Núcleo de Pastoreio Racional Voisin

Nilo Ferreira Romero (1922-2014)

Profession and recognitions

• Academic background in Agronomy from the National School of Agriculture of Rio de Janeiro.
• Founder and president of the Federation of Wheat Cooperatives (Fecotrigo) of Rio Grande do Sul in 1959;
• Member of the 1st Agricultural Forum held by the Secretary of Agriculture of Rio Grande do Sul in 1960;
• In 1961, he was chairman of the Wheat and Production Goods Price Policy Group.
• Counselor of the Federations of Triticultural Cooperatives from 1961 to 1969;
• In 1963, Agronomist responsible for Fazenda Conquista, a pioneer in the Voisin method;
• During the period 1963 to 2014, speaker on rational management of pastures through Pastoreio Racional Voisin;
• Honored with the inscription in the Book of Award of Merit 2016 by CONFEA
• Nilo Ferreira Romero was born on October 3, 1922 in Bagé-RS, considered one of the greatest defenders of the Pampa Biome. He was one of the founders and president of the Rio Grande do Sul Tritícola Cooperative (Fecotrigo), during the period of the “wheat crisis” of the years 1956 and 1957.

In the 60’s, Nilo Romero began his work on the breeding system Pastoreio Racional Voisin (PRV), proposed by Frenchman André Voisin. Due to the interest in this innovative technology, he made the agronomist change the model for raising cattle on the property, Fazenda Conquista, to apply the concepts of PRV. Due to the results obtained, the farm became a production model, drawing the attention of producers, students and researchers. Due to the good results obtained on his property, Nilo Romero won the international Hugh Bennett award, which distinguishes the “Award for Best Cattleman of the Year in the Americas” (1979), as well as local recognitions including the 200th Anniversary Commendation of Bagé and the Assis Brasil Medal, awarded to personalities from the state of Rio Grande do Sul who have distinguished themselves in the agricultural sector.

In 1998, Nilo Romero was diagnosed with a cancer that caused him physical limitations, so he began to dedicate himself to studies and to welcoming visitors to the property. According to the testimony of his daughter, Miriam Rossell Romero, “My father dedicated himself to business until the end of his life. Even in the hospital he was always attentive to the movements of the farms. My father was not an agronomist only when he was sleeping, he is one of the few people I met and had so much pleasure with the profession.” Nilo Romero passed away on November 20, 2014.

Fazenda Conquista, with over 50 years of rational pasture management, has an exceptional seed bank native to the Pampa Biome. For over 50 years the property has been a model in animal husbandry, with excellent production rates and, as a result, good financial results, free of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. The coordination of the Romero family properties is carried out by the wife Percilia Rossell Romero and the administration is in charge of the daughter Miriam Rossell Romero.

Nilo Romero was at the II Pan-American Meeting on Agroecological Pasture Management (PRV in the Americas) held in Pelotas / RS – April 7-9, 2014, where he was honored at the opening table. On that occasion, we were able to hear a little of his experience and wisdom with the PRV. In the Editorial dos Anais, Professor Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado referred to this honor as follows:

“This 2nd Encounter pays a deserved and necessary tribute to Agronomist Nilo Ferreira Romero, who implemented in his farm Conquista, Bagé, RS, in 1964, the first project of Pastoreio Racional Voisin in the world. A seed sown in difficult soils, but which, thanks to its virtues, known and unknown, germinated, grew, conquered misunderstandings, difficulties, treachery and all sorts of insults and today, 50 years later, it is a leafy and insurmountable tree, whose fruits we are harvesting and that will continue to grow, gaining followers all over the Planet and generating clean food and products, without poisons, as humanity demands and expects.”

Published works and books:

“Sistema André Voisin – Experiências no Rio Grande do Sul” (1969)
“Fórum sobre Melhoramentos de Pastagens” (1970)
“A Pecuária no Rio Grande do Sul” (1971)
“Melhoramento de Pastagens pelo Sistema Rotativo Racional Voisin” (1971)
“Pastagens Cultivadas pelo Sistema Voisin” (1971)
“A Hélice Orgânica como fator essencial no manejo de um Voisin” (1973)
“Alimente seus Pastos com seus Animais” (1994)
“Manejo Fisiológico dos Pastos Nativos Melhorados” (1998)