Our first tour of the day was to a farm/ranch named La Colonia where we learned about their soybeans and corn operation as well an their Brangus cattle. The farm also backgrounds calves on pasture that contains primarily alfalfa and some fescue and rye grass. The cattle are supplemented with corn silage each morning in order to fill them up to prevent bloat from the abundance of rich, green alfalfa. An intense rotational grazing system is implemented and the cattle are moved to a different paddock every two days. The goal of backrounding the calves on alfalfa is to retain a gain of around 2 lbs/head/day. Additionally since the rotational grazing is so intense, usually the alfalfa lasts for 3 years and then they spray it off to kill the alfalfa and grasses and then plant in corn or soybeans
Another large part of the farm is the Brangus genetic line of bulls that are raised at La Colonia. Brangus is an Angus and Brahman cross which is chosen as a prize breed in Argentina because they have a thinner hide, larger ears, and more sheath and brisket, all in which help them tolerate the heat better. At La Colonia, Brangus bulls are raised for reproduction and are shown extensively around the country to promote the breed and farm. If the bulls win at the shows they are usually sold at the sale which follows the show. In order to buy a good quality Brangus bull on average it costs $3,000/bull and the top bulls like we would see at an A.I. stud in the United States can cost up to $28,000.
At the end of the tour we were able to start learning about crop farming in Argentina. At large farms such as La Colonia, there are usually two managers, one for the crops and one for the livestock. The crop sector of the farm consisted of about 14,000 acres of cropland in which corn, soybeans, and sunflowers are grown. The soil is very sandy so residue management is a large factor when trying to increase the water holding capacity, and often they prefer to utilize a corn and soybean rotation. Phosphorous and Ammonium are applied at planting time and the Nitrogen is applied shortly after the corn emerges. Aphids are also a large problem in the soybean crops but many of the larger farms have the resources and equipment to take care of any of the problems that occur. Many of the same crop genetic companies are used here in Argentina and similar pesticide and herbicide products are used as well.
Overall La Colonial had a lot to offer from both the farm and ranch operations and everyone was impressed with the quality of the crops, livestock, and technologies used. Additionally a common trait between each manager is that they are all extremely driven by data, what we are doing in America, and are all extremely passionate about their jobs and agriculture.
Written by: Curt Nagorske
Viewing La Colonia's rotational grazing system which they put steers on a pasture of a high percentage of Alfalfa
Due to rotational grazing, many farm trucks have these guards on them. The guards push the electric fence down and then they can drive over it.
Typical "Gaucho" or what we call a cowboy who manages the cattle grazing system.
Discussing with crop consultant about the crops on La Colonia.
