Cañada de la Virgen,
Mexico’s leading organic grass-fed cattle ranch
The home of Casa Agave, the Cañada de la Virgen, is also Mexico’s leading organic grass-fed cattle ranch. For over a decade we have been managing our cattle in a way that reverses desertification and actively regenerates depleted soils and pastureland. When developing the Agavesse system we realized that the local agave species produce about a ton of leaf biomass during their lifetime. We decided to find a way to repurpose that valuable agave waste in several innovative ways to nourish our cattle and reduce important stresses in the intense dry months.
Fermented Feed
When shredded and fermented for 30 days, agave leaves (pencas) produce a highly nutritious animal feed. It’s easy to make and costs about one peso per kilo—a quarter of the price of alfalfa, a water-intensive and fertilizer-dependent cattle food. The fermented feed stores for up to two years and is made of 70 percent water, so it also hydrates the animal—a critical touchpoint for farmers during times of drought when natural resources are scarce. As the only large-scale ranch working with this feed, we implemented the protocol three years ago, supplementing the grazing of 600 cows during the dry season.
While the fermented product would be environmentally unsustainable to ship long distances because of its weight, it is a wonderful solution for farmers looking to implement a cost-effective livestock feed they can produce on site with little effort.
It could serve as a great economic stimulus for small communities as well—farmers who don’t want to create the feed themselves can sell agave leaves as a secondary source of income.
This feed is not only good for cattle. It would reduce feed costs for other animals—including pigs, sheep, goats and chickens—between 30 and 80 percent, depending on the species. That is big savings!
Nutritional Supplement: Omni Optima
By drying, dehydrating, and pulverizing the pencas and adding a proprietary mix of minerals, a superfood powder is created that actively supports the overall health of livestock and can effectively replace the need for synthetic nutritional supplements.
This supplement has the potential to increase birth rates, semen count, milk production, animal weight, and animal health.
With the all-natural supplement, animals no longer require anti-parasitics or as many medications to thrive, the manure that returns to the soil does not kill existing microorganisms with harmful chemicals, and consumers get healthier dairy or meat. The closed-loop system is a win-win for everyone.
The supplement also has the potential to reduce methane produced by cattle. With over 92 million cows in the U.S., and over 17 million in Mexico, these animals are one of the leading sources of greenhouse gasses in North America. By reducing their methane output—which is thirty times more potent than carbon dioxide—there is potential to reduce the effect of greenhouse gasses around the world.