After putting a week's worth of sunshine in bank, we thankfully cashed in everything today and were extremely fortunate to have the Brazilian weather that was in our minds as we escaped the cold Chicago air the week prior. The morning started out especially early with a wake up call a little before quarter till six. Perhaps, we were dragging a little bit, but we all thought it was worth it for the opportunity of spending more time at Iguazu Falls. Upon arriving we applied our sunscreen, dawned our sunglasses and grabbed our plastic bags for what was going to be a sunny and wet stay at the national park. The gift shop was the place to be while waiting for the tickets and bus to come, and we scouted out the best souvenirs to take home as gifts. First on the itinerary was a boat ride into the heart of the Falls. As I have mentioned before it is the rainy season, so we expected to get pretty wet on this trip. The boat was an inflatable one that looked like a white water raft, only in the shape of a boat. It was pretty impressive to check out the engines before we got on as well, I don't know what they were, but there were two, and they were big. Once the 20 seats were filled, we took off on the river towards the falls a few kilometers away. The river was peaceful, and hardly showed an signs great waterfalls upstream, but as soon as we turned the bend, there they were, a white cascade of water between the cliffs making up the edges of the river. We soon got closer and saw that the first photo opportunity was on our right looking at a set of falls on the Argentina side. About a hundred feet tall, and coming out all sides of the mountain, it was hard to believe that at that moment, what we were looking at was just a fraction of the whole picture. Once the photo-opp was over, we handed over our cameras and put them in a water proof bag at the back of the boat, the fun was about to begin.
Hear is where the two large motors enter into the picture. We approach the falls futher up towards the main part called Devil's Throat. To the right we are starring at more water that is pouring over into the river, and at this point we could just feel a little mist. The driver put it on full throttle and we went right up into the falls, just a few yards from being directly under the water. He circled into the cloud of mist and popped right back out again. It was quite a loud rush. After a few more times of that, and a little enticement from John in the back we headed through the heavy mist into the deeper part of the falls and even closer to the Devil's Throat. By now we were in some rapids, and it took just about all the engines had to keep us in one spot as we gazed at the falling water that was surrounding us on three sides. In little time, the boat turned around and heading back to the safer waters, but not without a fight. The rapids got us, and as the boat came down after pointing into the sky from a wake, we were momentarily drenched as it spilled over on all sides. The experience was unforgetable, we were wet, but that is what the trail was for; to see the falls from above.
It started at the southern most point, around where the first Argentina side was visable. A few falls were visable when we looked straight out from the trail, but the best was ahead. The falls kept getting taller, wider, and faster; and as the descent of the trail was coming we could start to see the platform that was positioned above some of the fastest water. During this 1200 meter walk, a lot of picture were taken, and it would be safe to say that between the 12 of us, 1500 was a pretty attainable number for the Iguazu Falls tour. Once we reached the walkway to the overhang, the mist was pouring down the mountain just as it had from the boat, just as everyone was dry too. But it was worth getting wet again to walk out over the rushing water to peak over the cascade and see below. We were worried about the cameras getting wet on the boat, but they were out here, getting soaked from the mist. Quite an amazing site. Iguazu had one last surprise for as we continued back on the path. When the engineers built this tourist hub, a tower and observation deck was put just a few feet from the biggest waterfall in the park. You could stand at the edge and see in amazement the 450,000 gallons of water flowing over the edge every second. A breathtaking view.
The day was full of excitement and we thought that perhaps we would never see anything so spectacular again, well at least not in Illinois.
Friday, January 15, 2010
A Special Thank You
During the evening we went out for our farewell dinner, and after a tremendous Itialian supper, I think Nadial saved the best for last, we formally concluded the trip by presenting gifts and appreciation to those who helped us through this study abroad trip. Winderson, our bus driver was honored first. Although there is a language barrier between us, during the week all of us had a many good laughs over perhaps more elementary means of communication. It was impressive though, that while eating a meal, a couple of us were able to banter back and forth with each other and have a good time. He transported us safely through the crowded downtown streets, muddy red dirt roads and the scenic highways of the Brazilian countryside, and for that we are thankful.
Next, was Nadial, the tenacious tour guide of profound passion, who strives to educate students and professionals to brigde the gap between two agrarian countries. During our stay we were treated like royalty, dining in quality restaurents and lodging in some of Parana's best hotels. Although we were a half a world away, he tried to make us at home. His knowledge about agriculture and the differences between the U.S. and Brazil, makes our learning experience much richer. We have appreciated all that he has done for us.
John receieved our thanks last. He has served as our faculty advisor from Illinois, however, most of us had not known him much before the trip. As we have come to find out, his presence has greatly added to the cultural comparisions that can be learned on such a journey. His life lessons and tips were always a pleasure to listen to. Although he was born and raised on a small dairy farm in Wisconsin, we now know that he a quite the world traveler and has a healthy appetite for always learning something new. His great spirit is something all of us have really enjoyed.
I would also like to make a very special thank you to Erin Stein for doing a lot of the behind the scenes work that made our trip run smoothly and made the University of Illinois look very well represented. She did a great job planning meetings and speakers that informed us of what to expect and what would be expected of us. She also organized for each tour guide, farmer and business representative to be thanked with a gift from Illinois. Her work has been greatly appreciated.
Tomorrow we have will visit a statue that marks the intersection of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, so we can say we have visited all of those countries!! After that we will loosen up our legs at a park near Iguazu before we board our first plane for home.
It has been an unbelievable, interesting and enjoyable international agriculture experience and a privilege to be able to share it.
Next, was Nadial, the tenacious tour guide of profound passion, who strives to educate students and professionals to brigde the gap between two agrarian countries. During our stay we were treated like royalty, dining in quality restaurents and lodging in some of Parana's best hotels. Although we were a half a world away, he tried to make us at home. His knowledge about agriculture and the differences between the U.S. and Brazil, makes our learning experience much richer. We have appreciated all that he has done for us.
John receieved our thanks last. He has served as our faculty advisor from Illinois, however, most of us had not known him much before the trip. As we have come to find out, his presence has greatly added to the cultural comparisions that can be learned on such a journey. His life lessons and tips were always a pleasure to listen to. Although he was born and raised on a small dairy farm in Wisconsin, we now know that he a quite the world traveler and has a healthy appetite for always learning something new. His great spirit is something all of us have really enjoyed.
I would also like to make a very special thank you to Erin Stein for doing a lot of the behind the scenes work that made our trip run smoothly and made the University of Illinois look very well represented. She did a great job planning meetings and speakers that informed us of what to expect and what would be expected of us. She also organized for each tour guide, farmer and business representative to be thanked with a gift from Illinois. Her work has been greatly appreciated.
Tomorrow we have will visit a statue that marks the intersection of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, so we can say we have visited all of those countries!! After that we will loosen up our legs at a park near Iguazu before we board our first plane for home.
It has been an unbelievable, interesting and enjoyable international agriculture experience and a privilege to be able to share it.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A Real Brazilian Experience
Dominating the northeastern part of Parana state is a cooperative that makes up 272,000 Ha, more than 600,000 acres. (We are getting very good at quick conversion estimates, we've come to a consensus that the U.S. should just switch to the metric system). It is called Cocamar Cooperative and is the largest in Brazil. The 6100 members grow the primary commodities of corn, soybeans, wheat, coffee, and oranges. The characteristic that sets Cocamar apart from other cooperatives that we have visited, besides their size, is their value-added products. An interesting fact about Cocamar is the brand awareness that it has among consumers. It ranks number 4 in that catagory for the state of Parana, just behind Audi Cars. This is evident when you see their line of juices, coffee, and vegetable oil. We were privelaged to tour the juice plant and see how they turned local products from the cooperative and within the state into very high quality and tasty juices. We know this because we got to sample their entire line. About half were fruits that are native to Brazil or South America, and the rest were familiar flavors such as grape and orange. The difference was significant though. Cocamar's juice is much more pure, natural sweetness, than a sugary sweetness. A couple even had a smoothy like consistantcy that was really good to drink. We also were able to see their soy oil production plant. This product is the more popular one for Cocamar, and is distributed throughout Brazil as one of the top vegetable oils.
One interesting part about our visits to places like Cocamar is to hear their history, and how they came to be so successful amid a country that has had its struggles. From the time of the first Portuguese settlement a few centuries ago, until the 1990s, Brazil has had economic, social and political hardship that is almost a curse. With each new rise in a slightly different government, or leader, comes more of the same; a sustained and constant gap between the upper class and the lower class that is of epic proportions. During the first exploration of Brazil, in an effort to grab up as much land as possible, the Portuguese government gave away massive amounts to individuals, sometimes in excess of hundreds of thousands of hectares at a time. This created a few really rich people and everyone else has been in the lower class. Many things have changed, but this reality is still true; the economy, currency and financing have not been stable for most citizens. What does this have to do with coops and agriculture? Well, up until 1998, Brazil's currency was seeing hyperinflation that was hundreds of percents each year. New currencies were created at the rate of every few years and nobody had any confidence in the value of their currency. Such an economy cannot utilize its bountiful natural resources without foreign investment and multinational companies. But with the creation of the Real in 1998, and a strict, consice plan to turn the economy around, President Cardoso (one of the first democratically elected presidents of Brazil) was able to finally stimulate and produce like never before. This issue came up as we listened to the presentation at Cocamar. They mentioned that they were in the red in 1997-1998, but when they were finally able to sit down with the bank and reach a settlement, they calculated that the bank actually owed them money, an example to the uncertainty in finance and banking that was present. Today, Brazil is thriving like never before. We have talked with a dozen or so businesses, and I have asked many of them, how has the past year been for business, has there been growth or have things slowed done. The overall response is growth, ranging from 8% to 30% over the previous year. Brazil does have its "warts" as John Santos would say, but the overall vibe that we have gotten from our numerous visits is that, indeed, it is an exciting time to be involved in Brazilian agriculture and agribusiness.
The day ended sitting poolside under the Brazilian stars having a conversation about what we enjoyed most, and giving Nadial some feedback on what would make the trip better in the future. It was nice to look back on our whirlwind tour of Parana, and really gage the whole scope of everything we experienced. One observation that we had was just how well it was organized, and how much everything flowed perfectly. For instance, the part we enjoyed most, that Nadial suspected we would, was a few days after we had gotten over the jet lag, and into the Brazilian culture, and were therefore much more capable of having great conversations with the Terasawa family. Starting out with the port was perfect as well, each point after that related back to marketing and logistics, and when they mentioned Paranagua Bay, not only did we know where it was at, we got a boat tour of it and talked with a commercial manager there. Nadial gave us great proportions for each destination, not too much or little, just enough to really engage us the whole time we were touring. Traveling to Brazil is a quite a trip, and without a great tour guide like him, who not only knows the area, but used to work for and still does consulting with most of the companies we visited, is a special experience.
We have gone at it pretty hard for the last 8 days. Now, as our journey is coming to an end we are waking up bright and early in the morning to experience one of the world's natural wonders, Iguazzu Falls. Outside of about a day, it has been cloudy or raining for most of the trip. Although that might has dampened the mood elsewhere, we got through it, and perhaps tomorrow it could pay off. Like I mentioned in a previous post, Brazil's rivers don't flow to the ocean, but inland, and most in the area end up cascading over Iguazzu Falls, and that means that the river is going to be roaring at a high rate tomorrow. With a little luck, we might even get to use the sunshine that we have been putting in the bank for the past week.
All for now.
One interesting part about our visits to places like Cocamar is to hear their history, and how they came to be so successful amid a country that has had its struggles. From the time of the first Portuguese settlement a few centuries ago, until the 1990s, Brazil has had economic, social and political hardship that is almost a curse. With each new rise in a slightly different government, or leader, comes more of the same; a sustained and constant gap between the upper class and the lower class that is of epic proportions. During the first exploration of Brazil, in an effort to grab up as much land as possible, the Portuguese government gave away massive amounts to individuals, sometimes in excess of hundreds of thousands of hectares at a time. This created a few really rich people and everyone else has been in the lower class. Many things have changed, but this reality is still true; the economy, currency and financing have not been stable for most citizens. What does this have to do with coops and agriculture? Well, up until 1998, Brazil's currency was seeing hyperinflation that was hundreds of percents each year. New currencies were created at the rate of every few years and nobody had any confidence in the value of their currency. Such an economy cannot utilize its bountiful natural resources without foreign investment and multinational companies. But with the creation of the Real in 1998, and a strict, consice plan to turn the economy around, President Cardoso (one of the first democratically elected presidents of Brazil) was able to finally stimulate and produce like never before. This issue came up as we listened to the presentation at Cocamar. They mentioned that they were in the red in 1997-1998, but when they were finally able to sit down with the bank and reach a settlement, they calculated that the bank actually owed them money, an example to the uncertainty in finance and banking that was present. Today, Brazil is thriving like never before. We have talked with a dozen or so businesses, and I have asked many of them, how has the past year been for business, has there been growth or have things slowed done. The overall response is growth, ranging from 8% to 30% over the previous year. Brazil does have its "warts" as John Santos would say, but the overall vibe that we have gotten from our numerous visits is that, indeed, it is an exciting time to be involved in Brazilian agriculture and agribusiness.
The day ended sitting poolside under the Brazilian stars having a conversation about what we enjoyed most, and giving Nadial some feedback on what would make the trip better in the future. It was nice to look back on our whirlwind tour of Parana, and really gage the whole scope of everything we experienced. One observation that we had was just how well it was organized, and how much everything flowed perfectly. For instance, the part we enjoyed most, that Nadial suspected we would, was a few days after we had gotten over the jet lag, and into the Brazilian culture, and were therefore much more capable of having great conversations with the Terasawa family. Starting out with the port was perfect as well, each point after that related back to marketing and logistics, and when they mentioned Paranagua Bay, not only did we know where it was at, we got a boat tour of it and talked with a commercial manager there. Nadial gave us great proportions for each destination, not too much or little, just enough to really engage us the whole time we were touring. Traveling to Brazil is a quite a trip, and without a great tour guide like him, who not only knows the area, but used to work for and still does consulting with most of the companies we visited, is a special experience.
We have gone at it pretty hard for the last 8 days. Now, as our journey is coming to an end we are waking up bright and early in the morning to experience one of the world's natural wonders, Iguazzu Falls. Outside of about a day, it has been cloudy or raining for most of the trip. Although that might has dampened the mood elsewhere, we got through it, and perhaps tomorrow it could pay off. Like I mentioned in a previous post, Brazil's rivers don't flow to the ocean, but inland, and most in the area end up cascading over Iguazzu Falls, and that means that the river is going to be roaring at a high rate tomorrow. With a little luck, we might even get to use the sunshine that we have been putting in the bank for the past week.
All for now.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Logging and Paper
Only one stop on our itinerary for a Wednesday, and that was Klabin Paper Products, located in the heart of the Parana. It was forestry, pulp and paper products conglomerate that is located around the world. We visited their primary South American facility on its 270,000 Ha property. That converts to almost 700,000 acres of forest land. We got the grand tour of several different divisions in the corporation. From research, to pharmaceutical products for the nearby town, to the company cafeteria and finally the biomass and paper manufacturing building.
We all thought that it was a unique opportunity to get a tour inside the paper processing plant. The tour guide let us get just a couple yard from the giant spools that were shooting the paper down the pressing line at 900 meters per second. We walked down the 300 yard building to the end of the process and saw the giant paper rolls that made the finishing product. The finished rolls weighted up to 60 tons, and were the size of a semi trailer. The next room we went in was the storage facility and it housed thousands of these massive rolls. It is a hard image to describe, but there was a railway going through the building, and it had ten cars that they were loading up with these rolls. I would estimate that 20,000 paper rolls were housed there, stacked up to 6 high.
The electricity for the entire facility was equal to three times a town that we stayed in, which had a population of 350,000 inhabitants.
Before our day began, most of us had little background knowledge about what went into the paper that we use on a daily basis. But today we found out that it takes a lot of land, labor and capital to the paper we use.
Tomorrow is another farmer cooperative, and then off to Iguazzu Falls!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Cooperatives
With each new day we continue to compare and contrast America and Brazil, in order to sharpen our intuitive skills, and perhaps learn bits of useful information or techniques that can be improved upon in Illinois and the U.S. A more in depth look at cooperatives was the storyline for today, as Ross outlined below, but I would just like to clear up the mud a little bit on my post about the ABC's of grain (not to be confused with ABC Foundation, a research organization founded by the farmers, for the farmers, that acts as an Extension like source for the three area cooperatives.)
The post about the ABC's primarily talks about the struggles with grain logistics that Brazil has. I mentioned not seeing any elevators on our drive, and the presence of the prominent multinational companies. The cooperatives in Parana, fill this hole that I had not realized until today. Cooperatives such as Arapoti, Batavo, and Castrolanda, the three that make up ABC, serve as the only grain marketing options for the members. They have strong infrastructure in the Parana region and it is a service that farmers in this region are proud of their system and believe it is an efficient way for production.
In Mota Grossa, you will find ADM, Bunge, Cargill; with the extremely wide basis of price. It is a more American version of agriculture, where the large cooperatives such as the Dutch ones we visited today are not established.
Tomorrow includes a visit to the largest cooperative in Brazil, which will be an impressive sight after seeing a good sized town built around we were at today. The journey continues.
Dutch Colonies in Brazil
Another busy today in the Brazilian state of Parana. We started the morning by visiting Romi farms in the Dutch Cooperative of Castrolanda. The farm started as a dairy farm but converted to a grain farm in 1972. Ten years later the farm converted to 100% no-till. Romi farms they produce soybeans, dry beans, and corn during the summer and oats and wheat during the winter. It was very interesting that they use the same row spacing for both soybean and corn planting.
The next stop was the ABC foundation which does research and develops as solutions for the Dutch cooperatives.
After lunch we toured the Castrolanda cooperative facilities in Castro. The receiving facilities were similar to those in the states except they use wood to fuel the dryer. Then we walked across the street to the Dutch Immigration Memorial. We went up in a windmill and learned about the heritage of the Dutch immigrants.
The last stop of the day before going to the hotel was Selvaverde Dairy. They currently have 730 cows in lactation and milk twice a day. Their cows average 28 L of milk/cow/day. Their feed is mainly corn silage and ryegrass.
Boa noite.
Ross Recker
Crop Science - 2012
Monday, January 11, 2010
ABC's of Brazilian Grain
Through day 6 of our journey we have seen a few levels of Brazilian agriculture. From the downstream activities of the Paranague Bay Port and famers market, to the upstream business of production agriculture at Witmarsum, as well as the middle marketing of FT Sementes, the scope of our studies has included several realizations of how agriculture operates in Parana and Brazil.
One great example of this first occured to several of us as we arrived in Ponta Grossa, a couple days ago. As we had just finished the tour of Witmarsum, our interest had peaked, and we began instensely studying our surroundings on our way to the next destination. A couple examples were mentioned earlier, the much hillier terrain that resembled Wisconsin and the difficulty of moving machinery over the land. But as we got into Ponta Grossa, on the very edge of town, were massive grain storage facilities. We have grown up in rural Illinois, and seen elevators inland and along rivers, but never had any of us seen so many places to store grain in one place. You see a set of bins, and shed containers, and then another and another, then you turn and look out the other side of the bus and can see an equal amount. Another thing that we noticed, not once, from Curitiba to Ponta Grossa (an hour and a half drive) did we see a single elevator in the country side. One last thing that we thought of, on our train ride down the mountains to the port, the tour guide mentioned that all rivers (execpt one) do not run to the ocean, but instead they flow inland to Iguassu Falls. So not only do we realize that there are no elevators that are easily accessable like in the United States, there is not an easy means of logistics for any corn or soybeans grown inland from the ocean. The director at the port told us, 50% of grain coming into the port was by truck and 20% was coming by train, a very inefficient means of logistics.
Where does all of this come together? Several places, the first one Mauricio let us in on, and it is the title of this post, the ABC's. And they are, ADM, Bunge, and Cargill. Together they make a good chunk of grain logistics in Brazil, and were the facilities that I described above as we entered Ponta Grossa. And the second has to do with a better understanding of the struggles Brazilian agriculture has. Often you hear of Americans coming to Brazil and managing large farm operations. This takes place in the west Cerrado region of Mota Grossa, a state in Brazil. Besides the different soil conditions, the region is an open plane, similiar to Illinois. It boasts some of the biggest soybean farms and farmers in the world. But when you take a look at the equation that I have laid out above, those soybeans, for the most part, make a 1400 mile journey to Paranagua Bay to the port. Still speaking on broad terms, when you sell soybeans in Mota Grossa, the price is based on the Chicago Board of Trade. For instance, say today's price is $10, when you go to the elevator in Mota Grossa, an ABC firm, you don't get a 15 cent, 20 cent, or 30 cent basis, but a $4 to $6 basis! This was yet another lesson that we have learned from Mauricio about the differences between America and Brazil in terms of production agriculture.
When we were discussing those massive grain bins as we entered Ponta Grossa, and thinking through what we had learned, we could only come to one conclusion; we are very fortunate in Illinois. Not only can we take our grain to an elevator 10 minutes away, but we can take it to several elevators in that amount of time, and even straight to the river. Our river system is something Brazil does not have, and it greatly increased transportation costs. We have a lot to be thankful for in Illinois.
One great example of this first occured to several of us as we arrived in Ponta Grossa, a couple days ago. As we had just finished the tour of Witmarsum, our interest had peaked, and we began instensely studying our surroundings on our way to the next destination. A couple examples were mentioned earlier, the much hillier terrain that resembled Wisconsin and the difficulty of moving machinery over the land. But as we got into Ponta Grossa, on the very edge of town, were massive grain storage facilities. We have grown up in rural Illinois, and seen elevators inland and along rivers, but never had any of us seen so many places to store grain in one place. You see a set of bins, and shed containers, and then another and another, then you turn and look out the other side of the bus and can see an equal amount. Another thing that we noticed, not once, from Curitiba to Ponta Grossa (an hour and a half drive) did we see a single elevator in the country side. One last thing that we thought of, on our train ride down the mountains to the port, the tour guide mentioned that all rivers (execpt one) do not run to the ocean, but instead they flow inland to Iguassu Falls. So not only do we realize that there are no elevators that are easily accessable like in the United States, there is not an easy means of logistics for any corn or soybeans grown inland from the ocean. The director at the port told us, 50% of grain coming into the port was by truck and 20% was coming by train, a very inefficient means of logistics.
Where does all of this come together? Several places, the first one Mauricio let us in on, and it is the title of this post, the ABC's. And they are, ADM, Bunge, and Cargill. Together they make a good chunk of grain logistics in Brazil, and were the facilities that I described above as we entered Ponta Grossa. And the second has to do with a better understanding of the struggles Brazilian agriculture has. Often you hear of Americans coming to Brazil and managing large farm operations. This takes place in the west Cerrado region of Mota Grossa, a state in Brazil. Besides the different soil conditions, the region is an open plane, similiar to Illinois. It boasts some of the biggest soybean farms and farmers in the world. But when you take a look at the equation that I have laid out above, those soybeans, for the most part, make a 1400 mile journey to Paranagua Bay to the port. Still speaking on broad terms, when you sell soybeans in Mota Grossa, the price is based on the Chicago Board of Trade. For instance, say today's price is $10, when you go to the elevator in Mota Grossa, an ABC firm, you don't get a 15 cent, 20 cent, or 30 cent basis, but a $4 to $6 basis! This was yet another lesson that we have learned from Mauricio about the differences between America and Brazil in terms of production agriculture.
When we were discussing those massive grain bins as we entered Ponta Grossa, and thinking through what we had learned, we could only come to one conclusion; we are very fortunate in Illinois. Not only can we take our grain to an elevator 10 minutes away, but we can take it to several elevators in that amount of time, and even straight to the river. Our river system is something Brazil does not have, and it greatly increased transportation costs. We have a lot to be thankful for in Illinois.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Fique Tranquilo
Today was one of our more anticipated visits, perhaps almost as much so or more as Iguassu Falls will be. To set the scene a little bit I'd like to go back to the dinner party last night. It was at the home of the Terasawa's, the owners of FT Sementes, a Brazilian soybean seed company. Our knowledge of the business before the dinner was only to the extent of a presentation that Mauricio had given in October to our group at Illinois, where he is working on his PhD in seed breeding. Over dinner, we started to become aware of the extent of what the Terasawa's have been able to do for the soybean industry in Brazil. We not only dined with the Terasawa's, but key business partners in FT as well as crop scientists from the local universities. Once they had fed us with the delicious barbucue, we had several lengthy conversations with our hosts. It was after 11 o'clock, when, after several tries, Nadial and John's joint effort in getting us to leave finally succeeded. After the meal, we shared stories with each other of the different conversations that we had with Mauricio, Claudio and others, and our consensus was that we had a truly privelaged experience conversing with those who are significantly effecting Brazilian agriculture. We left knowing that we would get more pieces of the puzzle to discover in our morning tour.
We were welcomed to the plant by the same faces whom we dined with the evening before; Francisco, Mauricio, Claudio ( who is a scientist for FT, professor at the nearby university and former student at Illinois), and a couple other scientists and managers of FT. The plant itself is a well kept operation just minutes outside of Ponta Grossa, and down the road from the giant grain storage facility of Bunge. The FT conference room was the setting for our discussion and presentation, led by Mauricio. He described the pictures on the wall surrounding the conference table. What seemed like ordinary pictures of the Terasawa's with thier customers was not the case for the bigger photograph in the middle of the wall. WIth Francisco Terasawa in this photo was Norman Bourlog, winner of the Nobel Prize in Agriculture and the founder or leader in what has become known as the green revolution. It was also interesting to learn that Fransisco was nominated for the Nobel Prize in agriculture, and his story is well worth this accomplishment.
Francisco started his work with soybeans in 1964, and continued that career with the Brazilian Dep. of Agriculture for eight years. During this period his boss was the only person with a Masters degree in Soybean research, so clearly it was a new production means at the time. Francisco's knowledge and interest in soybeans led him to start his own research in this area in 1972, when he founded FT Sementes. He shared with us that he sought out help and understanding of soybeans from several other farmers in the southern region of the United States, and was quick to mention that without their help, he would not have achieved his level of success. Through breeding many different hybrids of soybeans, he found one that had useful characteristics. He bred a soybean that could grow well in a very acidic soil, a soil that was also low in phosphorous and high in aluminum, and this is what you will find across the entire central region of Brazil, called the cerrado. As John Santos (our advisor from Illinois, Uncle John as we refer to him) describes, the central region of Brazil is similiar to that of most of Australia, grazing land, flat, and prairie grass in most parts. Francisco had bred a plant that could be grown for profit in an otherwise baron region. The FT Christalina, the Queen of Cerrado, was a hybrid that took off in popularity with farmers. A region that used to grow 1.5 tons/hectare (around 25 bu/acre) could now produce 3 tons/hectace (50 bu/ac). This was a remarkable accomplishment and product for the farmers of the Cerrado region. And the numbers reflected it, 8 out of 10 soybean plants in all of Cerrado, were the FT Christalina hybrid.
The name FT Semente stands for "Francisco Terasawa Seeds." But, when you walk into their plant, you see the FT logo, and right underneath it is a slogan, it reads, "Fique Tranquilo." This term loosely translates to "Keep calm, or, we will take care of you." And when you listen to Francisco's story, it truly is an understatement to what he has done for Brazilian agriculture.
FT Sementes has certainly had great success, but the valleys have come along as well. 1994 brought disease to the area and hurt Christalina a little bit. Shortly after, Monsanto came to the stage with Round-Up and provided other benefits for farmers. This, combined with a weak product protection system in Brazil led to the decision of selling the Christalina germ plasm to Monsanto. Since that time FT Sementes is still going strong, with 25 different soybean varieties both RR and conventional (60% soybeans in Brazil are non-GMO). They have 8 corn varieties and are coming on strong in the market of bean varieties and edible soybeans. Currently they are the 4th largest soybean firm in Brazil, a market share that has grown over the past few years. Their continued success will be the diligent research that they continue to work on. As Mauricio told us while we were in the research greenhouse, "You can have all of the GMO products and genetics that you want, but the conventional breeding of soybeans for the right conditions is the foundation that makes the other stuff possible." The Christalina changed the way soybeans were produced in the Cerrado, so FT will continue to work towards producing better hybrids for South America and perhaps beyond.
We were welcomed to the plant by the same faces whom we dined with the evening before; Francisco, Mauricio, Claudio ( who is a scientist for FT, professor at the nearby university and former student at Illinois), and a couple other scientists and managers of FT. The plant itself is a well kept operation just minutes outside of Ponta Grossa, and down the road from the giant grain storage facility of Bunge. The FT conference room was the setting for our discussion and presentation, led by Mauricio. He described the pictures on the wall surrounding the conference table. What seemed like ordinary pictures of the Terasawa's with thier customers was not the case for the bigger photograph in the middle of the wall. WIth Francisco Terasawa in this photo was Norman Bourlog, winner of the Nobel Prize in Agriculture and the founder or leader in what has become known as the green revolution. It was also interesting to learn that Fransisco was nominated for the Nobel Prize in agriculture, and his story is well worth this accomplishment.
Francisco started his work with soybeans in 1964, and continued that career with the Brazilian Dep. of Agriculture for eight years. During this period his boss was the only person with a Masters degree in Soybean research, so clearly it was a new production means at the time. Francisco's knowledge and interest in soybeans led him to start his own research in this area in 1972, when he founded FT Sementes. He shared with us that he sought out help and understanding of soybeans from several other farmers in the southern region of the United States, and was quick to mention that without their help, he would not have achieved his level of success. Through breeding many different hybrids of soybeans, he found one that had useful characteristics. He bred a soybean that could grow well in a very acidic soil, a soil that was also low in phosphorous and high in aluminum, and this is what you will find across the entire central region of Brazil, called the cerrado. As John Santos (our advisor from Illinois, Uncle John as we refer to him) describes, the central region of Brazil is similiar to that of most of Australia, grazing land, flat, and prairie grass in most parts. Francisco had bred a plant that could be grown for profit in an otherwise baron region. The FT Christalina, the Queen of Cerrado, was a hybrid that took off in popularity with farmers. A region that used to grow 1.5 tons/hectare (around 25 bu/acre) could now produce 3 tons/hectace (50 bu/ac). This was a remarkable accomplishment and product for the farmers of the Cerrado region. And the numbers reflected it, 8 out of 10 soybean plants in all of Cerrado, were the FT Christalina hybrid.
The name FT Semente stands for "Francisco Terasawa Seeds." But, when you walk into their plant, you see the FT logo, and right underneath it is a slogan, it reads, "Fique Tranquilo." This term loosely translates to "Keep calm, or, we will take care of you." And when you listen to Francisco's story, it truly is an understatement to what he has done for Brazilian agriculture.
FT Sementes has certainly had great success, but the valleys have come along as well. 1994 brought disease to the area and hurt Christalina a little bit. Shortly after, Monsanto came to the stage with Round-Up and provided other benefits for farmers. This, combined with a weak product protection system in Brazil led to the decision of selling the Christalina germ plasm to Monsanto. Since that time FT Sementes is still going strong, with 25 different soybean varieties both RR and conventional (60% soybeans in Brazil are non-GMO). They have 8 corn varieties and are coming on strong in the market of bean varieties and edible soybeans. Currently they are the 4th largest soybean firm in Brazil, a market share that has grown over the past few years. Their continued success will be the diligent research that they continue to work on. As Mauricio told us while we were in the research greenhouse, "You can have all of the GMO products and genetics that you want, but the conventional breeding of soybeans for the right conditions is the foundation that makes the other stuff possible." The Christalina changed the way soybeans were produced in the Cerrado, so FT will continue to work towards producing better hybrids for South America and perhaps beyond.
At Home on the Farm
Bom Dia Illinois! Good morning in Portuguese. Our morning yesterday started out just as early as our first in Curitiba, we were on the road at 7:30 on our way to the Municipal Market. It looked like a Saturday morning market in the states with two major differences; their market is everyday at this indoor gym like facility, and they have much, much more fruit to choose from. Nadial allowed us to have a half an hour or so here to look around and just what all they had to offer. It seemed to me that most of the venders were more on the side of retailing, than farmers selling items, because of the diversity of and number of fruits and vegetables that they had for sale. But Nadial said it was a little bit of both. He had us try some eacalyptus (?) honey, which had bite to it, not quite as sweet, and a little bitter.
During the morning we also had a surprise stop to the Botanical Gardens, which was not on the itinerary, but were able to squeeze in an hour around this downtown Curitiba park. It was a very nice, green, central park and it was good to get out and walk for awhile after being on a bus so long.
The rest of the morning consisted of a tour of a veternarian hospital. After viewing the facility we left Curitiba and finally made it out into the country. We saw soybeans and corn along the roadside, but it looks nothing like Illinois do to the hilly terrain. It almost had a Wisconsin feeling to it, however, perhaps a little more undulated. It would be a challenge to drive a tractor on the hills which the Brazillians farm.
Our next visit was a Mennonite cooperative in Witmarsum. The mennonite pepole came from a Germany and after much persecution eventually made their way to Brazil. We spent most of our time at a dairy farm, which I considered very clean compared to some of my neighbors dairy farms back home.
The highlight of the day was our visit to the home of Mauricio Teresawa. Mauricio who is currently working on his PhD at the Uniersity of Illinois, prepared a marvelous dinner for us. We enjoyed more barbecue and Brazilian cuisine on his elegent home in downtown Ponta Grossa.
Right now we are leaving for FT Semente, the seed corn company that the Terasawa family owns and operates. It will be interesting to hear what they are working on.
During the morning we also had a surprise stop to the Botanical Gardens, which was not on the itinerary, but were able to squeeze in an hour around this downtown Curitiba park. It was a very nice, green, central park and it was good to get out and walk for awhile after being on a bus so long.
The rest of the morning consisted of a tour of a veternarian hospital. After viewing the facility we left Curitiba and finally made it out into the country. We saw soybeans and corn along the roadside, but it looks nothing like Illinois do to the hilly terrain. It almost had a Wisconsin feeling to it, however, perhaps a little more undulated. It would be a challenge to drive a tractor on the hills which the Brazillians farm.
Our next visit was a Mennonite cooperative in Witmarsum. The mennonite pepole came from a Germany and after much persecution eventually made their way to Brazil. We spent most of our time at a dairy farm, which I considered very clean compared to some of my neighbors dairy farms back home.
The highlight of the day was our visit to the home of Mauricio Teresawa. Mauricio who is currently working on his PhD at the Uniersity of Illinois, prepared a marvelous dinner for us. We enjoyed more barbecue and Brazilian cuisine on his elegent home in downtown Ponta Grossa.
Right now we are leaving for FT Semente, the seed corn company that the Terasawa family owns and operates. It will be interesting to hear what they are working on.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Paranagua Bay
Friday's journey began bright and early with a trip down to the train station, located just outside downtown Curitiba. We boarded the tourist train, which is comparable to the train that would take you to the top of Pike's Peak. We were on a three hour ride from Curitiba, through the mountains and down to Morretes, a small town a short drive from the coast. The train ride down was very scenic, it was extremely dense, with several flowered trees and bushes among mostly green growth. Some areas were just big enough through the stone and greenery that the train cars barely squeezed through. Several times on the ride we were on a bridge, or looking over a dropoff of more than 175 feet. Most of the great scenery were beautiful views of the foggy mountain ranges, 200-400 foot waterfalls, and the rivers in the valleys. This was probably the closest area that we will get to a rain forest. For the most part it seemed like one, without any wildlife though.
When we got off of the train, a 15 minute bus ride took us the rest of the way to Paranagua Bay. Our first stop was a great seafood buffet looking over the river. After lunch, we braved the rain for a boat ride around Paranague Bay. It was a small boat that could fit 30 or so tourists, very roomy for us. We were able to go right by all of the cargo and container ships that were currently docked in the port, and see just how massive the ships as well as their cargo were. The port did not operate when it was rainy, so everything was quiet and inactive. A small group of dolfins followed us for a bit, the most exotic wildlife we have seen so far.
After the boat ride we went inside the Paranagua Bay Port Administration where we were treated to a video presentation on the history and development of the port. Here we learned that the port was the 2nd biggest in Brazil, and had the most capacity for grain. The port grossed over 14 billion and is predicting better years now that the recession is starting to weaken. By 2016 they hope to almost double there capacity with continued expansion of docks for unloading, which they can accomplish when they dredge the channel to make sure it is the proper depth, and then use that sand/soil material to build up land nearby the current port. After the presentation we were able to ask questions, and then took a bus tour behind the gates of the port. The bus was actually driving just feet from the water and underneath the huge cranes that place the containers on the ships. It was surprising we were able to be that close. We learned that a ship has 10 hours to unload/load, and then it is kicked off, has to wait for an opening to continue and is also penalized monetarily. However this has not happened in over 4 years, and keeps thing running efficient. Better rail lines from Paraguay or Argentina are being constructed, and with a more efficient means of getting grain to the port, they will greatly increase the amount they are able to ship.
On our way out of town we made a stop at a farmers market type store. They sold local goods and specialty juices. Nadial had us try "sugar cane juice." Upon ordering it the waiter ran sugar cane sticks into a machine, and out came a white juice. We all shared about two pitchers of this juice, and it was the sweetest drink I think I have ever tasted, very, very good.
Our dining stop for the evening are the famous chascarias, an all you can eat barbecue restaurent. It was a great meal, and the waiters came around so much you had to tell them to no most of the time because your plate was full.
Today we are touring a vet clinic and a Dairy Farm!
That is all for now.
When we got off of the train, a 15 minute bus ride took us the rest of the way to Paranagua Bay. Our first stop was a great seafood buffet looking over the river. After lunch, we braved the rain for a boat ride around Paranague Bay. It was a small boat that could fit 30 or so tourists, very roomy for us. We were able to go right by all of the cargo and container ships that were currently docked in the port, and see just how massive the ships as well as their cargo were. The port did not operate when it was rainy, so everything was quiet and inactive. A small group of dolfins followed us for a bit, the most exotic wildlife we have seen so far.
After the boat ride we went inside the Paranagua Bay Port Administration where we were treated to a video presentation on the history and development of the port. Here we learned that the port was the 2nd biggest in Brazil, and had the most capacity for grain. The port grossed over 14 billion and is predicting better years now that the recession is starting to weaken. By 2016 they hope to almost double there capacity with continued expansion of docks for unloading, which they can accomplish when they dredge the channel to make sure it is the proper depth, and then use that sand/soil material to build up land nearby the current port. After the presentation we were able to ask questions, and then took a bus tour behind the gates of the port. The bus was actually driving just feet from the water and underneath the huge cranes that place the containers on the ships. It was surprising we were able to be that close. We learned that a ship has 10 hours to unload/load, and then it is kicked off, has to wait for an opening to continue and is also penalized monetarily. However this has not happened in over 4 years, and keeps thing running efficient. Better rail lines from Paraguay or Argentina are being constructed, and with a more efficient means of getting grain to the port, they will greatly increase the amount they are able to ship.
On our way out of town we made a stop at a farmers market type store. They sold local goods and specialty juices. Nadial had us try "sugar cane juice." Upon ordering it the waiter ran sugar cane sticks into a machine, and out came a white juice. We all shared about two pitchers of this juice, and it was the sweetest drink I think I have ever tasted, very, very good.
Our dining stop for the evening are the famous chascarias, an all you can eat barbecue restaurent. It was a great meal, and the waiters came around so much you had to tell them to no most of the time because your plate was full.
Today we are touring a vet clinic and a Dairy Farm!
That is all for now.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Curitiba
We finally arrived in Curitiba at 6 o clock Brazil time, after over 30 hours of travel time for most of us. Each of our three connecting flights to Curitiba went extremely smooth and got us here safely.
Last night we met up with our guide for our time in Parana, Nadial. He was ready for us as soon as we stepped of the plane, and helped us with exchanging some currency at the airport. Knowing us Americans, he realized that we might need a Wal-Mart stop, so that was our first order of business. It was much like an American Wal-Mart for the most part, with more Brazilian food of course, but all the essentials can be found.
We checked into our hotel in downtown Curitiba, took a shower, changed clothes and took a bus ride to our welcome dinner at a local Itialian restaurent. The restaurent specializes in feeding a great number of people with great food, and can seat almost 5,000 guest. It was quite impressive, and it took a discipline in order to make sure the waiters did not keep piling the food onto your plate.
It was a great way to start our trip. Momentarily we will be heading to Paranagua Bay, on the Atlantic Coast and take part in a boat tour of one of Brazils largest ports.
Stayed tuned for more!!
Last night we met up with our guide for our time in Parana, Nadial. He was ready for us as soon as we stepped of the plane, and helped us with exchanging some currency at the airport. Knowing us Americans, he realized that we might need a Wal-Mart stop, so that was our first order of business. It was much like an American Wal-Mart for the most part, with more Brazilian food of course, but all the essentials can be found.
We checked into our hotel in downtown Curitiba, took a shower, changed clothes and took a bus ride to our welcome dinner at a local Itialian restaurent. The restaurent specializes in feeding a great number of people with great food, and can seat almost 5,000 guest. It was quite impressive, and it took a discipline in order to make sure the waiters did not keep piling the food onto your plate.
It was a great way to start our trip. Momentarily we will be heading to Paranagua Bay, on the Atlantic Coast and take part in a boat tour of one of Brazils largest ports.
Stayed tuned for more!!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Preparing for Parana
With less than a day before our flight leaves from Chicago we are preparing with last minute check lists and final travel preparations. For the past three months we have had meetings to make sure we are ready for making the most of our 10 journey through the southern most state of Brazil. These have included a meeting with our Brazilian travel guide, Nadial, and also a meeting with a PhD student in Crop Sciences who we will visit on out trip. Other preparations have included discussing the trip with students who have taken the trip in previous years, researching destinations that we will be touring and reviewing the culture that willed be experienced while we are there.
When we land in Curitiba around noon on the 7th we will jump right into the expedition by touring Brazil's 7th largest city, with a little less than 2 million residents. It is located 65 miles from Paranagua Bay, which will be out destination on day three.
It is our goal to post updates on a daily basis, probably in the evenings, but will depend on computer availability at our hotels.
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