Bonsmara

The Bonsmara breed has been an integral part of my learning at Estancia Salvacion and Los Potros Feedlot. Don John is heavily involved in the promotion of the Bonsmara breed in Argentina and believes very much in its successful future in Argentina.

The Bonsmara is a relatively new breed to Argentina first introduced in 1995 via embryo transplantation. The breed, 5/8 Afrikaner and a 3/8 split between English Shorthorn and Hereford breeds, was developed throughout the 20th century in South Africa to respond to the poor grass and extreme heat conditions of the country.

The reason there has been a strong interest in the Bonsmara in Argentina is because their northern most frontier (near Paraguay) share similar conditions (marginal grasses and high temperatures) with that of South Africa given that they are at similar latitudes.

Though Bonsmara don’t put on kilos faster than the English breeds, and other crosses do share similar tolerance for marginal conditions, the Bonsmara is the most docile breed on the market. The animals are less aggressive and less stressed at all phases of procution - in the corral, during shipping and receiving too. This creates a safer work environment for employees and also improves efficiency.

The morning presentations also included important statistics on the meat market. Price trends, consumption and production trends, and comparison across international markets were all discussed. Steers from the feedlot are bought and sold at their per/kilo weight. Arriving at the feedlots generally around 140 kg and leaving once they pass the 300 kg minimum. The return on steers is much better when they way less because the animal's meat is much younger and less tough for which their is a price premium. 

Breeding was also a major discussion - how do others start to transform their heards into Bonsmara. Buying Bonsmara bulls or buying Bonsmara semen for crossbreeding are options, as is embryo tranplanting. It was at this stage we went into the field to witness the grandeur of the bulls owned by Los Potros for the companies herd production. Really impressive animals weighing about 1200 kg and containing the ideal traits for the tolerances discussed above.

At the end of the day my time with working for Salvacion and San Marcos had come to its end. I was thankful that many of the key people who had been my teachers and hosts for the last six weeks were present to say goodbye....for now. The learning and experiences I have had on the estancias, with the field crops and at the feedlot will forever influence my perspective on agricultural and my career too.

Thanks to Johnny and  Don John for the time at Estancia Salvacion.

Thank you to my veterinary teachers Ochoteco from Los Potros, Ameghino and Diego from Estancia Salvacion, Formosa.

And thank you to Johnny, (Santiago and Marcos) for organizing my time at Los Potros, Ameghino..