It is said that the son of a cat catches a mouse or that the son of a majá comes out spotted. These are sayings of the idiosyncrasy of the Cubans; but they have some truth in the case of Diosmany Ramírez Medrano and his father Ramón Ramírez Gallar, a cattle breeder to death.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Both are dedicated to raising cattle in the area of Kilometer 6, in the municipality of Amancio, and share the activity with Ramón's other son, who recently completed his period of General Military Service and also received land in usufruct.

Together, they own around 100 hectares and almost 160 head of cattle. Their milk delivery plan amounts to three thousand liters per month, and they fulfill it, despite the many situations in livestock farming today, which they are not escaping.

"It is a complicated task, given the times we live in. However, we try to overcome all obstacles. We have three workers, young and very good. Together, the six of us ensure that all the work is carried out in full.

"Although we have clean areas, there is always someone in the paddocks watching over the animals because there is a lot of cattle theft and slaughter. We are also alert at night. If a dog barks, we have to get up quickly and check."

"We have the number of animals that correspond to each area and we guarantee them food with what we sow and with the natural grasses that are generally always green because this is a very low area. We also have a good well that never dries up and we made a dam."

Diosmany and his family are doing well, based on constant and intense work throughout the day. They get up at 4 a.m. and tidy up their cows. They have breakfast and divide up the tasks. One delivers the milk. Another feeds the herd, another tends to the rest of the animals...

The men are joined by their wives, who not only do the housework but also take on other responsibilities, such as planting maize, vegetables, and other crops on the hectare of land that they use for various crops for home consumption.

"This is managed collectively because we all contribute and we are a very united family. Even my three-year-old child wants to participate in the daily work on the farm. And the women in the house are very happy with the advantages we farmers now have."

"We have already bought a tractor with a mower and that makes our work easier. In 15 days, we can clear marabou and undergrowth with it, which we couldn't do in two or three months of intense mowing with machetes. The truth is that, as a family, we have improved a lot."

Another measure that has benefited us is the legal slaughter of cattle. We have already exercised this right and we feel encouraged. That is why we continue to strive for our animals to produce more milk and meat, and that is achieved with the good care we give them.