Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

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Dsalles
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Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

Post by Dsalles »

Hi there
I inherited a cattle farm and am in the process of converting it to a plant farm. I am searching for methods that are sustainable, cruelty-free and healthy. I was raised a pescetarian, converted to vegetarian and now converting to vegan.
This farm was part of a large farm, originally and almost continuously cattle since my great grandfather bought it. It has always preserved over 20 % of its forest which cannot legally be cut. The area is highly productive has a lot of sun and water and fertile soil. I can go on. The forest is part of the Mata Atlantica or the Atlantic forest. Most of the surrounding area has been unfortunately taken over by sugar cane. For a year I have been assisting with beef producing cattle, and I have found it quite horrible. I want to share my experiences, find support and seek information on farming practices.
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Welcome Dsalles!

We'd be glad to help.

I'm not sure how much you've researched these things so far.
Have you heard of alley cropping?
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Dsalles
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Re: Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

Post by Dsalles »

Interesting, no I had not. There are many tree farms around here, especially Rubber and Eucalyptus, and shorter ones are citrus, also hear-of-palm (a staple and common meat substitute here) and coconut, which are not as long-lasting, and I was curious about açaí.

I am interested in no-till, I wonder if preparing soil for planting is a choice of lesser evils such as glyphosphate.
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

Post by brimstoneSalad »

No-till is important, it also saves you having to buy, fuel, and maintain a lot of equipment.
You can do that with permaculture, or with herbicides (which there's no harm if you use them responsibly, and you can probably make a vegan formula). Perennials don't always have great yield, but that might be OK if you're focusing on high-value crops.

How is your area for rule-of-law? And do you have good fences and security?
The trouble with low-yield high value crops is it could be a target for theft, because somebody could come on your land and fill up a few bags and make off with a lot (which isn't true of something like corn or soy which are high-yield and lower value).

Are you looking at the local market, or wanting to grow for export?
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Dsalles
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Re: Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

Post by Dsalles »

I would prefer to sell to local market, the farmer to whom I rented a field grew tomatoes and they were shipped to several neighboring states as well as Paraguay even Argentina. I know that a lot of the sugar that is grown here ends up processed halfway then exported to the Middle East. And a lot of the beef is sold internationally after leaving the slaughterhouse. But from a social good standpoint, I want to provide healthy food to my fellow Brazilians rather than export.
Theft was not a problem at all with this farm nor my close neighboring farmer who grows oranges, because it is far, i mean like 3 kilometers from the small town, and surrounded by forest. I walk through the forest a lot but most people dont want to, it has a lot of ticks and snakes, and even jaguars have been spotted (no pun.) The tomato farmer I mentioned earlier did have problems with people taking away watermelons a lot in another field which was next to a road connecting the town to a beach resort, etc. but there havent been any cases of that here. There was cattle rustling that happened here though, where the rustlers left the head and other parts, butchered it in the field. That was before I moved here. Also another thing I did not mention is the landless workers movement, the MST, is very strong here. It is a very interesting movement, obviously I am by heredity on the opposite side of it, but I absolutely support it philosophically, if not materially yet.
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Dsalles wrote: Sat Dec 23, 2017 7:09 pmBut from a social good standpoint, I want to provide healthy food to my fellow Brazilians rather than export.
Maybe you can do both?

You could grow vegetables and soy for making tempeh/tofu, which could provide nutritious food for locals and workers, and also grow a more value-dense export crop?

The trouble would seem to be that without growing something for export, it might be hard to finance a really environmentally responsible operation and give your agricultural workers a really good wage.

Also, export goods could provide local jobs too if you use something that can have value added easily (create a premium product).

For example: If you grew cocoa, coconut, and dates (and maybe açaí), you could produce a premium fair-trade veganic raw chocolate, something which would sell for maybe $60 USD per kilogram online, making it worth shipping and providing a few local jobs in harvesting, processing, and packaging the product. It wouldn't be something a lot of locals would want to buy, but it's something that could bring money into the community from global export.
Dsalles wrote: Sat Dec 23, 2017 7:09 pmTheft was not a problem at all with this farm nor my close neighboring farmer who grows oranges, because it is far, i mean like 3 kilometers from the small town, and surrounded by forest.
That's beneficial.

Although oranges aren't very expensive per kilogram there, are they?
People might have more trouble with cocoa or açaí harvests being stolen.
What is it in terms of how many $ worth of product a single person can physically carry off? If it's just twenty kilos of oranges that's not a big deal and somebody might not walk through the forest for that, but 20 kilos of cocoa or açaí given the export market might be enticing enough to draw in thieves.
Dsalles wrote: Sat Dec 23, 2017 7:09 pmAlso another thing I did not mention is the landless workers movement, the MST, is very strong here. It is a very interesting movement, obviously I am by heredity on the opposite side of it, but I absolutely support it philosophically, if not materially yet.
It sounds like it would be really good to create some high paying jobs from value added exports.
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Dsalles
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Re: Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

Post by Dsalles »

The Açaí I was envisioning for local sale. It is amazing how many Açaí shops have been sprouting everywhere here. They are visited by young people and I bet it will endure as a fast food.
I really appreciate your ideas and suggestions. You are right about the higher value items being more susceptible to theft. But I have found the population here to be quite law-abiding in general.

I am 51, and have lived mostly in the US but spent much of my childhood here in Sao Paulo. I have seen meat production and consumption explode since my childhood, unfortunately. Unfortunate for the forests, for the poor livestock which are born into a short life with a miserable end, but also for the people. In that time, obesity has increased to the point that most people I see are quite overweight. They eat a lot of charred red meat, mostly bovine. I am seeing more colon cancer, diabetes and joint problems, people walking with canes. This is all anecdotal obviously, but at least they are first-hand observations. For people in my own family, people are dying younger than in past generations. It may also have to do with an increase in alcohol consumption. People always drank a glass at dinner in my grandparents time, but by my parents generation, more people get drunk, and drink all day. I have gone off-topic perhaps, but I have a lot that I want to share.
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Dsalles wrote: Sat Dec 23, 2017 8:54 pm The Açaí I was envisioning for local sale. It is amazing how many Açaí shops have been sprouting everywhere here. They are visited by young people and I bet it will endure as a fast food.
Wow, that's pretty cool!
Dsalles wrote: Sat Dec 23, 2017 8:54 pmYou are right about the higher value items being more susceptible to theft. But I have found the population here to be quite law-abiding in general.
That's good news, so whatever you choose you shouldn't need to worry about that. You just need a good plan.

What are you doing with the cows currently? And can you afford to let them retire somewhere on your property, or do you need to sell them?
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Dsalles
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Re: Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

Post by Dsalles »

I inherited this farm, with my two brothers, from my mother who died September 2016. They do not want to change it from cattle, also they are staying in the US where we grew up. I am having to battle to even separate a piece where I can farm. Also my stepfather inherited half of the herd, each child received a third of the rest. I sold my share to my stepfather. I want to retire a couple of the cows, but it is extremely costly to do so for all of them (I received 80.) I also received 6 horses, and I sold three of them, one to a friend and the other two I have been visiting. Horsemeat is considered an abomination here and I never heard of people selling them to the glue factory. I considered making a cattle sanctuary, but they have very long lifespans, into their 20s, and it really seems like this land could be used for better things with the time I personally have left. I mean in 20 years I may not be as fit physically to run around doing things like I am now and dont want to spend my remaining ideal health years taking care of my mothers mistake of raising cattle.
VeganTruckerSu
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Re: Hello from a cattle farm in Brazil

Post by VeganTruckerSu »

Let's discuss visitation to your "farm" as a group event. Would you be willing to host an event?
I'm in NJ. I'd be willing to promote this in my area of the planet.
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