Important Visits

During the month of August we received two important visits!

The first one, at Fazenda Tamanduá in Patos, was Mr. Hervé Milcent, President of the Association Biodynamique de Suisse Romande.

Accompanied by his family, he came to discover the caatinga biome of the semi-arid region of Paraiba and to get acquainted, in loco, with the biodynamic work carried out with tropical plants, both perennial – such as the mango tree – and temporary, such as the melon and watermelon plantations.

Impressed by the quality of the cucurbitaceous plants, he understood the real nightmare of the people of the sertão regarding the variability of the rains, caused by climate change.

The other visit was this one, at Águas da Tamanduá, in Sousa. Accompanying Dr. Francisco Marinho de Medeiros, Administrative and Financial Director of EMEPA (the agricultural research company of the State of Paraíba), Dr. Wandrick Hauss de Sousa got to know our project for raising organic sheep for slaughter,  which is currently in the setting-up phase and was presented by Alan, Fazenda Tamanduá’s veterinarian, and Rogéria, farming technician.

Dr. Wandrick, an animal technician, holds a doctorate in the area of animal improvement and is a renowned researcher at EMEPA. He is a member of the Dorper Sheep Breeder Society of South Africa, where he studied, as well as in Australia.

At Águas da Tamanduá, we started the mating of the 1,000 breeding ewes of the Santa Inês breed with rams of high Dorper lineage, in order to obtain precocious lambs for slaughter after three months.

The females are fed mainly with pasture, formed by cultivated tifton grass and native legumes, growing among the rows of pomegranate of the “Wonderful” variety.  

Thanks to a mobile solar-powered electric fence, the corrals are changed daily, always enabling rich and abundant nutrition.

The State of Paraíba, an important source of the Santa Inês breed – sheep raised for meat and without wool – has always stood out for its elite breeding stock.

This organic project may be the embryo of a new production system aiming at quality and a better supply of sheep for slaughter for the State and for Brazil.

After establishing a production system, this process will be made available to other producers, both small and large. Due to this replicability, Dr. Wandrick is studying the possibility of formalizing a partnership with EMEPA, declaring: ”I am enthusiastic about the proposed partnership that we are going to establish, as I hope to help in the consolidation of this organic sheep breeding activity along the lines that you aim at”.

Fazenda Tamanduá is happy to be able to contribute to this innovative and sustainable project!

Fazenda Tamandua would appreciate to have your comments!

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Fazenda Tamanduá
Caixa Postal 65 - Patos / Paraíba - CEP 58700-970  - Brasil
Tel.(83)3422-7070    Fax(83)3422-7071