Today’s afternoon began after a delicious lunch in the beautiful city of Leon. When we were done eating, the group was given almost an hour of free time to explore a little bit of the hottest city in the country. We began the mini exploration at the center and heart of the city, the Catedral de Leon, which is a very large and beautiful white structure. As well as that, several others of us visited little shops along the nearby streets. Once our time was up, we regrouped and headed for a cattle ranch about an hour away. The ranch had numerous mixed breeds of cattle and we learned a great amount from a few of the workers. We also had the great privilege to see a calf that had been born just moments before our arrival! There was also other calves and bulls that we observed. After our short stay and tour of the area, we left for the buses once again and began our drive back to Managua and the Hotel el Raizon.
Photo by Abby Motter
The cattle ranch, although small to us, is considered a large-scale operation. They are also facing huge problems in their production due to drastic climate changes. Before, they were able to obtain 80-90 gallons of milk from just 50 cows, but today they need approximately 70-80 cows in order to get around 65-90 gallons. Another problem with the extending dry season is that crops/plants that the cows use to feed are disappearing. In order to cope with these changes and still keep production going, the operation has needed to come up with different techniques and solutions. Some examples would be changing to solar energy and using an irrigation system with the help of solar pumping. The ranch also has underground water sources that they can use to hopefully help create a semi-solution to most of the problems.
Photo by Abby Motter
Today was able to teach us many different aspects of farming in a very different culture. It was interesting to see how the ranch used mixed breeds of cattle depending on milk yields, adaptability, etcetera. I am also sure that being able to see a newborn calf was very extraordinary for most of us as well. This experience helped us to learn more about different ways and techniques with agriculture. This whole program has been very eye-opening for all of us and we are excited to continue to learn more!