Over the past week, we talked about Brazil?s agricultural production regions.
I am not leading nor sponsoring a tour to Brazil, but there is a 25-year history of United States farmers making a two-week trek through the interior to see conversation of the landscape from trees to fields and the first generation of farms isolated from the coastal cities.
Chris Clayton traveled to Brazil in early February. He has begun writing about the trip he took with Rupiper Tours on his blog. You can find his work at www.DTNPF.com
I took a similar tour in 2001 and 2013. The roads are long, and the weather can be hot and dusty or very wet, depending on the season.
The accommodations are quite adequate, and the hospitality of farmers and farm organizations is very good.
I saw trees being cleared by two, huge Caterpillar Crawlers pulling a 100-meter cable. The windrow they left was quickly chopped up and used as fuel to dry soybeans.
Farms are integrated to gin cotton and to store grain in the millions of bushels.
Transportation is a challenge along with inflation and a corrupt government.
Clayton indicated the road to the Amazon may be finished in a year. Like other Iowa farmers who accompanied me on the 2013 tour, I?ll believe it when I see it.
The government has given false hopes of the road north for grain shipment to Amazon ports for many years. It is a logistical nightmare and Brazil has a hard time spending money outside the major population centers of Sao Paulo and Rio.
The tour company we used is still doing tours, especially December through March, and was founded by Larry Rupiper from Yankton, South Dakota.
AUDIO: World of Agriculture
