Brazil’s abundance of natural resources is astonishing. During this mission we have focused on row crops and ethanol made from sugarcane, but Brazil also gains renewable energy from the world’s most powerful dam – Itaipu Dam.
Constructed in 1984, the dam was built to be 18 times larger than the Hoover dam and the reservoir’s size is equal to the area of Chicago. Itaipu Dam is a bi-national enterprise undertaken by Brazil and Paraguay on the Paraná River, along the border between both countries. The power plant runs under the Itaipu treaty, a geopolitical compromise which created a company that is neither a state-controlled company nor a corporation. Everything, including where the staffers are from, is split evenly between the two countries.
We were surprised to learn that around 15 percent of Brazil’s energy and 80 percent of Paraquay’s energy is from the dam. In 2013 they reached the historic mark of 98,630,035 megawatt-hours generated, that would be enough to cover the entire worldwide consumption for two days.
Also located in Foz do Iquaçu are the Iquaçu Falls. Located on the Iquaçu River and 40 kilometers from the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant, Iquaçu Falls contains the magnificent spectacle of 275 individual drops. They stretch almost two miles and reaches 269 feet high, making it taller than Niagara Falls and twice as wide.
food industry by starting with members who grow crops and members who use those crops to feed livestock. Copagril is a partner of a meat processing facility that harvests the members’ livestock which is then sold at the cooperative’s four supermarkets. They have 15 grain elevators located on the southern region of Mato Grosso do Sul and the northeastern of Paraná state, with a total capacity for the storage of 276,000 tons.
Our visit was to see the work being done to integrate cattle grazing into soybean-corn-grass rotation. Their main objectives included keeping the ground covered with vegetation year round, providing fodder for cattle in dry months when all the other grass is gone, and continually improving soil quality. This program is designated as a priority by the government and is well-staffed and funded.
The cane is cut, leaves removed, cut into short pieces and loaded into a tip cart and then loaded into tandem semi carts to be taken to the mill. Pulled by semi trucks that can be moved field to field, everyone has the government-required toilets and break room on the field. Water trucks run constantly to keep the dust in check.
Our first visit today was to FAMASUL, the Agriculture Federation of Mato Grosso do Sul. FAMASUL could be comparable to a state farm bureau as they represent the interests of farmers on general issues. Barrio Cachoeirra II of FAMASUL gave us a presentation about the competitiveness of Brazil’s agribusiness. We filtered through charts and graphs about each sectors of Brazil’s agricultural industry, learning first-hand about how the agribusiness industry supports Brazil through fairly stable, rapid growth in many areas of agriculture.
Picture yourself driving from Cincinnatti to Cleveland and finding nothing but gently rolling ground, fantastic soils, year around warmth, and acres upon acres of corn, soybeans, and cotton. Keep in mind you are on a two lane road and haven’t spotted a single house. Now imagine that those crops have the potential to increase yield by a factor up to 2x at any given moment.
In this area of Brazil, corn is usually the third most profitable crop. Soybeans are always the most profitable, followed by cotton. Wheat is not grown here but researchers are working to develop varieties suitable for this area. Just like Ohio, Brazil seems to be very committed to a crop rotation to help break up disease cycles and improve soil health. YieldIng 90-100 bu/ac, corn is always the second crop and therefore has the less ideal growing weather. Corn is here to stay but it currently doesn’t get the bulk of their attention and investment. But even with low yields, the shear number of acres makes Brazil a real competitor for corn.
3,500 ac farm is in Primavera do Leste. It’s not the largest farm we’ll see during our mission, but it still has a full-time staff of 8 with more added during the busy seasons. Father, daughter and son manage the farm, but they all live in town. The staff lives on the farm with their families in individual housing and singles in group housing. One 18-inch row planter is used for beans and corn. Laser straight rows indicate auto steering has arrived. It wasn’t common a couple years ago.
Yesterday (March 14), we visited with Cid Sanches, Director of Aprosoja, Mato Grosso. Aprosoja is a soybean association formed in 2005 to unify the voices of the farmer to the federal government. Thirteen Brazilian states have Aprosoja Associations. Each state’s agriculture picture is so unique, it’s hard to find a unified national voice across all agriculture.
Marco shared the story of John Carter moving to Brazil and starting his soybean farm in the wilderness of northern Mato Grosso. I am not sure I have the grit to make that kind of leap in life, but what an exciting adventure. The Brazilian government did a social outreach program giving 600 families 100 hectares each so they may start farming. Alianca De Terra helps to provide education about conservation to the new farmers. They also work with RTRS (Round Table on Responsible Soy) which represents: the soy value chain, responsible soy production, and works with the European market on negotiations. Alianca De Terra is working hard to educate on the understanding the value of conservation & the long term value of “producing right”. Brazil has strict restrictions on clearing of land for agriculture and the value of conservation. Alianca De Terra helps to make sure all farmers are using good land stewardship practices. The most interesting detail of the night was that small scale ag in Brazil is in the most need for education on good stewardship practices.
On March 11, Ohio farmers will embark on a 12-day market study mission of Brazil, a major competitor of international sales to the U.S. The purpose of this mission is a gain a better understand of Brazil’s role in the worldwide market of agriculture.
Ohio Corn & Wheat Market Study Mission to Brazil 