Two days after welcoming the 4th grade from Cerva School, it was the turn of the 4th grade from Ribeira de Pena School to visit the farm of breeder Avelino Rego. The weather forecast a day with little chance of a walk in the open air due to the rain, but even with the rain appearing in the middle of the visit, there was still enough fun left for the students on their way back to school for lunch.
As on the previous visit, Avelino prepared the breakfast for the calves, to be served immediately after the class arrived at the farm. While the calves were enjoying their morning meal, Avelino and his colleague Filipe, a breeder of Minho-Galician crossbreeds who accompanied the morning presentation to the group, told the students about the past of the mountains and meadows of the village of Alvadia, concluding their narrative by emphasising the importance and fundamental role of various domestic herbivores in the preservation of the village and its population, especially the maronesas and the bravia goat, which are native to the region.
Having finished placing the calves in their park, thanks to Ramalha’s docility, the students were also able to see up close (those who were brave enough to touch) some of the maronesa’s physical characteristics that allow it to integrate very well into the Alvão landscape. Ramalha thanked the petting by the students for her exemplary behaviour and left for the mountain with her herd.
As during the visit of their colleagues from the municipality, the class from Ribeira de Pena also accompanied the herd to where the village commonland begins and at the place of this transition, with the present layout of the vegetation, we talked again about fire behaviour on the mountain and the importance of, in our climate and landscape, to have “breaks” between different types of vegetation, production (mosaics) and that in the current context, we help to balance the competition for light between shrubs and herbaceous plants, either with the help of prescribed fire, or with the tractor brushcutter, or with the help of domestic herbivores. On our way to the meadows that burnt down in September last year, the rain came and we were forced to return to Avelino’s farm to hear what he still had to share and thus complete the visit with greater benefit.
Back in the stable, the jumps, flips and pirouettes were repeated on the pile of grass destined for the cows’ bellies after the ride on the mountain. Once the mood had calmed down, it was time to introduce some ‘gadgets’ that Avelino had ordered, with the aim of improving some specific tasks on his farm that are necessary for the correct management of his herd, but which can be replaced by automated systems using small technological devices. In this way, it allows him to have time for other tasks that need more attention on his part and thus improve the productivity of his farm.
Before the visit ended, it was time for a second test on Avelino’s new calf weighing system, with all the students showing great willingness to help him by passing the new digital weigher in groups of 2, 3, 4 and 5, to make sure everything was set up correctly. The weather during the morning didn’t look too good, but the same can’t be said for the students, who returned happy and fulfilled from the Serra, with yet another adventure to take home and back to school.
