This is part two of Fernando Falomir’s blog from his visit to South America consulting with Understaning Ag’s clients in Uruguay and Argentina.
Something that is very prominent in the region is the rigorous animal selection process for grass-finished adaptive genetics. The relative lower margins per head in South America, has forced many producers to become extremely efficient and willing to adopt low-input cost methods of production. It is simply not economically feasible to afford any supplements, hay or even minerals. The result is animals that are very well adapted to their environment. I was very impressed by what I saw and the superior cattle due to the adaptive genetics in the region. Consistently achieving 93% weaning rates with low-quality forages averaging 3% brix is no easy task.
Here is the kicker: Adaptability directly translates to fertility, which are very important traits required in any profitable cattle operation. Unfortunately, the way we commonly mange herd health has led to the fastest decline in genetic adaptability on a great proportion of the cattle herds of the “modern world.” Many animals lack the ability to survive without human intervention. Nowadays, the average producer relies heavily on giving a concoction of injections full of vaccines, hormones, antiparasitic poisons and antibiotics that seem to offer little relief, but at a great cost. Producers and cattle are totally dependent on these products. I am very weary of what the future of our herds will look like if we continue to push technology and these types of practices to cover for our management mistakes.
Now imagine for a brief second what it would look like to have an adapted herd that does not require assistance calving, no additional inputs for growth and development, or other than management. At the end of the year, you would have a marketable calf and a cow that was able to re-breed without having to invest in additional inputs such as supplements or hay. How much money, time, equipment, do we needlessly waste trying to produce a calf? How much is left over in the end as profit?
Kent Donica getting a feel for the traditional squeeze chute made out of wood. Most gates, corrals and fencing are constructed out of wood.
Often, the most elegant solution in any industry originates in cases where there simply isn’t any other viable option or resources are limited. This is exactly how I was forced to adopt adaptive stewardship during a multiyear drought on my own ranch in Chihuahua. The same way in which producers in Argentina and Uruguay had to make changes due to the difficult social, economic and political issues they continue to face.
Could it be possible that as an industry we have gone full steam ahead in the wrong direction regarding agriculture? I had a lot of time to reflect in silence during my trip regarding how much we have to learn from the old ways that seem to have been forgotten. We need to go back to animal husbandry, low-input production models, and selecting for the EPDS that do matter: environmental adaptability, hormonal balance, natural fertility, herderability and disposition. Cattle do not need the level of pampering that we offer in much of the western world. We are handicapping our genetics and in the long run, it is going to cost us dearly.
Gauchos riding back home after a hard day’s work.
I was truly impressed and am very hopeful that our friends in South America continue to regenerate their soil and improve their cattle operations while creating numerous benefits to their local economy—all while preserving their beautiful natural resources. Several of the producers we had the privilege of meeting with have exceptional animal performance data and the use of portable electric fencing is widely adapted. Most operations follow PRV or a similar multi-paddock rotation system. I believe with more emphasis on Understanding Ag’s 6-3-4ä concepts (the six principles of soil health, the three rules of adaptive stewardship and the four ecosystem processes) they will continue to make great strides.
As desertification continues to advance, plant succession shifts from grass to shrub-dominated landscapes. This shrub locally known as “chaparral or jarilla” (Larrea divaricate), smells and tastes similar to Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) from the desert southwest of the United States.
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to see a lot of the world’s grasslands. Although I am only 37 years old, I have already visited every continent except for Antarctica and have met with producers from around the world who are doing regenerative ranching in every possible environment.
Impressive “pampas grass” (Cortaderia selloana), a warm season perennial that can grow more than10 feet. It grows in riparian areas to help stabilize the banks against erosion and is used around the world as ornamental plant.
I find similar patterns in nature with a diverse and wide range of species. Soil health principles are real, adaptive stewardship can drive the ecosystem processes, but it is up to management to dictate the species composition of our pastures for regeneration to take place. We need to get past the “what if” soil regeneration works paradigm because it is holding us back from being able to cover even more ground. My hat is off to my new friends, and I am thankful for their hospitality. I even came home with my own set of “boleadoras” mate, and the experience of the Gaucho spirit that I’ve always dreamed about.
Fernando Falomir in Argentina.