CATTLE BREEDING TRIPS

Cattle activity is concentrated mainly in the temperate area of the Buenos Aires province, therefore producing also the majority of forage crops. The historical average of heads of bovine cattle, in Argentina with some ups and downs in the last decade, is 54 million.

The meat production, a central product of the livestock sector, has to supply a very high internal demand. In Argentina, each person consumes an average of 60 kg. (130 pounds) of meat per year. The surplus is exported. The Argentinian meat is known in the international market for its premium quality, derived from cattle fed with natural pastures.

The temperate area has excellent climatic conditions and its soil provides natural pastures, ideal for breeding cattle. The Pampas plain concentrates 80% of bovine cattle. Breeds intended for meat production are: Shorthorn, Hereford, Aberdeen-Angus and Charolais.

The cattle destined to the production of milk, is raised in the areas near the urban centers. A great part of the diary production is located in the province of Buenos Aires, supplying the main consumers of fresh milk: the city of Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires. The breed destined to the production of the milk is Holando-Argentina. The more distant regions from large consumer centers, such as the western province of Santa Fe and the eastern province of Córdoba, produce butter, cheese, dulce de leche, long life milk and powder milk.

Sheep breeds known for the excellent quality of their wool such as the Corriedale, Romney Marsh, Argentine and Australian Merino, predominate in the Patagonia region.

We invite you to discover bovine production in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay in every step of the meat chain. Interviewing its main actors: producers, geneticists, veterinarians, consignees, meat processing plants, slaughterhouses, distributors and exporters.

Touring a great variety of establishments located in different geographies.

AGRICULTURAL TOURS

The pampas constitute the most adequate area for cereal crops. It concentrates 80% of the cereal production, with a total area of about 210,000km². Most of the production comes from the province of Buenos Aires, followed by Santa Fe and Córdoba. In the southeast of the province of Buenos Aires, wheat crop yield can exceed 6000 kg/ha. The land cultivated with wheat alternates with sunflowers, potatoes and cattle grazing. The so-called «oleaginous complex» is today the main exporting block and one of the pillars of the national economy.

Trip Designers organizes encounters with vital members of the commodities production chain: crops (farming and contract farming), livestock breeding, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, distribution: visiting the main harbour´s facilities, processing, marketing, retail and exports sales, trade fairs: agricultural exhibitions…

We offer the experience of crossing the pampas and its streams (no longer on horseback), making a stop in each farm, listening to their owners telling the history of the country, their family tradition, the transformation of the countryside in the last 50 years mixed with the use of advanced technologies. The gauchos, rural workers, exceptional horsemen will be our hosts, inviting us to ride and taste a creole roast prepared by them.

LOCAL CUISINE AND ORGANIC PRODUCTS

With more than three million certified hectares, Argentina is the second world producer of organic foods after Australia. It holds 1,200 producers and is expected to continue a developing a strong national market and increase its participation in the international market, especially with high added value products such as sugar, honey, olive oil and wine.

Argentinian gastronomy is characterized and differentiated from the rest of Latin America by its European influences. Another determining factor is that Argentina is one of the largest agricultural producers in the world. It’s a main producer of wheat, beans, corn, meat (especially beef), milk and also soybeans, although this legume has not yet achieved popular acceptance.

Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world, it practically has all types of climate and soils from the tropics in the north to the extensive solitude of Tierra del Fuego in the southern region. Argentina is a melting pot of cultures enriched by the waves of European immigrants who arrived during the last two centuries. The main ingredient is our Spanish heritage. The Spaniards also provided the culinary traditions they inherited from the Muslims and the Jews with whom they shared their land for almost a thousand years. In the last century many Lebanese and Jews from Eastern Europe arrived in Argentina.

However, Spain isn’t our only influence. Our greatest influx was of Italian immigrants that have introduced their traditional bakeries and pasta shops. Garlic, fresh herbs, lemon juice and olive oil are as common in our kitchen as they are in the Italian table. Moreover, this mixture of cultures was broadened with a great wave of German immigration during the nineteenth century.

WINE TRIPS

Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wines in the world, with a long tradition of wine-makers in the Continent: from the first attempts by the Jesuits missionaries, who had already begun developing viticulture practices in late 17th century to the high-tech modern caves. It is the delicate balance of old and new – the blending of the European immigrant’s tradition with the strength of younger generations in the New World that have developed a unique terroir to give the World many of its award-winning wines:

“Malbec became almost an exclusive variety, only Argentina has such quality from north to south.” There’s an exquisite fusion between Malbec and the Andes, its particular climate makes it a premium wine” Michel Rolland.

We can discover some of the highest and Southernmost viti-vinicultural sites in the world, all of them located at the foot of the imposing Andes.

Uruguay and Tannat: Tannat does well in Uruguay because it is the only South American country with an Atlantic Ocean influence. You can find penguins on the beach here in February, and the cool climate makes the thick skin of Tannat a huge bonus. Uruguay is the only country to have taken Tannat as its national grape!

 From the North Andes to the Patagonia, we invite you to visit the 2000km of vineyards planted across Salta, Mendoza and Neuquén, tasting extraordinary wines and recognizing the characteristics of the malbec changing in each region. Not only malbec found here the ideal terroir, Argentine winemakers are currently offering very risky cut wines with exceptional results. Then crossing the Rio de la Plata, you will be able to a visit the Uruguayan vineyards.