Taking to the Fields in Brazil

Today was a spectacular day of learning. We were able to get out into fields and pastures to experience Brazilian agriculture. We started the day out at Embrapa, which is a national agriculture research institution in Brazil. In the past this location has only focused on rice and edible beans, but just recently they are becoming more diversified as they are serving as a regional hub. They are incorporating a wider variety of crops and even livestock into their research. We began with a brief welcome and introduction to the facility before making our way to the labs, greenhouses, fields, and then pastures. We were able to see many crops including rice, beans, soybeans, sorghum, corn, and cotton. We had the great opportunity to learn about integrated crop-livestock systems and the Nellore cattle that they are working with. Here are some interesting facts from our Embrapa visit:

• Environmental research is just as important as production research.
• They have a gene bank with over 44,000 species.
• They are the first public institution to breed transgenic beans.
• The integrated crop-livestock system is improving soil and the environment.

We enjoyed lunch at the agriculture campus at the Universidade Federal de Goias (UFG) where we will visit tomorrow and visited with many students before traveling to PUDICA an organic farm. One of the owners of PUDICA is, also, a professor at UFG. We spent several hours exploring his farm. Many enjoyed checking out the numerous parrots as he works with a group to reincorporate parrots back to their natural habitats after injuries. We were able to see many different crops in production. One of his fields had banana's, papayas, peppers, and coffee all growing together. He did have crops we are more familiar with such as corn and soybeans, but he looks to produce specialized varieties for niche markets. They take the philosophy of health first followed by the environment, social aspects, and economics in that order.

After a long day in the sun and heat we enjoyed a steak dinner in an open air restaurant. We look forward to another great day on Tuesday.