The Rural Voice, 1992-06, Page 39pastures, fencing paddocks and
building facilities for dairy cows.
Much of the original breeding stock
was imported from Ontario Holstein
herds. Currently there are about
70,000 head, 30,000 milking.
Five employees tend the
individual herds. Milking herds of
120 head pasture on about 147
hectares. Production, I learned,
averaged about 11 litres per day.
Feed was coarse silage made from
cane plus molasses and grass pasture.
There apparently was no money to
purchase concentrate feeds and
supplements to properly balance
rations. Pastures were fenced for
rotational grazing.
Dairy buildings were open -sided
cement frame structures with tile
roofs. Manure and feed were moved
manually in the barns and by horses
and ox -drawn carts to the fields. A
mechanical milker was used.
Some cross -breeding with Brahma
is being tried. The Cubans lack funds
to import more good breeding stock
or semen. Cuban veterinarians are
developing embryo transplant
techniques.
The dairy farms are located in the
valleys of rolling hill country. There
was adequate soil water, so pasture
grazing proved successful. The dairy
operations are all state owned.
An experimental vegetable
production farm, also state owned,
included 19 farms on 540 hectares. A
board of directors of seven, 28
technicians and 450 workers supplied
vegetables from this collective farm
to 130 families. It took 485 people to
supply vegetables for 130 families -
3.7 workers per family. Crops grown
included carrots, radishes, peppers,
tapioca, yams, potatoes, tomatoes,
cabbage and beets. This collective
farm selected seed to be self-
sufficient in their seed requirements.
Oxen were the main source of
farm power. A few horses were used.
The flesh condition of the oxen was
reasonable but the horses were in
very poor flesh. We would say they
were ready for the bone yard. There
must be no animal rights group active
in Cuba.
Equipment is very old. Irrigation
water is available and the reddish
clay loam produced well. Old
Russian Belarus tractors were used
on the large sugar cane farms to plow
and work the cane fields. We saw
Blyth Festival
_■■■_ June 12 to September 12, 1992
Reservations
Call (519) 523-9300
Canadian
Stories
On Stage
— a new Ted
Johns comedy
• Drama
• Comedy
• Spine tingling
mystery
All in Blyth
This Summer
Elliott Smith,
Jerry Franken,
Alan Williams
in Barbershop
Quartet (1991)
1
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JOIN US FOR A SUMMER VACATION
3 DAY OTTAWA
Departs July 21 $269.00 Boat Cruise, Museum
of Civilization, Cit Tour, Parliament Buildings
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theatre of the Stephen Foster Story, Dinner at Old Stable, Shakers
Village, Kentuck River Cruise & Kentuck Horse Park
July 27, Aug. 24,
Oct. 17 $619.00 Dixie Stampede Dinner Theatre, Dollywood Park,
Music Show, Touring Smok Mountains
14 DAY ATLANTIC PROVINCES July 13, August 16 $1,399.00
5 DAY KENTUCKY
6 DAY DOLLYWOOD & SMOKY MOUNTAINS
Travelling through Halifax, Peggy's Cove, Charlottetown, Quebec
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Mississippi Cruise and John Deere Aug. 27 $839.00
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184 Main St- S.
323-1545
1-800-265-2131
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63 Main St W
291-4100
OWEN
SOUND
1045 2nd Ave E
371-3281
MITCHELL
94 Ontario Fid
348-8492
MSS
JUNE 1992 35