SHEEP AND THE ESTANCIA-driving 500 sheep

SHEEP AT THE ESTANCIA “LOS PINOS” Feb. 2013

My friend Gerardo and I traveled to la Estancia (farm) of Carlos Abait to buy 500 sheep and bring them back to Gerardo’s Estancia.  Aniceto Cayuñanco,  the peon that lives at Gerardo’s farm rode two days with his 2 sheepdogs to get to Carlos’ farm. It would be his job to bring 500 sheep back to Gerardo’s alone. This is rugged country, very rocky with mountains, valleys and broad flat plains the predominate features. He knows this country. He was born ‘up the road in a village of 40 people. His nickname is ‘choique mora’meaning ‘black ostrich’, a common bird found around here. A Mapuche-T Indian who has worked his whole life on sheep farms, he thought nothing of the task. He took an extra horse to carry his few positions, his one working sheep dog and set out. He would have to move the sheep according to the weather and would bivoc where he could locate shelter from the rain and strong winds and let the tired sheep settle for the night. It was a 60 km drive from one Estancia to the other. It would take him 3 days to get the sheep from one place to the other.

When we arrived at Carlos’ Estancia we were warmly greeted since few visitors ever come by. He was expecting us.

With no phones or electricity communication is done by radio. Radio, the old way. People living in very rural areas send messages to the radio station in town (150 plus kms. away in this case) where they are broadcast to others who sit by their radios in the morning or at night listening for news. A typical message might be “ Juan and Maria are coming to visit Gerardo Viviers at the Estancia Los Sauces on Tuesday next” or “Juana had a baby boy in Sarmiento last Friday and will be returning to Estancia Los Sauces next Monday’. Most all messages originate in towns rather than Estancias unless the Estancia has power and some communications. Cell phones don’t work out here and fixed line phones don’t exist.

Carlos’ farm is 23,000 hectares (2.2 acres per hectar)(over 50,000 acres of land) and he has 8-9,000 sheep roaming the rocky landscape. He looses about 10% per year, mostly to foxes and mountain lions. This is an ongoing issue and involves hunting and poisoning to try and limit the wanton destruction of the sheep. A mountain lion will kill and partially eat a sheep but kill 50 more as that is its nature. The same behavior goes for foxes.

Fox skins can bring 150 pesos or(about $25.00) as they are sold. The other animal found in this area is the Liebre (rabbit). When the population of rabbits is high, the mountain lion and fox hunt them, when low, they go for sheep. I am told that a company was out shooting as many rabbits as they could and the meat and pelts were being shipped to Germany. The unforeseen consequence of this business was to greatly reduce a favored food source for predators and increase sheep loss since fox and lion will hunt and kill what is available.

Gerardo is paying $100.00 (U.S.) per sheep. They are 2 to 4 years of age and will live about 8 years. Gerardo figures that if he can increase his own sheep population to 2000, he’ll get 10,000 kilos of wool each year from the sheep. He’ll get $3.50 per kilo (depending on quality) which gives him $35,000.00 a year. He’ll also get another $10,000.00 for meat sales. This is before costs.

Aniceto, the peon who drove the 500 sheep for three days from one Estancia to another.

Part of the process of marking the sheep for age, gender,and where they go next. 2,000 sheep passed through this process before their bath and injections.

bringing in the sheep from higher pastures to the corral for marking.

 Don Carlos looks on as sheep are marked.

 Aniceto takes a moments rest between marking.

 Giving the sheep their medicine.

 On day three of the movement of sheep from one Estancia to another.

Tightly packing the sheep allows them little room to move about.

 Carlos' head peon, adjusts the medicine.

Blustery sunset over the Estancia "Los Sauces".

The Sky with strong winds a constant feature. Moving across the southern Pacific and over the Andes drops and creates incredible formations.

 Aniceto on the drive.The threat of rain has diminished and now the fear is high heat. If that happens the tired sheep will just stop creating problems of no water for them for miles.

 The sheep finally arrive at 'greener pastures after three days of walking.

My friend Gerardo. We studied together in graduate school in Bs.As.,Argentina some 40 plus years ago.

Gerardo’s  peon, Aniceto gets $10,000 pesos Argentinos a month (currently about 5 pesos to the U.S. dollar.) Of that 10,000, medical insurance, retirement,etc. takes a big chunk leaving Aniceto with about $4,300 Argentine pesos a month as ‘take home pay’. That means he gets a little over $200.00 (U.S.) a month to live on. Not much. Minimum wage in Argentina is $2,800 pesos a month (U.S. $140.00).