Management plan, for organic certification on a livestock farm.

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(Edited)
Dear readers, in the previous publication we described some important aspects about the certification of organic products, where it was evident that there are some certifying agencies that are governed by international standards established by some countries such as Japan whose standards are known as JAS (Japanis Accreditation System), in that sense, based on the criteria of some of the standards, below, we will develop an example of what a management plan could be in a livestock farm to achieve the certification of the milk product.

Without further ado let's get started!

Management plan:
At the beginning, when it is desired to establish the forage surfaces, soil preparation can be carried out with a minimum tillage system, in search of preserving and maintaining the physical, chemical and biological condition of the soil.On the other hand, a silvopastoral system could be established, in which the seeds and propagation material produced organically are obtained, whose arboreal and herbaceous components present characteristics of adaptation to climatic conditions, resistance to pests and diseases, and that offer the nutrients required in quality and quantity to the animals for production. Similarly tree species that function as living fences to establish a buffer zone with plots that still use conventional methods.

For the control of pests and diseases in pasture and forage crops, biological inputs can be applied, which are based on microbiological agents such as entomopathogenic fungi and bacteria, among them we have Metarhizium anisoplae, Bauveria bassiana and Bacillus thuringiensis to prevent the attack of pests present in the area such as aeneolamia spp and Mocis repanda, since they are microorganisms that invade their host when in contact with the exoskeleton or when ingested. Aqueous extracts based on Amaranthus spp can also be used, since it is a plant that occurs naturally in the agroecosystem and has an anti-food action on pests such as Mocis repanda and Spodoptera fugriperda.

Establish an optimal grazing management, starting from an equitable distribution of the paddocks where the grazing days and breaks thereof are well defined, that is, rational grazing is needed where the animal makes the most of the pasture by adapting the animal load, this practice in addition to offering the necessary conditions to the crop allows the entry of sunlight to the ground since the animals when grazing cut the grass at a ground height of 20 to 30 cm approximately, there is a control of larvae and nymphs in the case of Aeneolamia spp.

For the control of weeds, mechanical control can basically be implemented, with the use of scythes or machetes, as well as associations with creeping herbaceous plants that form a ground cover and achieve competition with them. In case these practices are not sufficient to control weeds, use could be made of some biological or botanical substance that are included in the national list of synthetic substances allowed in any of the rules by which the countries to which the product is to be exported are governed.

To carry out appropriate organic fertilizations for the maintenance of the crop, by means of compost made on the farm with materials such as cattle manure, legumes, dehydrated grass, milk, among others, to which a previous analysis will be carried out to determine its composition; to comply with a decomposition process with an initial carbon / nitrogen ratio 25: 1, with average temperatures of 66 ° C. Subsequently to carry out a chemical-physical and microbiological analysis to determine macro and micro nutrients, the number of fecal coliforms and salmonella.

As for the origin of livestock, the choice of breeds can be based on the principles of organic production, taking into account in particular: a) their adaptation to local conditions; b) their vitality and resistance to diseases; c) the absence of specific diseases or health problems associated with certain breeds. The feeding of ruminants will be based exclusively on pastures and forages, starting from a food balance in the event that the requirements are not met, the use of substances such as feed, nutritional elements, additives for feed that are on the national list of synthetic substances allowed by the rules by which they are regulated will be made.

For the prevention of diseases in organic livestock production will be based on the following principles:

  • the choice of suitable breeds.
  • the application of appropriate livestock management practices for the species, encouraging strong resistance to diseases and the prevention of infections.
  • the use of good quality organic food, together with regular exercise and access to pastures and/or outdoor areas, which have the effect of stimulating the animal's natural immune defenses.
  • an adequate animal load of livestock, thus avoiding excessive density and any resulting animal health problems.
  • Use of organic insecticides, since they are less aggressive to man and the environment, for this indigenous or naturalized plant extracts play a fundamental role in sustainable agriculture. As for example the neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss), it is an alternative for the control of ticks and other insects.
It is also imperative to have hygiene and maintenance of equipment and production support areas such as pens, cowgirls, milking parlor, among others; with cleaning products that are on the national list of permitted synthetic substances, such as chlorine and alcohol.

Final considerations
Dear readers, these are some of the practices that can be implemented in livestock ecosystems in case of wanting an organic certification, it is necessary to remember that this must be implemented for several years before exporting the product to guarantee the organic quality of the product and the balance of the ecosystems.

Thank you for reading our post, until a next installment.

Bibliographic references
  • Altieri, M. 1999. Agroecology. Scientific bases for sustainable agriculture. Montevideo. Editorial Nordan-Community. 338 p.

  • Altieri, M. and Nicholls, C. 2007. Agroecological conversion of conventional production systems: theories, strategies and evaluation. Ecosystems Magazine. Vol. 16 (1) p 3-12.

  • Soto, M. 2001. Certification of organic products: The necessary guarantee to join the international market. Comuniica, 5 (17), p. 26-36.

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