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Puerto Rican cattlemen attend the A&M Beef Short Course annually

published: August 20th 2010
by: Martha Hollida Garrett

The Texas A&M Beef Short Course always draws a crowd of close to 2,000 producers from several states to learn the latest industry news, technology and beef practices. In attendance this year was Vanessa Sanchez, a registered Angus and commercial cow-calf operator from Puerto Rico. 2010 marked the 10th consecutive year Sanchez and her manager, Adalberto Franqui have attended the event on the campus of Texas A&M.
    “After our third year, Franqui asked me, ‘how many times are we going to go?’ I replied, “When we know everything,” recalls Sanchez.
    Their operation, known as Hacienda Altamira, is located in Mayaquez, Puerto Rico on the southwest side of the island. It is home to 140 registered Angus, 160 commercial Brahman x Angus cross cows, which are bred to Charbray bulls and a commercial hay operation.
    Sanchez inherited the management of the ranch upon the death of her father Although she resides in North Carolina, she spends about two weeks every month on the ranch and is there November to January each year. She has a PhD from Iowa State University in veterinary microbiology and is married to an Aggie and Bradford, Texas na-tive, Jimmy Sanchez. He has a PhD in genetics and is involved in the pharmaceutical industry in North Carolina.
    “We have changed almost all of our management practices for the better because of what we have learned at the Short Course. We run our place like a Texas ranch, now,” she explains.
    Franqui started with the ranch about 25 years ago, as he worked for Sanchez’s father. He has an accounting degree and according to Sanchez likes everything to be precise and accurate. She credits him with following through to implement what they learn each year.
    Their Angus herd started with a purchase of 20 cows and two bulls from the Florida based Baldwin Angus Ranch in 1992. Then another 20 cows were added in 2003 and an additional 25 in 2004, plus four bulls. They have built the herd by retaining most of the heifers and use all natural breeding.
    “We purchased our cattle in Florida because they were acclimated to our climate, plus they can arrive by boat from Jacksonville in two and half days,” explains Sanchez.
    They market their registered product to other registered breeders in Puerto Rico and their commercial calves are sold mainly as stockers. Franqui says that they have a very high demand for their cattle and cannot meet it.
    “We have a waiting list and we even sell our cattle like it is done here in the states—by the pound. The rest of Puerto Rico uses an archaic system that was in place 500 years ago, based on percentages.  It’s been difficult to get people to understand buying by the pound, but yet because our cattle are so high in quality, people want them,” she says.
    The ranch is flat, as one would expect, with some rolling hills. It is well drained and is considered dry as it only receives about 30 inches of rainfall, annually. Their grasses include Buffalo, Bluestem and some native grasses. The temperature ranges from 60 degrees in the morning in December to the 90s for many months.
    “Our Angus even put on their winter coats in December,” she says laughingly.
    They bale hay year around and produce 75,000 round bales and 150,000 square bales, which after their inventory is met, the rest is marketed on the island.
    “We have learned so much by attending the Short Course and others. We used to have one calving season—365 days a year, now we have two breeding seasons, March-May and September-November,” she explains.
Other key management practices they have established in their program, because of the Short Course include Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) practices, computerized records, electronic identification of their cattle, as well as pasture management practices and cattle selection standards.
    “We have learned to be more selective in what cattle we maintain in our herd and we have changed our cattle handling techniques because of what we have learned in these seminars,” adds Franqui.
    Sanchez also says they have improved their operation by purchasing select pieces of equipment, like cattle record software, working chutes, and identification tags.
    “The trade show at the Short Course allows us to see the latest products and that is another reason we keep coming back,” she says and adds that they have developed great working relationships with many of A&M extension personnel and they have been a tremendous help to them.
    In addition, they attend the King Ranch Manage-ment Institute in October, the University of Georgia Hay School and the Sunbelt Expo. They have also attended the grazing school held in Overton, Texas.
    They have also brought other beef industry folks from Puerto Rico to the Short Course, including government officials, fellow cattlemen, and veterinary students.
    “The Short Course is a great event and it has changed our program,” she concludes and adds, “We’ll be back next year.”