The Cattle Farming Project developed by FAS in Guanare SA consists of the sustainable production of beef, on the natural fields found in forest plantations (88% of the total area of ​​grazing), complemented with the grazing of grasslands and winter and summer cover crops in rotation (12% of the total grazing area), and supplemented with balanced rations or grains:
The three main sale products of the system are all of the calves as 280-300 kg steers, under 2 years old; all the cows for fattening of the breeding herd weighing 420-440 kg; the surplus heifers with 280-300 kgs.
Production is carried out taking into account the production capacity of the natural resources surrounding the forest plantations and that of pastures and green crops, avoiding overgrazing and soil erosion.
The production system is adapted to the stages of forest management (thinning and harvest), adjusting the volume of the breeding herd that generates between 1600 and 2000 calves/year, from an average pregnancy of 71% (last 5 years):
PREGNANCIES GRAPH
Production takes place in 4 establishments with complementary productive focus, minimizing purchases (only stock bulls):
GRAZING PER FARM GRAPH
IATF (insemination at fixed time) is performed in the system´s main field on part of the heifers to concentrate the date of first calving and take full advantage of the reproductive potential of the replacement.
It should be noted that livestock in forested areas generates complementarity or synergy between both sectors, the grazing of unplanted forestation areas (low areas, firebreaks, etc.) controls the growth of forage reducing the risk of fire; as a counterpart, the grazing of the cattle in the woods provides shade and shelter, potentially improving their productive performance. The impact of access to shade during summer has been studied, observing a significant response in cattle weight gain when moved to a shaded area with water during the hours of greatest solar radiation, compared to those that remain in the pasture (Beretta et al, 2013). Simeone et al (2010) also reported the effect of the voluntary access to forest shade in the summer on the weight gain of cattle grazing in non-cultivable areas adjacent to the woods.
Regarding shelter, it should be noted that the low forage productivity of the natural field during winter produces animal weight loss during this season. Other potential cold stress effects are added to nutritional restriction, which increases the animal´s requirements. In spite of the fact that cattle tolerate low temperatures, rainstorms, which are periods of low temperature associated with rain and wind that decrease apparent temperature, generate cold stress especially in young animals, increasing their requirements, this is the reason why shelter provided by woods minimizes these effects.
