• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Hello all from Venezuela!

W

Whitewing

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
Messages
5,855
Location
Venezuela
Just joined today after lurking for a while. Looks like a really interesting site with lots of friendly posters and plenty of helpful information. Since I spend a lot of time at my ranch where I don't yet have internet service, I won't be able to post often, but I will stop in and visit when I'm in the city.

For those interested I'll post a few pics as well.

I'm currently working with about 220 head of cattle (about half are purebred Charolais and the other half "mestizos" which are mixed-blood animals). I've also got a hundred hogs or so which I'll soon be releasing onto a 40 acre site I've prepared.

Feel free to ask questions.

100_0316sm.jpg

100_0309sm.jpg

HPIM1616sm.jpg

100_0567sm.jpg

100_0307sm.jpg
 
Welcome to Ranchers. Thanks for sharing pictures. Look forward to seeing more from your corner of the globe.

Nice lookin cattle. Do you normally feed this time of year, or are you in a drought as some of the rest of us are?

What's planted in the field in the background of pic #3?
 
leanin' H said:
Welcome! :D Awesome to have a poster from Venezuela! Hope ya check in as often as ya can and post lots of pictures! What's your average rainfall down there?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome. I promise to stop by as often as possible....probably at least once a week.

Average rainfall? That's an excellent question and one I can't answer at the moment.....for a number of reasons, the most important being that I've never asked someone in the know. :oops:

Basically, we've got a wet season and a dry season....the wet being "winter" and the dry being "summer". In 2007, my first full year working the place, planting etc, we started receiving rainfall in late May and had decent rains through the end of the year. I made one hell of a fine corn crop that year (pic posted) which we started planting on the 18th of June.

Last year our first rains started falling in late June or early July and were below average for the rest of the winter. I made a decent corn crop but didn't plant corn until late July.

This year, I'm planting pasture and sorghum right now (virtually no corn) which gives you an indication of how poor the rainfall is shaping up to be.

As for your original question, I'll have to ask if anyone has any measured historical data for my region.
 
Yes welcome to the board. :D

We are a pretty good bunch but some do get a little crazy at times. Me and Leanin' H never but watch out for those other guys. :wink:

Is that you in the bottom picture?

Do post more pictures when you get the chance cause that's the only holiday some of us ever get. :nod: :cowboy:
 
the_jersey_lilly_2000 said:
Welcome to Ranchers. Thanks for sharing pictures. Look forward to seeing more from your corner of the globe.

Nice lookin cattle. Do you normally feed this time of year, or are you in a drought as some of the rest of us are?

What's planted in the field in the background of pic #3?
Click to expand...

That's corn in the background of pic #3. Made an excellent crop that year (for here) of about 8,000 kilos per hectar.

My cattle are set up to either work pastures or remain in their corrals where we deliver pasture that's been cut and brought to them. I've got several types of pasture planted, and once we've exhausted all we can with the cutting process, and once the summer is setting in, we release the animals to clean the area up. We do the same after harvesting corn or sorghum.

As for the drought conditions, yep, everyone in my area is really suffering from a shortage of rainfall this year. I've built 5 ponds on the place (3 this past summer) and am accumulating and using water from the ponds to irrigate bermuda, which is my primary pasture at the time.
 
Welcome, great to have another member, especially one from another part of the world; adds a little diversity to our mix.

Most of your pics certainly look dry, save the one of the corn crop. How much land do you have, and how many head do you run on it? Can't help saying it, Charolais surprises me for Venezuela.
 
PureCountry said:
Welcome, great to have another member, especially one from another part of the world; adds a little diversity to our mix.

Most of your pics certainly look dry, save the one of the corn crop. How much land do you have, and how many head do you run on it? Can't help saying it, Charolais surprises me for Venezuela.
Click to expand...

Agreed on the dry look. The place is like night and day or, well, winter and summer once the rains start falling. It goes from dry as a popcorn fart to lush green almost overnight.

And you're right, Charolais are a rarity here. The bloodline of these Charolais traces back to the U.S. originally but they spent quite a bit of time in Cuba to become "tropicalized", and were then imported here by a local breeder about 10 years ago.

On average, my animals are a bit smaller than Charolais in the States but still produce far more beef than the local animals. As with all breeds, there are advantages and disadvantages. Really hot summers are definitely harder on my Charolais than on the mestizos.

I'm currently crossing all my mestizos with Charolais bulls and am really pleased with the hybrid vigor I'm getting.

My place is about 380 hectars or a bit over 930 acres currently though the last 45 hectars I bought is really undeveloped (yet to be cleared). That section won't be ready for clearing until January or so and will then be planted once the rains start falling next year.....if they fall. :wink:

The herd currently consists of about 220 head.
 
What's the average high temperature in summer, and lows in winter? I'm just curious as to how much different it is than Texas. Most of the pastures around her look about like yours do. We've had a terrible summer. But have recently been gettin some rains.
 
Welcome, your country is high on my list of places to see in person. Is the green part under irrigation? Is the soil clay or sand?
 
the_jersey_lilly_2000 said:
What's the average high temperature in summer, and lows in winter? I'm just curious as to how much different it is than Texas. Most of the pastures around her look about like yours do. We've had a terrible summer. But have recently been gettin some rains.
Click to expand...

At my ranch, high temps probably run in the upper 80's though the humidity is often fairly low and there's almost always a stout breeze. It's really a decent climate for man and beast.

As for the lows, the lowest I've seen it is about 60F. It can feel a bit chilly after a winter shower but for me, it's never cold.
 
per said:
Welcome, your country is high on my list of places to see in person. Is the green part under irrigation? Is the soil clay or sand?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome. The green shots are not under irrigation though I can find some shots of my bermuda being irrigated. The soils on my place vary quite a bit though I'd say the predominate is sandy-loam.

I've got high areas that slope up to the mountains to the north that are red clay (generally poor soils) all the way to rich bottom land along a small river that goes under several times a year.

In general, I'm well pleased with the soil qualities on my place. I'm situated down in a valley. The approach to my place is a large, extensive flat bluff that's about 300 feet higher on average and the soil quality there is generally much lower in my opinion.
 
the_jersey_lilly_2000 said:
Oh man I bet rye grass would do awesome there in the winter time if that's your wet season.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if it's cool enough for rye grass to do well, even during "winter". I'd be concerned the sun is too intense but really don't know.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top