May 2004

The Farm seen from the sky!

Recently, our friend Fernando Cox paid us a surprise visit, landing at Fazenda Tamanduá by helicopter, accompanied by Mr. Fernando Mesquita, manager of Sociedade de Táxi Aéreo Weston, of Recife. In fact, in addition to Learjet 55 and 60 jet planes, Weston’s fleet includes Twinstar helicopters with twin turbines.

This visit, the first in the farm’s history, made everyone very excited. Mr. Mesquita authorized two flights over the farm, which we took advantage of mainly to take photographs, which will record a farm with the reservoirs full – for the first time since 1994 – but which also show that the plantations and vegetation were drying because of the lack of rainfall after the month of January and its torrential rains

The Farm seen from the sky...

Tontonho and Soccer at Fazenda Tamanduá

One can not imagine a farm without a soccer field in Brazil, five times world champion! Of course Fazenda Tamanduá has its own soccer field, located in the best area of the Conceição valley, a short way from the corral. But to have a field is not enough: one has to organize the tournaments, make arrangements with opposing teams.

Antônio Gomes, Tontonho

Fortunately we have our own Sepp Blatter: Tontonho, the soul of our soccer. He carries out this task seriously, with dedication, negotiating the transport and prizes well in advance, making sure the suits are clean and seeing to all the details of the organization of the games.

Of course he also acts as coach – and a very competent one – training the players, and shouting orders and advice at the right moments. As the person responsible for the teams’ budget, Tontonho raises the money needed to buy balls, shoes and other equipment.

Fazenda Tamanduá’s two teams, the First Team, with the main players, and the Second Team, with the youngsters - the great players of the future! - play every Sunday afternoon, when the sun is lower in the sky.

While the players play and the referee cheats, the girls and boys of the farm, pretending to watch the games, “spy” on the players and fans of the opposing teams, and sometimes end up in the welcoming shade of the leafy oiticica trees that surround the field.

But this field is also a dangerous place, where Severino, the cowboy, once broke his leg! Take care, the farm’s team is feared, and the First Team hasn’t lost a game for a whole year!

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Tontonho delivering organic milk

Antônio Gomes, 34 years old, was born in Patos and has lived on the farm for over 13 years, raising a family of four children. “Tontonho”, as he is known, plays an extremely important role at the farm. He excels in all professions with the same ease and efficiency: bricklayer or solderer, mechanic or carpenter, plumber or tractor driver, barber or barbecue cook, painter or fisherman, he can do anything, and always smiling with his famous good humor. But he also plays another very significant role: distributing the milk. Going from house to house every day, by motorcycle, at the end of the afternoon, he delivers the milk (organic!), still warm from the cows - and takes the opportunity to spread serious news, such as gossip, from house to house! Better than any radio or the Tamanduá Newsletter!

Goat raising

Five years ago, we acquired a narrow piece of land, cutting perpendicularly across the valley next to our mango plantation.
It was decided that it would be used to try out experimental dairy goat raising.

The breed chosen was “Brown Alpine”, because it is well known for its hardiness; the males would come from EMEPA’s selection. The infrastructure comprises a residential house; an electrified Amazonas well, which enables us to keep an area of about 3 hectares of sorghum irrigated by sprinkling; a silo; and a cleaning corral with divisions and a raised area. Two pasture areas, one being 10 hectares of natural caatinga vegetation and the other 8 hectares planted with buffel and corrente grass, in addition to three small enclosures near the house and a shelter for the male goats, ensure adequate pasturing. Selection began and we soon had a sizeable output.

Brown Alpine breed

We then acquired a 150-liter pasteurizing tank, a machine to fill plastic bags and a freezer, so that we could process the milk. The unit fulfilled the norms of the Patos and Santa Terezinha Sanitary Inspection Service, and thus we obtained Register no. 001 at the Municipal Inspection Service. The milk, packed in liter bags and frozen, is distributed through the bakers in Patos, offering the consumer another option in terms of healthy, hygienic milk.

Children of Regina Maria da Conceição day care center
having goat milk from Fazenda Tamanduá

Two years ago, the mayor of Santa Terezinha, Dr. José Afonso Gayoso, decided to set up a pioneering program to distribute milk to the needy community. Today it serves over 20 families in the neighborhood, and also includes the Regina Maria da Conceição day care center in the town of Santa Terezinha.

Although we do not have certification, we are carrying out this project within the organic norms, both in respect of the handling of rations and the goats themselves. We are carrying on with genetic selection, always seeking fertile, hardy, breeding females that are good mothers, resistant to disease, and that accept varied nourishment in accordance with the season, as well as a constant rise in production, which is now around 2.5 liters per goat.

With a stable herd of 30 goats producing milk, of a total of 100 head, we are ensuring a good level of production and the lowest impact on the small pasture area. We are now achieving financially balanced results and can safely say that we have made a success of this experiment.

Only the market is still insufficient... because, even in the semi-arid region, many consider goats’ milk a product for poor people, and reject it!