The goat is an animal noted for its hardiness, early maturity, docility and adaptation to the environment, providing both meat and milk, hides and fibers. It is usually the last link utilization predegradadas areas, having always been associated to aridity, overgrazing and erosion. However, sound management, it is possible to obtain significant benefits from their exploitation.
In our country there is goat production, mostly in the hands of small producers with limited resources and low socio-cultural exploited in traditional manner. In Patagonia and Angora goat is predominant in the Central, North and Northwest of the country, Creole goat prevails obtained basically the meat (goat for slaughter) and milk.
In this context of national goat production, Cabins New Millennium presented to the City of Andalgalá a productive project for its completion. In a chat with the director, the veterinarian Charles Shepherd, during the Agricultural Exhibition-Livestock La Rural in Buenos Aires, we collect this interesting information. Here are the procedures, their amazing results and aspirations in the area.
Andalgalá is one of the departments of the province of Catamarca in northwestern Argentina. It is part of the western region of the province due to physical and environmental characteristics: hilly area with severe weather, and its main activity is mining. As a result of the absence of incentives for the producer, the continued use of Creole goat breed and lack of modernization in the rearing and breeding techniques for many years, the goat farm in the region was characterized as purely family. With few commercial producers, without a comprehensive reproductive control herds and management practices encourage minimum was not achieved in the region increased performance and quality improvement of goat production to compete in the market.
Cabin New Millennium, in an effort to reassess the goat raising in the country and demonstrate their high value as a meat alternative, presented the Productive Project Goat Breeding Catamarca department, headed by Charles Shepherd veterinarian.
After signing an agreement with the Municipality of Andalgalá, different tasks were undertaken to enter the race objetivode Boer goat production in the municipality. First identified goat producers in the area whose breeding and rearing systems had not been renewed, the most affected in quality and size of animals. It proposed a system of caravan, never before performed, to recognize cattle. With this system the producer was able to classify their animals, old animals replenish and recover losses, as well as provide data for improving the nutritional and reproductive management.
He also had blood taken to separate those individuals that they had brucellosis , highly contagious zoonotic disease if ingested contaminated food or maintaining a regular contact with livestock, which were sacrificed. The company said the animals so that the producer does not lose reproductive bellies. Finally, we came to miscegenation, introducing Boer goats .
In mid-2009 began the new born animals and could be seen excellent results, confirming the superiority of the Boer race. "The results were in sight," said Shepherd, "a four-day animal life of this crossbreeding gave us the size of a Creole race of ten or twelve days." And to complete the feat, got a snow andalgaleños historic "ten straight days of snow, when it is more often than not last more than 48 hours. And with it came the acid test: a mellizitos born the same day it began to snow, survived the weather, while they did other races in the area, such as Nubia. "
This first stage in which the reproduction was naturally (copies were provided players to the region) actions speak louder than words: the Boer breed adapts to the ground, pasture, temperatures, and profits thrive. The subsistence economy is improving towards a new way of producing goats: animals that were sold for 5 / 6 kilos now weigh 12 kilos, allowing for greater profits. The producer to continue on this path have achieved in some years a pool of pure blood, which will certainly ensure a better position and will open new paths.
"We are planning a more challenging stage for the region, with other techniques to further improve goat production. It is very important what has Cabins New Millennium with the project: the introduction of a race of high quality and economic value, "concluded Carlos proud.
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