Estancia Los Potreros

That time of year again already, and we are at the annual cattle branding. The usual doses of machismo and rivalry were very much in evidence, along with of course plenty of Fernet Branca . . .

Usually taking place over a weekend in early March, the yerra is the branding of the calves before they are sent off to market. Robert Begg (Kevin and Robin’s father) is a strong believer in keeping rural traditions alive, and so the yerra is completed in the same way that it has been done for centuries in Argentina.

Calves are released in pairs into a corral, where a team of gauchos await, lassoes at the ready. The calves must be lassoed by their front feet and brought down for branding. The yerra is a real community event, with workers from the neighbouring estancias coming to help for the weekend, in return for the promise of the party at the end, where an animal is slaughtered and cooked on a traditional ‘asado’, with plenty of wine to wash it down.

There is always exciting action to be seen, with the natural macho spirit of the gauchos very much to the fore. The honour of putting the brand on the calf lies with the ‘dueño’ or senior member of the family, or in his absence the farm manager.

Always as interesting as the events themselves are the people . . .true country folk for whom participation in the yerra is as much a rite of passage as a job to be done.