Richard Reyes enjoys watching the sun peak over the mountain each morning just about after he is done milking his dairy buffaloes. He also takes this moment to reflect on how blessed he is to work in an industry where exactly his heart is.

Dairy farming is not without challenges but Richard said he would rather be in his dairy farm than anywhere else.

In his dairy farm in Pampanga, Richard’s dairy buffaloes form a vibrant foreground against the lahar-stricken Bacolor town. His animals stand mighty and proud, complementing the scenic view of Mt. Arayat, a testament to how Richard has been soundly managing his dairy buffalo farm. 

 But Richard is not a one-man army in this venture. In fact, this business is what bonds his family tighter, as Maricel, his wife, and their five children all play a role in the farm. 

“That’s how I want my children to grow up because that’s the kind of upbringing I had. It is important that they are prepared to take on the business someday and they have to appreciate its operation as early as now,” Richard said.

In 2010, Richard returned home after working abroad and started his venture in carabao dairying. He bought two crossbred carabaos as his initial stock. He buckled down to taking care of his animals, understood their needs well, and nurtured them. From two crossbreds, his herd grew to 53 dairy buffaloes, which are products of continuous backcrossing.

Richard receives technical assistance from the DA-PCC at Central Luzon State University and is also a recipient of its Bull Entrustment Program.

During the peak season, his daily milk collection is 100 liters, priced at PHP90 a liter, giving him a gross monthly income of PHP270,000.

Richard is able to give his family a better life solely from his income in dairying.

He was able to afford the renovation of their run-down house in San Fernando, Pampanga into a two-story abode, the purchase of a jeep, four motorcycles, a vehicle intended for transporting milk, home furniture and appliances, and a milking parlor. Right where his barn is, Richard also built another house to cater to their farm workers. 

“There was a period in our lives when I couldn’t even afford to buy medicine for my children when they got sick. Looking back, I am just so grateful that I can now buy them anything they need.  On a 10-point scale, our lifestyle has changed dramatically from zero to 10,” Richard proudly shared. 

While some are busy looking down on him because of his chosen livelihood, Richard is up to his ears in business, making it good as a carapreneur.  

“When the time comes, I want them to be proud of me as their father because I was capable of sending them to the best schools even if I did not graduate from college myself. I want them to see and appreciate that I made it because I was a dairy farmer,” Richard said.

Richard said he also owes his good fortune to the people who influenced him to go into dairying. These were his late father, Redentor, and his role model, Filomino Pasamonte, who was in his time one of the progressive dairy farmers in Pampanga.

If Richard is right about his assessment of his destiny in carabao dairying, then fate has clearly carved him out for a certain role. He said his hard work and perseverance paid off now that his entire family is living its dream life. This proves that there is, indeed, hope for carabao dairying and for changing lives for the better.

Since he was a young child, Richard has always had a disposition for hard work—a quality he undoubtedly inherited from his father. “Wherever you place me, left or right, I would still go back in the middle to be a dairy farmer,” he proclaimed with pride.