DTRI History

1909-1923
A single course in animal husbandry was already offered by Prof. Sam B. Durham to the few pioneering students in the UP College of Agriculture (UPCA) in its establishment in 1909. It was only in 1923, that the Department of Animal Husbandry was established
1955
The UPCA Department of Animal Science created its 10 divisions. One of those was the Dairy Husbandry Division from which DTRI was built upon.
1957-1959

The establishment of the Dairy Training & Research Institute (DTRI) was perceived in 1957 through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) initiative. Mr. E.A. Mclaughlin, a dairy production expert, was assigned to the Philippines on November 15, 1957 to May 1, 1958. He advised the government on the improved methods for increasing output and raising efficiency of the dairy cattle industry. 


After McLaughlin’s assignment, Mr. Ian D. MacRae came on April 17, 1959 upon the request of the Philippine government. His recommendation focused on pasture production and marketing. He also recommended to FAO the establishment of a dairy training and research institute.

1961

On April 20, 1961, a memorandum of agreement between the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) was signed. The institute was envisioned to be semi-autonomous under the general administrative supervision of UP and located in the campus of the College of Agriculture (CA) in Los Baños, Laguna. 

1962

On September 19, 1962, the UNSF with FAO as executing agency approved the plan of operations conceived by the Philippine government and FAO. DTRI was built upon UPCA’s Dairy Husbandry Division. The UPCA dairy farm was turned over to DTRI upon its establishment. Additional facilities were installed, pastures improved, and new animals were introduced.

On November 1 of the same year, DTRI became operational. MacRae was acting project manager at that time until Dr. W.J.A. Payne, the project manager-designate arrived on March 1963. The government provided initial funds for its initial operations.

1964
On April 1964, RA 4041 was passed to give full meaning and support to the development of the local dairy industry. It was an act to develop the Philippine dairy industry, promoting dairying activities through the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI). The act also states that the government was to provide DTRI an annual appropriation of one million pesos (Ph 1 million) for its operation.
1965

DTRI and BAI entered into an agreement to jointly establish the National Artificial Breeding Center (NABC) in Alabang, Metro Manila. The center would cater to the animal breeding needs of small-scale farmers, commercial farms and ranches.

1966
On June 18, 1966,  Congress enacted RA 4718. The act amended RA 4041, placing DTRI under the direct supervision and control of UP. This made the institute no longer semi-autonomous hence it became one of the major operating units of UP Los Baños.
1967

DTRI implemented the milk collection program known as Los Baños Milk Collection Scheme (LBMCS). It is a pilot dairy extension project (which later grew into a full-blown extension activity) for farmer-cooperators in selected areas of Laguna, and later in Rizal.

It started as a pilot project in the collection of carabao’s and cow’s milk from backyard dairy farmers. The scheme encouraged farmers to milk. Its major activities included milk collection, processing, and marketing; AI and veterinary services; and extension education on improved dairy production methods.

It was also during this year that the DTRI dairy processing plant was built and became operational. Moreover, DTRI's Oras ng Maggagatas radio program (later known as Pagatasan sa Nayon) was aired over radio DZLB. It provided dairy information for the farmers and carried messages for LBMCS.

1969
DTRI researchers, under the leadership of Dr. Edwin G. Wagelie, were able to freeze buffalo semen for the first time although attempts have been made in other countries since 1953. This accomplishment paved the way for the use of frozen buffalo semen in artificial insemination of local carabaos.
1971

DTRI served as Regional Dairy Development and Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (RDDTCAP) until 1980. The RDDTCAP, under the FAO-Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) program, trained participants from Southeast Asian countries and the Pacific twice a year.

1972

The declaration of martial law led to the government’s  control of mass media. The incident resulted to the discontinuation of radio DZLB’s operation where DTRI’s extension arm* “Pagatasan sa Nayon” was aired. The program resumed airing in 1974.

* Years later in 1995, UP launched its distance education/open university program. The idea of which, according to then UP president Emil Q. Javier, came from DTRI’s school-on-the-air “Pagatasan Sa Nayon”.

1975

DTRI launched a new milk collection program that catered to backyard, semi-commercial, and commercial dairy farms. The small dairy farmers were still its primary concern. In addition to dairying, it covered developmental areas including nutrition, health, environmental sanitation, family planning, food production, sewing classes, and other community project.

From 1975-1979, an America Peace Corps and several Japanese Overseas Cooperation volunteers were detailed at DTRI to share their expertise.
1980s
DTRI launched a new white cheese variety, the “queso de piña”. It utilized goat’s milk and seasoned with pineapple tidbits.

It was also during this decade that research on dairy technology focused on product development, particularly on cheese-making. It utilized indigenous resources such as coconut milk as extender and calamansi juice as coagulant. Cow, goat, and carabao milk were usd as local substitutes. Other research findings were rice straw technology, rice forage utilization, syrup from whey, sweet curd utilization for fresh coconut macaroons, and coryblue or blue cheese from carabao’s milk.
1981

DTRI and the Cooperative for American Remittances Everywhere (CARE) launched a school milk-feeding project. The project aimed to promote milk consumption to improve nutrition of school children. It also encouraged parents to raise dairy animals in their backyards.

1983

On January 1983, DTRI was placed under the umbrella of the UPCA. However, the institute continued its autonomy from the college except for administrative matters which are subject to appropriate action or endorsement by the college dean.

1990s
During the decade, DTRI was able to discover Stylosanthes scabra, a forage species that can effectively control cattle ticks in pasture.

Moreover, DTRI developed and improved dairy products such as niyogurt, kesogurt, curd products, milk jams, rennet substitute, and root-based cookies with milk.

DTRI also discovered a new method for calculating liquid milk equivalent (LME) based on total milk solids (TMS). Key government officials recommended this method for national implementation.

Another accomplishment was the isolation of lactic acid from kesong puti and raw milk which could be preserved for future potential use as dairy and silage starters.
1994

On December 1994, UPLB through DTRI hosted the first Regional Refresher Seminar (Asia and Pacific) Prerequisite for Sustainable Dairy Development. This was funded by the International Agricultural Center (IAC) of Netherlands. The participants of this course included some DA and DTRI staff.

1996

It was about this time that a plan of clustering DTRI with IAS and some of its staff to be merged with the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) was conceived. This was in conjunction with the proposed re-organization of CA into the College of Food, Agriculture and Resources Management Science (CFARMS).

1997
A major breakthrough in dairy production was the successful induced twinning in dairy cattle.  
2003-2004

The UPLB-CA reorganization scheme was approved by the Board of Regents of the UP system on January 30, 2003. The  Animal and Dairy Science Cluster (ADSC) was formally created on October 1, 2004 as one of the five clusters of the reorganized UPLB College of Agriculture.  


The ADSC was a merger of the Institute of Animal Science (IAS) and DTRI. DTRI became just one of the divisions of the cluster. However, the appropriated budget as provided by R.A. 4041 remained to be funds for DTRI's operations.

2016

On December 2016, the UP Board of Regents approved the renaming of the College of Agriculture (CA) to College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS) with re-structured organizational structure composed of five degree-granting institutes and four RDE institutes/centers. DTRI was one of the identified RDE institutes in the re-structured CA.

2017

On February 2017, DTRI and IAS were officially separated. The CA was renamed College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS). With DTRI as one of the units, nine units (five degree-granting and four research and extension centers) composed the CAFS. 


As one of the independent units of CAFS now, DTRI regained her status to carry out her mandate as the sole dairy training and research institute in the country. With its new director in the person of Dr. Amado Angeles, DTRI envisions to move forward in supporting the local dairy industry through research, instruction, and extension.