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The Rain

Unfortunately, the rain in the month of February was not as good as in January.

It was no more than 91,1 mm, a reasonable amount, but badly distributed, since it only rained during 6 days, allowing the soil to dry out and causing harm in the recently planted fields.

Despite all this, the artificial pasture reacted very well and the cattle are living in abundance.

Colored Organic Cotton

We have just setted up a test area of one hectare of perennial brown-fiber cotton (BRS 200), selected by Embrapa’s National Cotton Research Center. Embrapa, here represented by Dr. Napoleão Esberard de Macêdo Beltrão, the "father" of the project, and Dr. Odilon Reny Ribeiro, are going to follow up closely on this enterprise in order to confirm the feasibility of cultivating this type of cotton within the organic norms. About 70 tons of seeds were distributed in the sertão and there is great interest in organic agriculture, which can provide substantial benefits to the small farmers of this region: greater care for the preservation of the soil, elimination of defensive agrochemicals and chemical fertilizers, and higher income.

Embrapa informs us that "with the appearance of new markets for cotton, as from 1989 Embrapa initiated a genetic improvement program with the objective of obtaining cotton cultivars with colored fibers, starting with brown, as there was variability in this factor in the arboraceous cotton or "mocó", unique to the Northeast Region of Brazil. Eleven varieties of brown-colored arboraceous cotton were evaluated and other types were introduced, which, by means of selection and cross-fertilization, gave rise to the cultivar BRS 200 Brown".

For Tamanduá Farm, the return of the mocó cotton – arboraceous, perennial and colored – represents a very positive experience, as it was the cultivation of this very plant that brought us here, betting on the traditional combination of cattle and cotton adopted in the sertão. Analyzed within organic parameters, this crop offers many advantages: being particularly well acclimatized to the semi-arid region, this perennial cotton manages to withstand the months of drought and to produce more than 1,200 kg per hectare. It has a good root system, stabilizing the soil during the cultivation cycle, and provides good vegetable cover.

Due to its 3 to 4-year cycle, it is necessary to plow the soil only when planting, thus reducing the occasions of causing erosion in the fields of the Northeast, which are usually composed of shallow soils and present undulating topography. Thanks to Embrapa’s selection efforts, the flowering period, during which the bicudo attacks (that is the insect that brought to an end the cultivation of the traditional mocó in the region), was sharply reduced, enabling economically viable control of the pests.

We believe that the natural defensive elements that we have available will enable us to control the cotton pests: in the case of the curuquerê caterpillar and the pink caterpillar we will use Bacillus thuringiensis; and in the case of the feared bicudo, organic management carried out with a good compost application should sharply reduce infestation, possibly reducing it to only 10% to 20%; if a higher degree occurs, nim oil will then be applied. In partnership with Embrapa, agave juice will also be tested (agave is grown in a region neighboring the Cariri) for the control of the insects. By the end of this year, we will have a cost spreadsheet for one hectare of organic arboraceous cotton, which will enable us to decide whether growing this crop is viable or otherwise.

 Buffel Grass

In the eighties, the State of Paraíba Department of Agriculture and Food Supply implemented a program to boost the growing of buffel grass (cenchrus ciliaris), which was decisive for Tamanduá Farm.

In fact, we have always tried to find the grasses that adapted best to our harsh climatic conditions, empirically testing many varieties, especially all types of brachiaria.

Buffel grass is undoubtedly the type that showed the best adaptation to the semi-arid condition of our region, for the purpose of forming artificial pasture.

Seeking to use systematically our own seeds, which are well acclimatized, we are collecting the seed and storing it until the following year, considering that buffel grass has a long dormancy period. For that purpose, we are using a manual harvester, which enables each man to collect up to 25 kg per day. The fact that the plant blooms and fruits rapidly allows seeds to be harvested more than once in the same area.

Due to its significant root system, which stabilizes the soil and prevents erosion, buffel grass reacts to the first rain, offering fodder for the cattle much earlier than in the areas of native pasture; it is therefore extremely important for our dairy cattle.