In Brazil, Director-General visits innovative cattle-breeding ranch in Mato Grosso state

Cuiabá, Brazil - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today visited a cattle breeding farm, in the municipality of Santo Antônio de Leverger in Brazil’s west-central state of Mato Grosso, which has won acclaim for its innovative methods.

Boqueirão Farm was one of those scoring highest under the Famato System in the Field Award, an initiative of the Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of Mato Grosso (Famato) in partnership with the National Rural Learning Service (Senar-MT) and the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea). 

The Director-General acknowledged farm owner Arno Schneider’s sustained efforts in enhancing productivity while minimizing the agricultural carbon footprint by leveraging science, technology, and innovation. "Science-based statistics are essential for measuring greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production,” he said. The annual World Food Forum organized by FAO, serves as an ideal platform for advocacy for all partners, especially farmers and people in rural areas who are equipped with knowledge and data, the Director-General added. 

^{Boqueirão Farm ©FAO/Max Valencia}

Schneider began livestock activities in Santo Antônio de Leverger in 1983, five years after moving from the far south of Brazil. The operation focused on breeding, raising, and fattening cattle, using advanced technologies, primarily the Nelore, originating from a breed imported from India, crossbred with British breeds.

Schneider was a pioneer in early-maturing steers, and by the 1980s, through government incentive programs, he began investing in crossbreeding with the hardy European Caracu breed. With the goal of diversifying economic activities, Schneider also began cultivating teak trees.

Among the factors to which Schneider attributes the farm’s high score in the awards is the integration of livestock and forests, together with pasture fertilization, allowing for higher stocking rates per hectare with better animal performance.