The dairy sector has been in crisis for decades, with low prices and production costs that do not stop increasing. This reason does not prevent many ranchers from refusing to throw in the towel, close their farms and look for a job with fewer worries than fulfilling their duties. The transformation of agriculture caught some ranchers already older and the generational change was not possible, however the incorporation of young people or the continuation of the livelihood of their ancestors is essential for many, who continue to seek excellence in a heterogeneous global market both in milk and meat production.
Two apple farms are among the best in Spain by the characteristics of their cows. La Linense GB Gandeiría, from the parish of Cangas, has just been proclaimed the second national territory by the Confederación de Asociaciones de Frisona Española (Conafe) in what is technically called combined index (ICO). This award does not fall from the sky and, according to Manuel García Buján [gestiona esta explotación junto a su hermano Rodrigo] It is the result of “commitment” and “constant work” of many years. Rodrigo, a little over a decade ago and Manuel for over seven years, were born among cows and although they studied Law and Technical Architecture, they took the reins of their parents’ farm with the aim of having the best animals. As their family home was known as Abonxo, they took advantage of this name as an indication of their cows. Between calves and adults, they have about 140, of which 60 are for milking.
“A few years ago we had 80 milking units, but since we don’t have much land, we lowered the number,” confesses Manuel, who yesterday morning, together with his brother, was preparing the milking robot to extract milk from his cows. Manuel knows the advantages and details of genomics and that is why he also manages a company dedicated to the sale of semen. One of the keys to success in achieving a good genetic selection of the cows, maintains Manuel García, is to look for a “top” bull that you like and start the insemination of the cattle as soon as possible. He locates them on the Internet in Spain and outside its borders, without waiting for the “proven” ones because, in his opinion, it makes no sense. “I have great-grandchildren of bulls that are now beginning to be in demand and I don’t mind paying 100 or 150 euros for a seed,” although there are those who wait a while for the cost to be lower. He explains that the average price of a common dose is between 15 and 20 euros, which rises to between 45 and 60 in the case of sexed ones. “To achieve this you have to spend many years and we started with Mouriscade, when it was the number one farm in Spain in genetics, but later we looked for alternatives, although if you put in work and effort in two or three years you can place your farm among the 100 from Spain,” he says.
Family farms
Manuel knows the Ramadería Can Thos facilities well. Located in Tordera, in the Catalan Maresme, it is currently the best livestock farm in Spain by combined index, achieving 1,185 points, three more than its own. However, in his opinion, the family farms that abound in Galicia and Deza cannot be compared with others that do not depend so much on immediate profitability since they belong to companies or groups of companies with great economic strength. “We cannot pay 30,000 euros for a cow,” he says, while warning that the upcoming animal welfare regulations will threaten the subsistence of many farms due to added expenses. As the ban on cutting the horns of animals for handling is expected, he is already looking for genetic material from bulls without antlers.
In the place of Padín, in the Rodeira parish of Arnego, Casa Grande Padín is located, a farm with 500 cows, of which 240 are milking. Jesús Nieto is in charge of the exploitation that was second in Spain in economic merit index. His brother manages a semen sales company and sells the 10,000 liters of milk that come out of his cows daily to a company in O Saviñao. For Jesús, the work carried out by Finca Mouriscade is very important and almost decisive in the genetic improvement of the farms in the region. [quinta de España en ICO] and in particular the work carried out by veterinarian Héctor Martínez at the head of this service. “We have to value that because if it weren’t thanks to Mouriscade it wouldn’t be possible,” he says.
2023-12-13 05:04:19
#Deza #boasts #beef #excellence
