The buffalo in Southern South America

Abstract

The number of buffaloes in the American continent is growing at the explosive rate of 12.7 % a year, well above all other continents. Within this context the different situations of the southern part of South America are described, those countries that two hundred years ago were part of the River Plate Viceroyship and the Chile General Command, both of them part of the Spanish empire. The first steps of buffaloes in Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay. The expansion of buffaloes in Argentina and their recent start up in Chile. The production systems in the region are described, principally Argentina and Paraguay. The major changes and expansion of agriculture in Argentina are displacing cattle production from the North towards the Tropics, where buffalo has proven to be very superior in productivity compared to cattle production thanks to its very good adaptation to the local conditions. In Paraguay, a totally subtropical country, something very similar is happening. Paraguay has consolidated its sales of buffalo hides and beef. Argentina is well on its way to having a very efficient buffalo beef marketing competing with cattle of the highest quality. Buffalo milk production is still not mature in these countries, although there are several projects underway in Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina

Characteristics of Buffalo Production and Research Systems in Southern Mexico

“…This coincides with reports in Brazil where buffaloes are destined for meat production with a weight between 430-480 kg at 24 months of age. In the case of Argentina, the animals can reach 480 kg at 24 months of age and 550 kg at 27-30 months of age [48,49]. In general, animals can have daily weight gain between 500-1,000 g/day depending on the production system, and carcass yields between 52-54% [48,49].…”

“…In the case of Argentina, the animals can reach 480 kg at 24 months of age and 550 kg at 27-30 months of age [48,49]. In general, animals can have daily weight gain between 500-1,000 g/day depending on the production system, and carcass yields between 52-54% [48,49]. In the year in which the survey was conducted (2020), the average price of live buffalo was around 32 Mexican pesos/Kg (USD 1.61) and the cost of the carcass was $65/Kg Mexican pesos (USD 3.26).…”

Serum responsiveness to recombinant bovine somatotropin in buffalo: a three‐month lactation study using an acid‐stripping ELISA for screening

“…Their milk is also highly valued. The buffalo dairy industry is very important in Mediterranean countries as well as in other regions of the world, such as South America and southern China . As in cows, rbST has been shown to be able to increase the milk yield in different breeds of buffalo and its misuse in the buffalo industry has been suggested by several findings of rbST‐based drugs in farms.…”