Situation/weather: As of end of October, cumulative rainfall for the cycle was 232 mm or -31% compared with the historical average for the same period. October was a very dry month as we registered only 1/3 of the average rainfall with 59 mm of water. As a result, grasslands are starting to suffer from lack of rain reducing pasture available to feed the herd, knowing that we are already recovering from the intense drought we faced earlier this year.
Cattle operation (5,534 heads): We will soon begin with the insemination process of the heifers. Between spring and autumn, we should have over 2,400 heifers in service. Then, Young female calves are retained to increase and replace mothers’ herd.
Silage and pasture program: Given the dry soil condition and the lack of good sowing contractors available (a lot of service providers stopped their activities in the region, which is not core for crops, given costs inflation they face and related economic outlooks), we decided not to sow some subtropical pastures planned (Avena and Bracchiria) and rather focus on corn. 155 ha of corn are going to be sowed by year-end for self-consumption. Depending on soil conditions, Ray grass pastures are also going to be sowed during the 1st part of 2019 (high protein content to feed cattle and it supports high loads of animals per hectare).