You need to plan to arrive in winter with quality pasture

In 1975, when Paraná producer Carlos Alberto Ferreira Castilho, better known as Carlinhos, arrived in Candeias do Jamari, district of Porto Velho, in Rondônia, he knew that the challenges would be great. However, the objective was not just to explore and establish new areas, but rather to form a productive and profitable farm adapted to the conditions of the region, and it did so. After long years of dedication and hard work, he transformed the property into a reference in the region. With an initial priority focus on livestock production, the breeder is currently also dedicated to fish farming as a complementary business.

On the Juliana farm, a 2.800-hectare property, there is an average annual turnover of 2.000 heads, of which it carries out the complete cycle: breeding, rearing and fattening, 100% of which is pasture in an area of ​​approximately 1.500 hectares. Given this extensive breeding model, concern about the quality of pastures is constant, especially in the winter periods. “The secret to ensuring cattle feed only on pasture is planning. In the most critical periods for us here, the plan we adopt is to make the straw higher and increase the urea in the mineral supplement”, says Carlinhos.

Because it is in a tropical region, very humid compared to other areas of the country, the pasture even in the most critical period on the Juliana farm does not dry out, but this does not mean that care needs to be less. The strategy adopted is animal rotation. “We separate the cattle into paddocks and as they eat, we move them, changing pastures. Each lot has a separate space”, explains the rancher.

Since 2010, the farm has used seeds from Soesp – Sementes Oeste Paulista. During a visit to the company's factory, in Presidente Prudente/SP, Carlinhos got to know the products and was enchanted by the quality he saw. The seeds, shielded with Advanced technology, caught his attention. The products also receive industrial treatment at the factory to guarantee their shielding. Soesp applies two fungicides and an insecticide to the surface of the seeds, this entire technological process ensures a very high cultural value in the seeds of Panicuns spp. and Brachiarias spp. due to high purity and viability.

This helps ensure the formation of a homogeneous pasture, contributing to increased herd productivity and optimizing the farm's production as a whole. “When I met, I decided I wanted to take all this technology to Rondônia. We were the pioneers here in the state to use this solution. Since then we have grown, reaching the goals we set, and a very fantastic and satisfied clientele”, celebrates the producer.

In its current pasture area, the Juliana farm has around 30% of the area planted with Panicum maximum cv. BRS Zuri and the other 70% are occupied by Brachiarias spp., which guarantees an average of five heads per bushel. “We use the Marandu and BRS Piatã cultivars in winter, which is the rainy season here. We intensified fattening in Panicuns spp. and in summer it concentrates more on Brachiarias spp. and we are very satisfied with this model implemented and we have an average daily weight gain per animal of 1,2kg at finishing”, confides Carlinhos.

Diversified business

In 2007, the producer was bothered by the low fertility of some pasture areas on his property and went in search of alternatives to make use of these spaces in some way. The option found was fish farming. State legislation allows the construction of fish tanks in degraded areas in APPs. It was then the perfect marriage, he took advantage of the lower areas and began to structure the construction of tanks, discovering a new skill. Today, there are 25 hectares of water, distributed in 45 tanks, which produce around 160 tons per year.

In fish farming, the focus is on the creation of tambaqui and pirarucu, the latter also known as Brazilian cod. They currently sell to Goiânia/GO and São Paulo. “Today our production is still small in relation to growing consumption, which is why we are already planning the construction of a new area to intensify the entire fish chain, breeding, rearing, fattening. Furthermore, we now want to slaughter them and take them clean to the market in the capital of São Paulo, where the largest consumer public is concentrated”, says the producer.

The producer is also already planning the actual integration of fish farming with livestock, that is, using the water from the tanks to irrigate the pastures. “This is a project that is also in our plans and would further increase our efficiency,” he says. Another idea that is being studied is within three years to start reforming the pastures, with corn, then it will integrate crop-livestock-fish farming. “As agriculture took a long time to arrive in our region, this will be our next step, we are learning to enter this segment too”, he concludes.