Description

Practice abstract

Herdade da Torre is a family farm with 7200 hectares located in Torre das Vargens, in Ponte-de-Sôr (Center of Portugal). 700 ha have eucaliptus, and of the rest, around 5500 ha are Montado area (mixed system with cork trees), and 1000 ha are pasture (200 ha irrigated). The farm adopts an agro-silvopastoral system, integrating around 400 cows and 200 steers. The aim of the new livestock management system is to synchronize birthings so that they can put together all the birthing animals, guaranteeing the best management and welfare and at the same time balancing the farm’s cash flow by distributing the profit over all the months of the year. On the other hand, through artificial insemination and genetic improvement, it is possible to obtain animals with the optimum characteristics for their production, increasing the farm’s productivity and reducing costs. Another aim is to test the practice of intensive grazing, to assess soil improvement and natural regeneration. Through this practice, it is possible to reduce fertilizer costs and there is the possibility that grazing will offer advantages to the soil, the pasture, and the carbon cycle. The main principle in this activity is that the land has time to regenerate and recover after grazing, as it will only be used for a long time afterward. 

Context profil