A Farm in the Rainforest
It all starts with milking some cows, looking at some pigs and a biodigestor!
You arrived late the night before to the University of Georgia satellite campus in San Luis de Monteverde. The 150 acre former coffee plantation borders the world-renowned Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. It is located amongst the Cordillera de Tilarán mountain range of Costa Rica which is one of the four mountain ranges making up the Continental Divide.
It is rainy, cloudy and a little chilly on this early March morning. You and several others start walking down the gravel road passing all sorts of plants and trees, from Strangler Figs to Ebony Trees, making sure to keep your eyes peels for signs of monkeys or sloths. After coming to a fork in the road, you take a right onto a second gravel path, fences caressing both sides, to reach the destination.
Once there, you have the opportunity to meet Danielle Schwartz while she directs everyone to come in through the side. The smaller gate is the entrance, but she notices you walk through the larger path meant for cars. Its a little hard to think coherently after traveling all day, sleeping only a few hours as well as adjusting to a time change. Come to find out, there is no daylight savings in Costa Rica.
Danielle is the agriculture intern for the campus. She is a senior at UGA, studying her self-created degree she calls, “Sustainable Design in the Environment.” After her graduation, she plans to do Teach for America before going to Graduate School for Landscape Architecture, something she calls her passion but still also something that could change.
She gives a little history about the cows as well as informing everyone on the proper way to acquire their milk. You also are introduced to Rabbit, the dairy cow being milked this morning.
The task of milking a cow is much harder than you realize. Danielle explains to move your hands as if you were emptying toothpaste onto a brush. Rabbit’s tail and back legs are tied up to make sure that no one gets kicked or pissed on.
Danielle informs that it doesn’t hurt the cow at all, and there is nothing to be worried about when milking. She also mentions the minimal use of corn during feeding time. Corn is a double-edged sword for cattle. The minerals allow for easier acquisition when milking, but the high starch is what causes weight-gain amongst cattle.
In the early 80’s, the United States’ Jersey cattle and India’s Brahman cattle were brought to Costa Rica to be raised for beef which allowed for horrible acts of deforestation to occur. So, essentially, these cattle were starting to harm the colorful labyrinth that is a rainforest. In response, researchers started to think of methods to allow for cattle to live without people destroying the what-is-now-protected preserve.
Cross-breeding different species of cattle allow for the long ears, thicker skin and skinnier physique present amongst these bovines. Tico cows are a blend of India’s Brahman cattle, North American dairy cattle and other dairy-producing breeds. You can’t help to notice their long ears, seemingly-odd body shape and strong legs. These specific traits are conducive to their survival in this humid, dry climate. As of 2011, an unspecified farmer was trying to acquire the expensive, yet delicious, Wagyu cow from Japan. These Japanese cattle are famous for their high quality beef — also known as kobe.
The cross-breeds are formally referred to as Brahma cattle. These designer cows are perfectly healthy for their sylphlike looks are attributed to the Brahman cattle and dairy production to the North American cattle. You take turns with everyone else that participate in the milking. This happens for about 15 minutes before Danielle guides your eyes to the other side of the small barn.
Someone asks about the processing that is done to the milk with the only form being used to remove some of the impurities from the freshly-squeezed milk. There are around five gallons collected each day all to be consumed. The leftover milk, if any, is then used to make cheese. All of which is consumed here on campus. 15% of the food eaten on this campus comes from the cows, pigs, fruits and vegetables residing within the acreage owned by UGA.
Danielle briefly tells everyone about the pigs raised on the farm. There are three pigs living on campus currently, albeit briefly. The pigs are killed at or around four months old for the meat.
You might feel a little taken aback since this is a sustainable living tour, but the pigs are killed in the most humane way. They are hit in the head with a hammer which makes the actual slaughtering less painful. After being knocked on the head, the pigs are then stabbed in the heart.
If you’re still completely repulsed, try looking at in relation to the American way, but it isn’t as readily available to see since it could be considered inhumane.
She says she had only watched it once because it was a good anatomy lesson, and a part of sustainable living. If you were the agriculture intern, would you also watch to see the manner in which it happens?
UGA CR’s swine are also able to pollute the water systems which sheds some light on how people get constipated by drinking the water. The biodigestor is the main solution in helping purify UGA CR’s water supply, being informed that it is 99.9% pure and tested daily.
Danielle leads you out of the back of the barn to show you the smaller biodigestor while discussing its functions.
A biodigestor is a method of sustainable living that is essentially the use of waste — mainly from humans and paper — that get pushed through pipes leading to a giant bag of renewable energy. All of our waste and paper is turned into methane gas to be burned in order to release carbon dioxide back into the environment.
You find out that the one Danielle is showing the group was originally built as an experiment in the year 2011, turning out to be successful. She informs everyone about the second, larger biodigestor that supports the residential facilities also noting its location in relation to them. It is near the classrooms, but unfortunately, you do not see it on the tour.
The first activity on your ten day journey subtly informs you of all the carbon offsetting you’ve completed in the 12 hours of being at UGA CR. The lesson on cows, pigs and biodigestors is successfully concluded as someone in the group looks at their watch to see that it is 7:30am.
Breakfast time awaits followed by a talk on the briefly-mentioned carbon offset program. You have officially started to participate in the expanding ecotourism movement undertaken by the Tican DAWGs.
Don’t forget to follow the Earth Charter wherever and whenever you take another ecotourism excursion!
2. Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.
a. Accept that with the right to own, manage, and use natural resources comes the duty to prevent environmental harm and to protect the rights of people.
b. Affirm that with increased freedom, knowledge, and power comes increased responsibility to promote the common good.
