"After the Sahara desert come our fields": the art of livestock farming in one of the driest areas of Río Negro

80 km from Roca on Route 6 to the south, where the wind blows hard and the rains are counted in drops, Franco Sarti García continues to bet on livestock farming. The farm La Querencia was born in the 1950s when the fruit producer Julián García, Franco's grandfather, decided to open a new family stage dedicated to raising animals in the full Patagonian steppe. The farm, covering 20,500 hectares, was initially taken for grazing until the opportunity arose to register it. La Querencia is a large and challenging establishment, where water is found only 180 meters deep, which forces them to work with generators and pumps that constantly consume fuel. However, there the García family has kept alive a livestock tradition that combines history, sacrifice, and a clear vision for the future. "La Querencia is a tough field, but it is our place in the world. Producing here is expensive, but we keep betting," summarizes Franco Sarti García, who is part of the third generation of producers in ...