COLOMBIA
[Published December 1, 2008, pp.28]
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In September, I traveled with IBBA President, Dr. Robert Vineyard, and IBBA members Marcos Borges, Joe Lingg, Danny Meyer, and Buck Thomason to Colombia to attend the 38th EXPOCEBU Medellin, one of the regional cattle shows. The purpose of the trip was three-fold. First, of course, we went to make and expand livestock trade contacts for IBBA members. We also went to meet with Directors and staff of the Asociacion Angus & Brangus de Colombia (AABC) to continue discussions surrounding the IBBA Global Member opportunities for an international performance database for Brangus cattle and encourage Colombian Brangus breeders to participate. And finally, we went to invite the Colombian breeders to take part in the IBBA Global Brangus Roundup to be held in Houston, TX on March 8, 2009.
We spent Friday and Saturday of the trip observing the cattle and visiting with breeders during EXPOCEBU. Buck Thomason judged the show, with Marcos Borges providing translation for the audience. At the conclusion of the show, Dr. Vineyard presented gifts on behalf of the IBBA to Carlos Eduardo Mesa, the owner of the Grand Champion Bull of the show, Luis Alfonso Rodriguez, the president of AABC, and Maria Isabel Cuartas the Executive Secretary of AABC. At the conclusion of the Brangus portion of the show, Marcos Borges and I provided a presentation on Brangus, the IBBA, Global Membership opportunities and performance evaluation.
The rest of the trip was spent in the Colombian countryside visiting ranches and learning about the strengths of Brangus from the Colombian producers. We traveled by caravan with over twenty Colombian Brangus breeders and visited the ranches of La Ceja, El Retiro, La Suiza, Miramontes, Montecarlo, Hacienda Manatiales, Madrigal, and El Trianon. At each stop along the way we were greeted with warm hospitality, great food and quality cattle.
As soon as we got away from the high-rises and bustling city streets of Medellin, it became apparent that Colombia is excellent country for beef production. The rugged terrain covering most of the country is better suited to grass production than row crops, and beef cattle can be found throughout the country. Because most of Colombia is tropical in nature, Brahman influence is necessary to have the most productive beef animal; however, Colombian producers understand that beef quality is also very important, favoring some level of Bos Taurus genetics. Because of the unique breed composition incorporating Brahman and Angus, Brangus is the logical answer to both concerns. Accordingly, the Brangus breed is thriving and growing rapidly in Colombia. As the breed expands in Colombia, it is important that the IBBA continue to cultivate a relationship with Colombian Brangus breeders. The opportunity to market IBBA semen seems very good at the moment, and the opportunities for live animal exports to Colombia are only hampered by the health restrictions imposed by the Colombian government on US imports.
Colombian Brangus breeders are very proud of the US influence in their herds. In fact, most Brangus breeders in Colombia currently use semen from IBBA registered bulls, and many would like to be able to resume imports of live cattle from the United States. You can expect to see many of these breeders in Houston in 2009.
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