Drought and Animal Health Status Impacts on Cattle Rangeland Management in North Patagonia, Argentina

• Autores: Leuret, Camille; Ortega, Julio Ariel; Klich, María Guadalupe; Yaful, Graciela; Costera Pastor, Adrian
• Año de publicación: 2016
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: documento de conferencia
• Materia: Ciencias Agrarias; Patagonia; Drought; Cattle Rangeland Management; Animal Health Status; Ciencias Agrarias
• Institución: Universidad Nacional de Río Negro

Fil: Leuret, Camille. ISTOM, Ecole supérieure d'agro-développement international. Cergy. France
Fil: Costera Pastor, Adrian. ISTOM, Ecole supérieure d'agro-développement international. Cergy. France
Fil: Ortega, Ariel. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Escuela de Veterinaria y Producción Agroindustrial. Río Negro, Argentina.
Fil: Klich, María Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Escuela de Veterinaria y Producción Agroindustrial. Río Negro, Argentina.
Fil: Yaful, Graciela. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Escuela de Veterinaria y Producción Agroindustrial. Río Negro, Argentina.
- Leuret, C. , A. Ortega , M.G. Klich , G. Yaful and A. Costera, 2016 Drought and Animal Health Status Impacts on Cattle Rangeland Management in North Patagonia, Argentina. En: The Future Management of Grazing and Wild Lands in a High-Tech World: Proceedings 10th International Rangeland Congress/ Editors: Alan Iwaasa, H.A. (Bart) Lardner, Walter Willms, Mike Schellenberg and Kathy Larson on behalf International Rangeland Congress Org. Committee, http://2016canada.rangelandcongress.org/.956-957 4
In Argentina, two phenomena appear to have had an impact on livestock. Firstly, the expansion of agriculture (particularly soya) has pushed breeding activity from the humid Pampa to semi-arid areas like northern Patagonia. Secondly, a severe drought in North Patagonia between 2007 and 2012 required cattle breeders to seek new strategies to save animals from starving. Due to the decreased offer of forage, the number of cattle North Patagonia was reduced by half. In 2013, a change in the sanitary status of the area between the Río Negro and the Río Colorado absolved this livestock region from vaccinating their animals against foot and mouth disease (FMD). This area acts as a buffer zone against the transmission of the FMD virus to the rest of Patagonia that is free from FMD and, at present, has particular restrictions on the movement of animals from vaccinating regions. However, this restrained entrance of animals and meat with bone created meat supply problems in this buffer zone. The aims are to become self-sufficient in beef but there is a lack of calves due to drought and the breeders are not accustomed to complete the growth cycle in the region. Prices of beef rose and this incentivized the search for new practices to increase efficiency. Calf producers in the plateau not only have to rebuild their livestock after the drought but they also have to supply sufficient calves for the calf feeding systems that arise in the area to provide meat for consumers. Cattle grazing in North Patagonia is based almost entirely on natural vegetation. Continuous grazing and the periodic occurrence of severe droughts appear to modify the vegetation and induce the degradation of the spontaneous forage resources. It is normal to find very large paddocks continuously grazed by more animals than the feed capacity. However recently, some cattle ranchers are introducing some reproductive management changes and rotational grazing methods that are improving production standards.