Brazilian Meat

Brazilian Meat

beef Brazil chicken meat

Even though we have returned from Brazil we will keep our focus on Brazil for this weeks post and discussion points. About a week ago the meat industry in Brazil took a hit domestically and globally. Below I have linked two articles regarding the recent issues facing the meat industry in Brazil. One includes a video and the other is strictly text. I encourage you to check out both and then

Travel Time

Travel Time

Brazil

Today we have spent a lot of time on the road as we prepare for many hours of flights. We started out traveling from Intumbiara to Brasilia with a short pit stop in Goiania at Juarez's, to drop him off and have a coffee break. We soon were back on the road. It took between 5-6 hours to make our way to Brasilia.

Once we arrived in Brasilia we went to a mall, named Pier 21, to enjoy lunch at the

Muito Quente

Muito Quente

Brazil corn Cotton Soybeans

Mutio quente is a good description of today. Muito quente is Portuguese for "very hot." Today was in the mid 90's as we learned more about Brazilian agriculture. We started learning about cotton production. We were able to visit a cotton producer who works with Bayer Crop Science to produce cotton seed for future crops. He shared production practices, challenges, and some of the equipment used.

Hitting Backroads in Brazil

Hitting Backroads in Brazil

Brazil Pioneer precision agriculture sugarcane

We were back to exploring agriculture today in Brazil after the water park yesterday. We learned a lot about sugarcane production today. We started with a field where they had recently planted sugarcane. They plant small sections of sugarcane in the soil and plants sprout from the nodes. We covered a wide array of topics relating to sugarcane including nutrient requirements, pests, growing

A Day of Recreation in Brazil

A Day of Recreation in Brazil

Brazil

We were a little worried when the day started out as it began with rain. We loaded up in the rain and left Goiania for Caldas Novas where there is a Hot Park Waterpark. Thankfully the rain stopped while we traveled to the Hot Park. The water is naturally heated by the earth and has many pools, slides, lazy rivers, etc. Some took advantage of the thrill rides while others took it easy. The day at

Dairy Cattle and Monkeys

Dairy Cattle and Monkeys

Brazil dairy

Today was another great day! We made our way to Piracanjuba Dairy about an hour from our hotel. The site that we visited was a smaller operation with about 480 total head of cattle and they were milking under 200 head twice a day. This site is utilized for training dairy farmers and workers in dairy production and practices. They covered everything from milking practices to management practices

Taking to the Fields in Brazil

Taking to the Fields in Brazil

Brazil Crops Embrapa Nellore organic PUDICA

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

Sunday Funday Brazilian Style

Sunday Funday Brazilian Style

Brazil

Sundays are low key in Brazil and often include spending time with others. This was the case for us this particular Sunday in Brazil. We started off by traveling to a local park that was buzzing with family and friends gathering. Some of us stopped and enjoyed some coconut water as we explored the park, before we made our way to Juarez and Jeanne's home.




We had a relaxed afternoon enjoying

Exploring the Cerrado

Exploring the Cerrado

Brazil cerrado

This morning we packed up and were on the road by 7:00 as we left Brasila in route to Pirenopolis. This was the first time we were able to get out of the city and see some of the countryside. We are in the cerrado region of Brazil and we got to see a lot of the landscape. We saw a lot of pastures with cattle grazing along with some first crop soybeans, second crop corn, and the rolling

Learning and Feasting

Learning and Feasting

Brazil CODEVASF Ministry of Agriculture

Today was a day filled with great learning and feasting. We kicked off the day with a typical Brazilian breakfast that included fresh fruits, breads, meats, cheeses, and eggs. From the hotel we made our way to the Ministry of Agriculture for Brazil. Pedro Viana Borges shared an excellent presentation with us highlighting agriculture in Brazil. Here are just a few interesting facts from the

We Have Arrived!

We Have Arrived!

Brazil

We arrived in Brazil and had a spectacular first day in country! Flights went well for the most part besides a little over an hour delay in Miami before we departed due to some needed maintenance on the aircraft. Sunshine and warm weather greeted us in Brasilia, unfortunately one of the students bags did not make it. We await its arrival tomorrow.

From the airport we dropped bags off at our

Bound for Brazil!

Bound for Brazil!

Brazil

We have just arrived at the Eastern Iowa Airport to make our way to Brazil! We have a spectacular group of nine students and two faculty who will spend a week and a half learning more about Brazilian agriculture. We encourage you to follow our daily adventures on this blog. Our next update will come Thursday evening. With an overnight flight we are set to arrive in Brasilia Thursday morning.