 |
| Three
NCGA members recently toured Brazilian agricultural regions. Pictured
in a Brazilian soybean field are (left to right): Bruce Stockman,
Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) and Minnesota Corn Research
& Promotion Council (MCRPC) executive director; David Ward,
MCRPC chair; Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson; Ron Obermoller,
MCGA president; and Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner
Gene Hugoson. |
Minnesota
Corn Growers Learn Valuable Lessons on Trip to Brazil (2-4-04)
Three members of the National
Corn Growers Association (NCGA) returned recently from a 10-day tour
of farms and businesses in several Brazilian agricultural regions.
The delegates, all from Minnesota, gained valuable insight into Brazil's
booming agriculture industry and assessed potential competition posed
by the emergence of the country's farm production.
Ron Obermoller, president
of Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA); David Ward, chair of
the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council; and Bruce Stockman,
executive director of both Minnesota corn groups, observed several
unique farming practices and got a feel for agriculture's role in
the Brazilian economy.
"It was an eye-opening
trip and we learned several valuable lessons," Stockman said.
"They've moved significantly into no-till, especially in Mato
Grosso (a rapidly developing agriculture region). It was interesting
to see that they raise two crops per year. They'll harvest one crop,
and plant the next crop right behind the combines."
Stockman said a fairly
new trend in Brazilian farming is rotating cotton, rather than corn,
with soybeans. While Brazil is rapidly emerging as a power player
in the world soybean market, Stockman said the United States has a
firm grasp on the corn trade. However, he said, Brazil is likely to
up its production of corn in the future to coincide with market trends.
"They aren't growing
a whole lot of corn right now," he said. "But they have
the capability and the resources to compete in the future. They are
developing the know-how and technology to grow corn competitively."
The Brazilian government's
goal is to increase agricultural production four-fold within the next
20 years, Stockman said. In order to accomplish this goal, the government
is investing in large-scale transportation infrastructure upgrades.
"They're committed to improving their rail, road and lock and
dam systems," he said. "If we don't pay attention to what
they're doing, they're going to blow past us."
Brazilian farmers seem
to adapt to changes in commodity demands quickly, Stockman said, and
that flexibility has helped fuel the rapid growth of the country's
agriculture sector. "They look at economics more than tradition,"
he said. "They're flexible and they make judgments based on what
the markets are doing. U.S. farmers could learn from that flexibility."
Stockman said
nearly 30 Americans participated in the tour, including farmers from
several Midwestern states. The staff of Corn and Soybean Digest and
Beef Magazine organized the trip.