Listen to a farmer talking about raising sheep in Patagonia
Sheep raising in Patagonia, southern Argentina.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: North of the Straits of Magellan there is a spot of earth characterized by one thing in particular, a blustery wind. It is the stormy countryside of Patagonia. Storms whip across the land after building up high speeds on their way over the ocean and the flatlands. The wind-blown landscape is breathtaking yet inhospitable and nearly uninhabited.
Only a few are able to endure life here. Farmers scattered at great distances from one another tend to their estancias, where they raise sheep, cows and horses. It is a man's world, actually. But the boss at the Estancia Violetta is a woman, Angelica de la Chon. She owns over 5,000 sheep. She and her foreman Manuel round up some of them. They have to vaccinate the animals regularly to stop diseases from spreading. This morning a small herd of 300 sheep are being vaccinated. Angelica knows that life out here is trying - and the continual stiff wind isn't the only thing that makes it so.
ANGELICA DE LA CHON: "We always have the same problems here. Pumas keep killing our sheep. But the worse thing, we have two-legged thieves to go along with the quadrupeds."
NARRATOR: They put notches in the animals ears after they are born, this makes them easier to identify.
ANGELICA DE LA CHON: "Ear notches in the left ear are to indicate which farm the sheep belongs to - the ones in the right tell you how old the animals are. This makes it easier for us. If we didn't do it we'd have to check their teeth to determine their ages."
NARRATOR: It takes the whole morning to do this. Oral vaccines, marking and counting sheep, and then doing it all over again from the beginning. Stamina is of the essence. In the middle of the 20th century sheep breeding and the wool business were booming. But over the years the price of wool and mutton continued to drop. Many farmers had to leave their estancias because sheep farming was no longer profitable. The average population density in Patagonia is now only two people per square kilometer. But Angelica de la Chon is not giving up and continues to plug away. Her work is very dear to her, but after a hard day she is glad to return home.
She used to live here with her husband, but he passed away and since then she has had to manage on her own. Sometimes she feels lonely out here in the wilderness, but she doesn't want to leave. She simply loves her work and the surroundings too much. At the end of the day she sits with a glass of wine in her lounge and enjoys the peace and the beautiful view of the stormy Patagonia landscape.
Only a few are able to endure life here. Farmers scattered at great distances from one another tend to their estancias, where they raise sheep, cows and horses. It is a man's world, actually. But the boss at the Estancia Violetta is a woman, Angelica de la Chon. She owns over 5,000 sheep. She and her foreman Manuel round up some of them. They have to vaccinate the animals regularly to stop diseases from spreading. This morning a small herd of 300 sheep are being vaccinated. Angelica knows that life out here is trying - and the continual stiff wind isn't the only thing that makes it so.
ANGELICA DE LA CHON: "We always have the same problems here. Pumas keep killing our sheep. But the worse thing, we have two-legged thieves to go along with the quadrupeds."
NARRATOR: They put notches in the animals ears after they are born, this makes them easier to identify.
ANGELICA DE LA CHON: "Ear notches in the left ear are to indicate which farm the sheep belongs to - the ones in the right tell you how old the animals are. This makes it easier for us. If we didn't do it we'd have to check their teeth to determine their ages."
NARRATOR: It takes the whole morning to do this. Oral vaccines, marking and counting sheep, and then doing it all over again from the beginning. Stamina is of the essence. In the middle of the 20th century sheep breeding and the wool business were booming. But over the years the price of wool and mutton continued to drop. Many farmers had to leave their estancias because sheep farming was no longer profitable. The average population density in Patagonia is now only two people per square kilometer. But Angelica de la Chon is not giving up and continues to plug away. Her work is very dear to her, but after a hard day she is glad to return home.
She used to live here with her husband, but he passed away and since then she has had to manage on her own. Sometimes she feels lonely out here in the wilderness, but she doesn't want to leave. She simply loves her work and the surroundings too much. At the end of the day she sits with a glass of wine in her lounge and enjoys the peace and the beautiful view of the stormy Patagonia landscape.
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