Cuban oxen

@B Grant 24817 wrote:

I was able to do so, but unfortunately they were somewhat less than enthusiastic about them – evidently they do not brush their cattle – or horses for that matter. In fact, one farmer admitted that they are pretty awful to their animals.

It is illegal to slaughter cattle in Cuba. You go to jail for 10-20 years. All the cattle are owned by the government, and when your team gets old or lame they come and replace it. Perhaps the fact that the farmers don’t actually own their oxen is a disincentive to treat them properly.

Nearly all the cattle we saw were Brahmans. Brahma x Holstein is quite popular. Some of the most beautiful cattle I’ve ever seen. Average yield of milk per day on their cows is only 6 litres. Mind you from what I could see they don’t water their animals whatsoever. Very interesting trip.

Brendan

Nice observations Brendan, thanks for posting them.

Isn’t that sort of the draw back to any system where the individuals don’t own the production capacity, what ever that may be? I mean there is some basis to the old adage to “take care of it, like you own it”. If people don’t own something and know they never will there is little reason to take special care of it.

I would expect their cattle to be Brahman type or at least some sort of bos indicus cattle, as bos taurus cattle would likely suffer from tropical degeneration in that climate.

Great! I’m absolutely desperate to get to cuba but it is a little worrying the conditions you describe – I didn’t realise the cattle were all government owned but yes, I can see why that would create cruelty issues 🙁 I would hope that if we were left no choice in this country about the use of draft animals, those that didn’t want to work them could use the services of dedicated contractors – just like the situation with tractor contractors today, forestry being a good example…i think? I’d be perfectly happy to be an ox contractor 😀 Only reason I don’t is the cost of the transport. Presumably come the day that’d be needed I’d be allowed to walk them to our location!!

For your information – oxen can be driven with lines without a nasal bit, or even any bit. I’ve never bothered with any bitting with mine, they are simply driven in a headcollar. As I work singles alone and without anything like an arena to train in, I’ve always used a lead rope/lines as a safety net.

I find that my cattle lead with a rope very responsively – they only need the teensiest bit of pressure to get them to follow, and I guess using reins was simply an extension of what they’ve been doing there since birth? My simmental took to the concept of driving very readily, and I’ve just upgraded my camera so I have lots of memory for film, so I’ll work on a film of what we can do for you! My next-ox-down is the yearling herefordX, I have to admit she’s never pulled a thing or been driven so far; I have a student coming to do a day course with me soon, and I’m saving the first try for that so they can see the reaction – I’ll let you know how she reacts. Likewise the younger two, who I’ll start with it now.

Interesting post, thanks for sharing your observations!

I was in Banes, Cuba for a couple weeks about 8 years ago as part of a Quaker delegation to a partner group there. I hadn’t any proficiency with drafts at the time though so I didn’t really know what to look for. I saw oxen at work collecting cut brush in the village streets. I was made to understand at the time that the old man with the ox cart who collects cut brush is paid the same salary as a doctor, about $35 per month, plus a ration.

We also traveled once by “coche,” a sort of nag-drawn taxi. It was maybe a 10 mile round trip, gone at at a trot the whole way. Pulled maybe 8 people. I remember that a horse diaper was used, not so much out of not wanting to pollute the streets but more out of not wanting anyone else to have the fertility.

The animals are all really lean there. The SPCA would certainly have a lifetime of work cut out for them, were there such a thing. If there were, they would get paid $35 per month, plus a ration.

I was told that Cuba is a good place to live for the very young and the old, but kind of frustrating to be in the middle. On the whole though people seemed about as happy as anywhere else I’ve seen.

The Iraq war broke out when I was there and I still have the state newspaper’s take on it “La Guerra Imperialistica y Immoral de Bush Contre La Nacion Soverena de Iraq Impezca!”

Of course you can get yourself in a lot of trouble idealizing Cuba and its agrarian revolution. It’s a tough life without a lot of luxuries and a lot of burdens, for humans and animals. But they survive, and have for decades, even as economists and political scientists have predicted their demise.

I personally don’t hold to animal power because I believe it will be the solution or even part of a whole macro-level solution to our current agricultural and societal problems. I don’t believe there is any large-scale solution to be found at all and I’m not waiting around for the nation’s great minds to come up with one.

At least in Cuba, when faced with a crisis, the central government devised a way to spread the suffering and the work pretty evenly (at least among the humans). For my country I have zero faith in that happening. I am sure that the poor will bear the brunt of any hardship we face, while for the rich, a crisis is just a new opportunity for theft.

@OldKat 25490 wrote:

So let me get this straight, you are saying that anyone that is wealthy in the US is a thief? I’m trying to contrast this revelation to several people I know who are wealthy, some VERY wealthy. Quite frankly, every one of them that I know have made their way to the top by busting their tails, taking risks and managing their assets; be they $ or other assets very closely. These are all decent, hard working folks. Most have probably done more than anyone else that I know to try to lift the standard of living for those in their communities who are not as well off. Likewise I know some people that are poor as a church mouse, and even though they have worked their tails off, too, things haven’t gone nearly as well for them. Doesn’t mean that they have done anything wrong, or that they are bad people it just means that they either picked a line of work that wasn’t that (financially) rewarding or that they were not as capable at managing their assets, maybe both.

While I agree that some people are wealthy because they have abused the system, taken unfair advantage of others, stolen, etc, etc I also know that there are poor people who have done these same things. So if your assertion is that people in this country can only become wealthy through being thieves and “taking” from other people, that is certainlty your prerogative and right to feel that way.

However I reject that notion. I have seen too many examples were that is clearly not the case, to buy into this as a universal truth. Besides this whole class warfare / USA bashing thing gets kind of old, especially when you consider that the poorest of our poor are still doing quite well by the standards of most of the world. There are people all over the world who would gladly change places with them. Think I am wrong? There are approximately 10 million reasons (estimated) in this country that say I am right. They are called illegal aliens and some go through EXTREME hardships and danger just to get here. Just to have chance to take a swipe at the opportunitites this country offers. You may have never talked to any of them, I have, I can tell you most … the vast majority, are darned happy to be here.

Maybe I put it a little strongly. However the undisputed trend is that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This trend is not in the interest of a sustainable future. I stand by that 100%.

However well-off the US poor are to those elsewhere in the world is irrelevant. Some poor people may be useless as individuals and some rich, as individuals, may be be wonderful, diligent and generous. This too is irrelevant. I am talking about trends, and the general good of the people as a whole. A widening income gap is very, very worrisome.