LIVESTOCK FARMING IN VILLAFÁFILA

BOVINE

Before, at most, one or a couple of cows were kept to get milk for the family's food, but there was a great increase in cattle, which, like all livestock farming, has undergone great changes. At first milking was done by hand, the cattle were in the corrals of the houses, milking in the stable where they entered in shifts that the cow, got used to it, while it was being milked it ate the ration from the manger. The milk that was extracted was stored in jugs, which in the morning were taken to a point in the town for collection by the tanker truck, in the hot months products were applied so that it did not make the milk acid, the milk was paid for only for the amount delivered. Reproduction was done by natural mating, either having the rancher his own stallion, or going to another to do it.

The native breeds have disappeared, the breed that exists is the Dutch.

A great change was the appearance of mechanical milking with the so-called squids, without a doubt a good relief for the farmer, since milking did not require a great effort as by hand, milking uniformity was improved, causing less damage to the cow in her udder, reducing the milking time, the rest remained the same.

Lastly, milking parlors appeared, giving greater capacity for milking, thereby increasing exploitation, which have advanced in greater performance, making milking faster and more comfortable, it is on the way to becoming computerized, the farmer considers his work as a professional goes from being in the pens to going out to buildings that are outside the urban area surrounding it, with much more space that translates into comfort for the cows. The ships are of various types, closed or elongated, a part is covered where the cows lie down and another without it, which is the patio.

Largely, there is a shift from natural breeding to artificial insemination, which entails being able to choose bulls that improve characteristics, such as fat, protein, udders, legs, etc., where the farmer chooses the appropriate bull for each cow, the veterinary service is more extensive today, making new applications, the appearance of tools such as calf extractor for childbirth simplifying extraction when it gets complicated, you no longer have to call the neighbors to help get the calf out.

Feeding is produced in different ways, through neurologists who make rations for the farm, some bring the feed from companies that are dedicated to it, or by the farmer himself with Unifeed carts.

Lastly, milking parlors appeared, giving greater capacity for milking, thereby increasing exploitation, which have advanced in greater performance, making milking faster and more comfortable, it is on the way to becoming computerized, the farmer considers his work as a professional goes from being in the pens to going out to buildings that are outside the urban area surrounding it, with much more space that translates into comfort for the cows. The ships are of various types, closed or elongated, a part is covered where the cows lie down and another without it, which is the patio,

Largely, there is a shift from natural breeding to artificial insemination, which entails being able to choose bulls that improve characteristics, such as fat, protein, udders, legs, etc., where the farmer chooses the appropriate bull for each cow, the veterinary service is more extensive today, making new applications, the appearance of utensils such as calf extractor for childbirth simplifying extraction when it gets complicated, you no longer have to call the neighbors to help get the calf out.

Feeding is produced in different ways, through neurologists who make rations for the farm, some bring the feed from companies that are dedicated to it, or by the farmer himself with Unifeed carts.

Every day that advances, farms become more mechanized, leading to less work time with a greater number of cows.

But one of the problems of modernizing a farm is the prices of the machinery, it is expensive, milk prices are below what they should be.

Cattle herds are regulated in their production by quota, to increase it is done through the purchase from another rancher, the state offers quota at a more affordable price, where it has to be requested, and meet the requirements set for it. 

Some of the herds belong to the Confederation of Associations of Friesian Spanish (CONAFE), where each cow is checked monthly during a milking, where the production it gives is measured, a bottle of milk is collected, which is analyzed in a laboratory, looking at the fat, protein, somatic cells, with this the farmer has individual information on each cow, with which he can make a better selection of his cattle, or take measures to improve these aspects.

The herds belong to the Sanitary Defense Association, ADESFI, where they are integrated together with more than one hundred, from different towns, their objective is to jointly carry out sanitary actions, such as deworming cattle and vaccination, they also carry out blood and excrement checks to search for diseases, being together, make agreements with drug dealers to have a cheaper price, as in the purchase and management of drug containers.

Every year the Junta de Castilla y León carries out controls for the detection of Brucellosis, Tuberculosis.

After the appearance of mad cow disease as a result of the consumption of meat meal, which some feed brands continued to use despite its ban since 1996, the beef sector has suffered a major setback, with farmers being the that have paid for the damage caused by the feed food companies. Well, calves and cows sold for meat have suffered a great decrease in their price from which they have not largely recovered. Since then there has been a greater control of cattle from birth to death. Specific documentation has to be notified for each birth, sale, or death in the Manganeses de la Lampreana veterinary unit to which Villafáfila belongs. Another consequence is that when the cattle that die on the farm are taken to be incinerated, the cost involved forces the rancher to take out insurance, otherwise it would be very expensive to pay for transportation. Another insurance has also been created for mad cows that all farmers normally have.

OVINE

Sheep, like cattle, have undergone similar changes, although there have always been more sheep, they grazed in the fields, milked by hand, covered with ram. They were in the corrals of the houses, The male lambs were sold, especially consumed at parties, such as San Isidro, San Roque, etc.

It was typical to see the flocks of sheep passing through the streets of the town, with the shepherd and the donkey today and that image is hardly seen.

The native breed, the Castilian, today hardly remains in Villafáfila in a farm.

The change, as in cattle, was the step from milking by hand to machine, and the ship having the same consequences, increased livestock, less work time, greater comfort for cattle, etc.

Reproduction is still mostly natural, artificial insemination is hardly done

Few farms now go out to graze in the countryside, many are stabled, and there are several breeds of sheep, especially the reigns of Israel for higher milk productivity.

It is fed or brought from companies, or cooperatives, or it is done through unifeed cars, some continue to pass through the field, or take them to meadows.

The council auctions meadows for sheep and cattle.

      Only a couple of farms continue to have chancellors in the area, but dogs of the mastiff breed are left to guard them at night, to scare away any predator, as lately the wolf has been around the area, even attacking inside ships.

    Movement control is carried out in the Veterinary Unit.

The Junta de Castilla y León carries out health checks every year.

The problems are the same as beef in general, the prices of its products being the most important.

Also from the appearance of the mad cows, the animals that are killed are taken for their destruction by burning them and having to make the insurance.

With the entry into Europe marks a large part of the policy to be followed, they are given help, for every sheep that has rights, one sheep is equivalent to one right.

PORCINE

Like cattle and sheep, it has undergone changes, especially in the facilities. The floors are usually made of grids where the excrement goes into a common grave, which is taken out with a slurry bucket and spread over the field.

They are separated by units, from mothers, piglets according to their weight, they are even heated at a suitable temperature. Food has been like other sectors, counting today with the help of neurologists, bringing, or making their own feed.

The vast majority of reproduction is done by natural mating, artificial mating is also applied, which increases every day.

There is a variety of breeds, even Iberian. All farms are dedicated to raising piglets when they reach 20 kg. They sell them to cooperatives, or dealers.

They are regulated by quota.

The EQUINE

The equine population has suffered a great decrease as it ceased to be a work animal, to be replaced by the tractor, horses are used for the hunting season or in bull runs in the countryside, donkeys are used by shepherds who they go out into the field. It has a population of: 11 horses 9 donkeys

Author:

Manuel de la Graja Alonso.

Jose Luis Dominguez Martinez.

Bibliography:

Manuel de la Graja Alonso

History and Present of a Castilian-Leonese Villa. nineteen ninety six.

Photographs:

Assigned and

Jose Luis Dominguez Martinez.

Transcription and montage:

Jose Luis Dominguez Martinez.

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