Crop and Cattle Operation Tours

JANUARY 3, 2014

A Day on The Farm

Today we toured two farm operations: Pavon Arriba Cereales SA and Cabana el Desafio.

Pavon Arriba Cereales SA (PACSA) is primarily a beef feedlot with a grain storage site in the nearby town of Pavon Arriba in the Sante Fe province. Now owned by three partners, the feedlot started in 1999 with 3000 head and expanded in 2005 to a maximum capacity of 8500 head. The grain storage site originated in 1988 and can hold up to 3400 TT. PACSA also serves as a transport company moving the grain to terminals for export. Farmers from many of the surrounding communities store their grain at the PACSA grain storage facility and use the transportation services.

The site we toured can house up to 4000 head of cattle.
Here Gabriela Cornet, is leading our tour.

View of the feedlot from the working chute.

Branding is required prior to the animals being delivered to market. 

It was branding day at PACSA.

In the past three years the operation has taken an active role in social responsibility becoming involved in its community's education by bringing computer classes to school students and the local senior citizen center. PACSA also hosts tours of their operation to further the community's understanding of agriculture and how it is beneficial to the area. Finally, PACSA has put steps in place to offset environmental concerns related to water purity, manure and pest management and minimizing the smell. 

Prior to the 1990s cattle in Argentina were primary fed on pasture with a small amount of silage. Today the landscape has changed and a majority of the cattle are fed in feedlots mainly eating a silage mix of corn and some milo. Cattle moved to feedlots because the land is very fertile and the farmers began growing row crops pushing the animals to less productive land or into the feedlots. Today 50% of the beef raised are finished in feedlots in Argentina. Interestingly the cattle in Argentina are considered finished at an average weight of 700 lbs. Argentineans demand the smaller animals because they feel it is more tender so growers raise the animals according to the demand of the consumer. On the export market, the slaughter weight is higher with an average of 1000 lbs.

As in America, the cattle are fed rations based on specific
goals and needed nutrition for maximum gain.

Typical cattle at the feedlot.

Following the tour of PACSA we traveled on to Cabana el Desafio a diversified farm of grain and cattle owned by Alejandro and Maria Calderon near the town of Pergamino in the Buenos aires province. Even though Alejandro says raising livestock is not as profitable as crops he has chosen to continue raising cattle. He rotationally grazes his cattle changing cropland to pasture for four to five years and back to farm ground for the next 13 to 15 years. He says this helps the land hold better soil quality causing him less input costs and in a season of drought, he produced 60 bushel/acre wheat while neighbors only produced 50 bushels/acre. About 20 years ago Alejandro started raising red and black Angus in the search for better profitability. This decision has served him well as he now sells seed stock and has placed top in show for the last 7 years at national livestock shows. 

Alejandro Calderon in front of his home with Jorge, our interpreter.

This is one of the Red Angus bulls on the Calderon farm. Bulls from this farm
have won best of show seven years in a row at the local livestock expositions.

Calderon explained details of his Angus commercial cattle operation to us under the
shade of enormous trees. This photo shows just how tall the trees grow in Argentina.

Calderon owns 282 hectares and cash rents another 800 hectares. He also owns all of his own planting, spraying and harvest equipment in an association with other farmers. This allows the farmers to have adequate access to equipment with minimal costs. This is not the norm in Argentina as most farmers have this work custom done. The association Calderon is a part of also rents out the equipment to neighbors in the area. In an Argentina winter the low temperatures at night are right at freezing and the during the day often are 60 to 65 degrees F. This means the growing season is nearly year around. Winter crops grown on the farm include wheat, peas, and oats. Summer crops include first and second planting corn, pop corn, and first and second planting soybeans.

All loaded up...or at least all of us that would fit...in the wagon, on the tractor wheels, and in the
bucket of the loader. A few others went on foot for a tour of the Cabana El Desafio farm.

A few road along in the bucket.

This is one of the many typical fields in Argentina. The average field
is 110 acres with an average overall farm size of 370 acres.

One thing I have not mentioned to this point is the hospitality we have received at each farm we have toured. In the mornings we are treated with refreshments and snacks. Lunch, which is usually served from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. has been a three course meal including cheeses, meats, empanadas, wine, beef steak, fresh salads, brownies, and ice cream. Houses have been opened to us and we have also eaten in the shade of the beautiful trees as well.

Much of the steak we have eaten has been slow cooked over hot coals in grills such as this one
at the Cabana El Desafio. The slow cooking infuses the meat with much favor and leaves it tender.

Empanadas have been served at the beginning of every meal we have eaten at the farms. They are flakey dough on the outside with meat filling on the inside. The meat filling is usually burger and then has various other ingredients added such as onion, raisins, egg, nuts, and olives. They are quite delicious too!!

The Calderon's cleared out their sitting room to have room to set tables for us to eat. 

Prana River Terminal Day

JANUARY 2, 2014

River Terminal Day

Today we traveled to the Rosario area along the shore of the Prana River to Tour the Noble Grain Terminal, one of 30 working terminals along the river. On a typical day during the harvest season months of April, May, and June up to 1000 trucks unload grain at the Noble Terminal. The wait is usually 10 hours during harvest and 2 hours the rest of the year making our waits at local grain elevators and ethanol plants not seem so bad. For more specifics on this terminal, you can visit www.nobleargentina.com.ar. We had a rainy morning so I do not have many photos form the Nobel Terminal.

Nobel Terminal loading area with three chutes to load grain.

Following the Noble tour we boarded a private boat tour on the Parana River to get a closer look at several grain terminals and transatlantic ship loading. Seventy percent of the total grain and oilseed exports from the country leave through the 30 terminals along the river. 

Getting ready to board the Prana River Terminal tour boat.

A grain terminal along the Prana River.

Here a Panamax ship is at one of the terminals along the Prana River. The depth of the
River allows the large ships to travel up to 300 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. Barges carry
products up to 1300 miles from the countries of Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.

All smiles enjoying the ride after the rain stopped.

Even cattle are loaded at along the river.

On our way back to our hotel, we traveled through Rosario, the third largest city in Argentina also know as "The Argentine Chicago." This nick name came about between WWI and II when Argentina provided wheat to Europe.  Crop prices are set at the Rosario Board of Trade. Then local farmers must take into account the transportation cost and the export tax to determine their actual cash price.

Old boats hold such character.

Here is a beautiful sunset taken at our resort. 

It looks just like we are back home in South Dakota!!

Travel Day

JANUARY 1, 2014

On the Road Again

We all slept in and relaxed after celebrating the new year. By late morning a few in our group also attended Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral. Then around 3:00 p.m. we loaded the bus for a three and a half hour ride into the country to our next destination, in the Santa Fe province. We arrived at the Melincue Casino and Resort which will be our home for the next four nights and ate dinner as a group before heading to bed. Tomorrow we set out early at 7:30 a.m for our first agricultural tours of the trip. 

We are now among the most fertile land in Argentina, and the flattest as well. I thought my home area of Menno and Freeman was pretty flat in areas, but here it is flat on a whole new level!! 

The flatness here makes for beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and I hope to catch one on camera before leaving.

Buenos Aires Tour Day

DECEMBER 31, 2013

Tour de Buenos Aires: Five Highlights

Silvina and Lorena greeted us Tuesday morning and led us on a bus tour of Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is a city with a history rich in diversity with influence from numerous countries around the world which is reflected in the city's architecture. Because we visited so many areas of the city, I am going to share five highlights. 

Our wifi connection tended to be weak most of the time in our hotel, which explains the delay in sharing our activities.

Highlight 1: At the United Nations Square we saw the Floralis Generica (aka The Steel Flower). Architect Eduardo Catalano offered the flower to the city, and it was purchased by the government and then inaugurated in 2002. It is one of the most recent icons added to the Buenos Aries landscape. The Flower is 23 meters tall and weighs 18 tons. When it opens it is 32 meters across. The unique thing about The Flower, inspired by the Hibiscus flower, is that is was built to to act like a real flower in that it opens during the day and closes at night. To prevent it from being vandalized it sits in a pool of water. 

The Floralis Generica.

Highlight 2: The Cemetery Recoleta, created in 1822, is among the oldest in the Buenos Aires and is home to more than 5000 graves in a four city block area. An architectural free-for-all, the cemetery includes influences from many countries around the world including everything from Greek temples to pyramids. The most popular tomb is that of Eva Peron (Evita). Her remains were finally buried in a concrete vault 27 feet under the ground in 1976 after being stolen by various military governments following her husband's fall from leadership in 1955.

The Tomb of Eva Peron.

Another tomb we visited was that of Rufina Cambaceras. She was originally buried alive in the early 1900s, and a few days following her burial workers heard her screams from the tomb. Some believe Rufina had been in a coma and when she woke up, she found herself buried. Her mother, horrified by what happened, then went on to make Rufina a coffin with a marble slab topped with a rose and placed it behind a glass wall. The corner has the young girl carved in marble, turning her head as she is walking through a door. The question is, "Is she going or coming?" Many visitors put flowers in her free hand. 

Rufina Cambaceras

Finally, we stopped at the tomb of Liliana Crociate de Szaszak who was in Austria when her hotel was struck by an avalanche, killing her. Her mother designed a gothic looking tomb, which stands out from most others in the cemetery. Crociate stands in bronze by her tomb in her wedding dress with her dog at her side. The superstition is that it is good luck to rub the dog's head, which many of us did!! 

The tomb of Liliana Crociate de Szaszak. Many of us rubbed the dog's head for good luck!! 

This photo just shows a small glimpse of the diversity
in the tombs and how close together they are.

Highlight 3: Caminito meaning "little walkway or little path" in Spanish is located in the La Boca neighborhood of the city. Caminito is a combination of a street museum and a traditional alley. It is lined with colorful shops, murals, tango clubs, houses and restaurants. Caminito originally had an active rail line running through it and once this rail line closed in 1954, it became a city landfill. A local artist who lived near by dreamed of transforming this area and began painting existing walls with color. This led to a stage being built, followed by a nearby theater, and now the area has grown into a top tourist attraction. We spent an hour exploring the colorful area, watching Tango dancers and listening to music, and shopping. 

Having originated in Buenos aires around 1870, some people say the La Boca area is the birth place of Tango music. The famous tango, Caminito, written in 1926 led to this area having cultural significance in the city of Buenos Aires. Tango music originated from an environment of immigrant-packed conventillos houses where different world cultures and their various music mixed. The following photos were all taken in the Caminito area.

Highlight 4: The Plaza de Mayo area is surrounded by the Casa Rosada (home of the executive branch of the federal government), the Cabildo (the city council during the colonial era), and the Metropolitan Cathedral which I mentioned in my last post. The significance of the plaza's name comes from the May Revolution of 1810 which started the process of Argentina gaining its independence from Spain in 1816. This plaza has long been a place with political life in Buenos Aires. In 1945 mass demonstrations led to the release of Juan Domingo Peron, who would later become President of Argentina. Like Peron, many presidents have saluted people in the plaza from the balcony of the Casa Rosada. 

Various protests continue to take place in the The Plaza de Mayo to this day.

In the background is the Casa Rosada where Eva Peron as well as many of Argentina's
leaders have spoken to the people of the country. This is where Madonna sang
Don't Cry for Me, Argentina in the Movie Evita.

The 12 pillars of the Metropolitan Cathedral represent the 12 apostles. 

Highlight 5: The Señor Tango dinner and show entertained us as we waited to welcome the new year. Since we couldn't take photos or video during the show, I cannot share exactly what the show looked like. During the two hour show there were live horses, much color, many lights, talented singers, an orchestra, and Tango dancers involved. Might I add we also consumed some extremely tough steak, and had a workout just cutting it with the not-so-sharp knives. The show quickly overshadowed the quality of the meat in this case!

Following the traditional countdown, many of us danced the night away on stage in a sea of confetti and balloons. I am sure interesting photos will surface of some giving a try at a few Tango moves, Dale in his spectacular birthday celebration, many toasts of Champagne, hugs, and kisses. It was definitely a New Year's Eve celebration to remember.

At Senor Tango the people sat three levels high with the stage centered in the room.
This stage is where we danced and popped the balloons after midnight.

HAPPY NEW YEAR...
 from all of us on the River Front in Buenos Aires to all of you!!

Welcome to Buenos Aires!

Welcome to Argentina! Upon reaching the Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires our guides greeted us with welcome signs. A majority of our group flew together and caught a bus to the Hotel Claridge. The Johnson's flew in a few hours later and finally arrived at the hotel after dealing with one broken down cab, three different cab drivers, and cab fair of $100 (normally a $58 dollar trip). This was more excitement than they would have liked, so they were grateful to join the rest of the group. We all enjoyed a few hours of free time to clean up and take a siesta (nap) before heading out to starting exploring the city.

Our tour guides welcome us to Argentina.
Although serious looking in this photo, they were very friendly.

As we set out many of us soon forgot how wonderful the showers felt as the extreme heat drenched us one more time. Argentina's temperatures have soared recently reaching 37 plus degrees C (106 degrees F) today. I just heard on the local news that this is the worst heat wave in 40 years and it has lasted 13 days. Overall, we are enjoying this 100 degree difference, but we are looking forward to a forecast of a bit lower temps in the days to come.

As a group we walked through a major shopping area along Florida street and found our way to the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral. This Roman Catholic Cathedral displays an extraordinary amount of  intricate detail capturing the attention of many in our group. This church has been rebuilt many times since its origin in the 16th century. One thing that caught my attention in the cathedral was the Mausoleum of General San Martin. The following excerpt from Wikipedia explains this area of the Cathedral well and why a soldier stands guard.

"In 1880, the remains of General José de San Martín were brought from France and placed in a mausoleum, reachable from the right aisle of the church. The mausoleum was specially designed by French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, with marble of various colors. The black sarcophagus is guarded by three life-size female figures that represent Argentina, Chile and Peru, three of the regions freed by the General. The mausoleum also has the remains of Generals Juan Gregorio de las Heras and Tomás Guido, as well as those of the Unknown Soldier of the Independence." 

Mausoleum of General San Martin.

Cathedral detail.

More cathedral detail.

I have always been drawn to mosaic so the floor of the cathedral caught my eye. I thought
of these vines being an extension of my feet and how we can bring beauty to the world by
the way in which we walk among others.

Catching a cab from the official Buenos Aires cab service can be quite a time
consuming activity. This line was well over a block long.

Decisions! Decisions! Pat and Dawn Scheier decide which wine to try this evening.

Our group split up for the rest of the day exploring the city center, the water front, shopping areas, wine shops, and eventually seeking a place for an evening meal. Typically the evening meal in Argentina starts after 8 p.m. and goes well into the evening. It just so happened that a majority of our group ended up at the restaurant El Establo. We had no idea we were in for such a treat at this establishment. Not only did we eat some of the most outstanding beef and chicken we had ever tasted (Dan shared this was the best beef he had eaten in all his trips to Argentina.), but our waiter treated us to lemon liquor and also champagne, both unexpected surprises.   

With full bellies and smiles on our faces we anticipate what tomorrow's guided city tour will bring. 

Francis proved himself to be an outstanding waiter at the El Establo Restaurant.
This delicious beef came in a 750 g size, which Francis carved up right at the table.

We graciously thanked Francis as he treated our table to champagne. As we left Francis shook our hands,
gave hugs, and said farewell to the women with a customary kiss on the cheek.

Rea Jean and I in front of our home away from home for the next few nights.

Packing Day...

Today is packing day for 32 SDARL alumni and spouses!! Tomorrow we set out on a journey to Argentina and Chile. Over the next few weeks we will be visiting many agricultural sites as well as taking part in the local culture and enjoying much warmer weather. I, Rachel Mehlhaf, invite you to visit this blog often as I share daily updates on our adventure.

Dan Gee during his site inspection visit to Argentina earlier this year.
Jorge, the fellow on the right, will serve as one of our tour guides.

SDARL ALUMNI ABOUT TO DEPART - ARGENTINA & CHILE

Approximately 30 SDARL alumni and spouses will depart for Argentina and Chile Dec. 29 - Jan. 14. Please check back here often for daily summaries and photographs from the group.