Hernán Marini, an expert in the art of self-improvement, spoke with ADUANA NEWS about the extraordinary measures applied to the production system of a dairy enterprise that will allow for the generation of quality food, social development, foreign currency and the protection of our environment.
He enthusiastically tells us that the project is being developed in the city of Durazno in the Eastern Republic of Uruguay.
It is an undertaking that aims to achieve the production of high-quality food, achieving energy self-sustainability and a positive environmental impact through cyclical production, reincorporating animal effluents and water into the system.
Production will include powdered milk, meat, biogas, fertilizers, oil, biodiesel, and water for irrigation.
The components of the production system There are several, he comments.
The first component is the dairy farm with 10.500 milking cows, located in a single module. The animals are stabled, i.e. under a shed. All facilities will comply with the latest animal welfare recommendations, for example: rubber floors, water sprinklers, fans, quick-fill drinkers, etc. to ensure maximum comfort for the entire dairy herd.
The animals will be milked in three 80-stall rotary milking stations, from which the liquid milk is sent through a pipeline to a Powdered Milk Plant located on the same property, at a distance of approximately 100 to 150 meters from the exit of the milking station and entrance to the receiving plant. Its processing capacity will be 380.000 l/d and its objective will be to obtain powdered milk in 25 kg bags with export quality parameters for the most demanding markets.
On the other hand, the effluents generated by the animals go to a biomanagement system. There they are fermented, generating methane gas, which is compressed and supplied to a group of motors, generating electric energy for the operation of the rotary drums and thermal energy with which the milk is dehydrated. In other words, the drying of the milk is produced with the energy produced by the effluents of the animals.
The other post-fermentation products are water and compost (dry matter). The water will be used for irrigation while the compost will be used as fertilizer or as bedding for the cows.
Consequently, the system of this project is virtuous because it will operate with clean energy derived from animal dung to produce energy, it returns compost to the earth as fertilizer and organic matter that improves soil structure, it recycles water, increasing forage yield, and it reduces methane gas emissions, which have a negative effect on the greenhouse effect.
Another component is the oil production plant. Here the soybeans are compressed and two products are extracted: oil and pellets.
The oil goes to a biodiesel plant where it will be transformed into biofuel that will be used in tractors for field work in the production of feed for cows. While the pellets will be used in the formulation of rations as protein feed.
Thus, the value of entrepreneurship lies in transforming the linear production system into a cyclical production system where animal waste is used to produce clean external energy, food with high nutritional value and does not pollute the environment.
How is this virtuous project, based on the three Rs: Reduce, Recycle and Reuse, financed?
The project is financed by a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Bank of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (BROU).
What climatic advantages does Uruguay offer for this undertaking?
The annual rainfall of 1200 mm, the average temperature of 17ºC and the quality of the soil are the three components that determine the good ecosystem in which you are going to work. In Uruguay, the aspect to consider is the soil. It is not very deep, it is rocky and has undulating lands. But we have taken advantage of this disadvantage to build a 120-hectare reservoir and store the rainwater that will be used to supply the production system. Part of the water has a circuit through a water treatment plant strategically located between the dairy farm and the powdered milk plant, with the aim of providing drinking water in quantity and quality for the processes that require it. Uruguay has dry seasons, mainly in the summer, so the corn, which is one of the key components to feed the animal, will be watered with the stored water and that from the biodigesters.
The company will produce powdered milk for export. What are the main export destinations?
Indeed, powdered milk will be produced in compliance with the highest international standards of quality and food safety for export to Japan, the European Union and any part of the world that requires it.
What is your opinion on the evolution of the dairy sector in Brazil?
All South American countries have generally increased milk production except Argentina, which has decreased it, despite being the country with the greatest potential due to the quality of its soil and its temperate climate. Brazil has a hostile climate for the requirements of high-production dairy cows. Its temperatures are very high. However, this disadvantage is remedied by applying fans and spraying systems in stabled dairy farms. Brazil, like Chile, are countries that have a linear policy. They comply with long-range plans. As an example, Brazil has managed to position itself in the meat market as the world's leading exporter.
Has the project to export and care for the environment considered social networks?
Social networks are important to spread the benefits of this production system and adopt it in other areas. It is an enterprise that is developed behind open doors, people can learn about its technological improvements that will help protect the environment, produce food, generate foreign currency for the country, achieving together an important social development.
FINAL CONSIDERATION OF THE INTERVIEW: For ADUANA NEWS it is pleasant to promote new public works and innovative citizens who collaborate with the general welfare like Hernán Marini, who recommends making changes to permanently adapt, to progress, to be happy.
To Hernán Marini, a heartfelt applause and gratitude.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
