Young Cow at a Farm Fence in Alajuela Province

Alajuela Province sits in Costa Rica's Central Valley and northern lowlands, an area long given over to coffee farms, sugarcane, and cattle ranching. Brahman and Brahman-cross cattle, recognizable by their drooping ears and loose dewlap, are common on small Costa Rican farms because the breed tolerates heat and humidity better than European cattle. Barbed-wire fencing of the kind used here is the standard method for dividing pasture land on family-run fincas throughout the region.