SWINEnovation, an agricultural learning hub located at the Excelsior Farms corporate office in Cebu, officially reopened on July 9, 2026.
We want to convert more younger generations to go into farming. With the right technology, right nutrition, right genetics, right animal health, if they have all the access, they can easily prosper.
Alvin Hing
President of Excelsior Farms Inc.
The SWINEnovation, located at the Excelsior Farms corporate office, officially reopened its doors on July 9, 2026. Originally established in late 2018, the facility underwent a comprehensive technological revamp through a joint partnership between local operator Excelsior Farms Inc. and global agribusiness leaders Cargill, PIC, and Alltech.
The collaborative facility serves as a free educational space designed to teach modern, scientific livestock management to small-scale backyard raisers, agricultural students, and industry stakeholders.
The relaunch ceremony, which coincided with the 12th anniversary of Excelsior Farms, brought together prominent executives from across the agricultural sector to seal the alliance. Key leaders in attendance included Alvin Hing, President of Excelsior Farms Inc.; Sonny Catacutan, Senior Managing Director of Cargill Philippines Inc.; Martin Perez, Senior Commercial Director of PIC Philippines Inc.; Jennifer del Rio, National Sales Manager of Alltech Biotechnology Corp.; and Dennis Garcia, General Manager of Alltech.
The event comes at a critical time for Cebu and the rest of the country, as local hog farmers continue to navigate severe biosecurity challenges, rising production costs, and ongoing population recovery efforts after years of industry supply disruptions.
Bridging the gap in local production
For farmers, the facility operates as a practical, free educational bridge. While commercial agricultural technology exists globally, small-scale backyard raisers, who make up a significant portion of the local sector, often lack access to the specialized data and infrastructure needed to optimize their herds.
Inside the center, which partners refer to as an interactive museum and training hub, visitors can observe real-world applications of automated climate control, specialized nutrition plans, and digital monitoring software. By showcasing these systems, the facility aims to shift the local perspective of livestock farming from a traditional, manual chore into a highly technical and lucrative scientific career for the next generation.
“We want to convert more younger generations to go into farming. With the right technology, right nutrition, right genetics, right animal health, if they have all the access, they can easily prosper.”- Alvin Hing, President of Excelsior Farms Inc.
Inside the hub
The facility is systematically divided into educational zones that mirror the actual lifecycle of modern commercial swine production:
- Advanced Biosecurity: Visitors are introduced to strict farm-entry defense protocols, including a demonstration of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection boxes operating to sanitize incoming gear, alongside multi-zone showering workflows.
- Genetic Selection: Guided exhibits demonstrate how structural selection, such as evaluating an animal’s confirmation, straight back, and correct leg structure, improves herd efficiency and feed conversion ratios over generations.
- Precision Nutrition: The center showcases targeted feeding programs, such as Cargill’s specialized gestation profiles and young animal nutrition systems, which aim to help local farms achieve higher percentages of top-grade market fitness.
- Environmental Sustainability: Led by Alltech’s “Planet of Plenty” initiative, this section teaches methods to reduce the environmental footprint of livestock waste without adding restrictive operational costs to independent farmers.
Driving agricultural growth in Cebu
Agriculture remains core to Cebu’s rural economies, yet localized knowledge gaps often prevent smaller farms from maximizing their yields. By offering free, structured educational modules to groups of 20 to 30 visitors at a time, the center provides direct access to global standard practices right within the province.
The collaborative effort emphasizes that securing Cebu’s pork supply chain cannot be achieved by independent farms working in isolation. By opening up proprietary operational secrets to the public, the hub builds a shared defensive wall against animal diseases while lowering the barrier to entry for prospective young agri-entrepreneurs.
SWINEnovation is open for scheduled biosecurity-compliant tours, providing students, local government units, and independent raisers a firsthand look at the systems defining the future of Philippine food security.
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