriam and Patrick organized a field day.  They put the word out to their local church group. Our first field day was purposely a small affair. There was a lot for us to learn.  Later we would run a bigger event and invite the press.  Local church or not, forty people turned up from the church community and from the familie...

In this blog I'm writing about our experiences buying and  growing cassava.....   A cheap, reliable energy source underpins successful pig production everywhere in the world.    Corn, wheat, barley, sorghum, rice and other grains fill this purpose in many countries.    In tropical climates cassava is a high yielding crop and is a major source of carbohydrate for humans and animals.    Indeed, globally, it is the third largest food source of carbohydrates after rice and corn.    It provides a basic diet for over half a billion people. When dried to a powdery or pearly extract it is called tapioca or manioc. It can also be used as a meal for poultry and pigs. Cassava from a garden near Komo - (lower altitude) A multi stemmed plant, Cassava grows about two metres tall. The roots (tubers) are rich in starch. The leaves are a good source of protein and lysine but low in methionine and possibly tryptophan. They make good hay for liv...